I know it’s the wrong time of year for this, but I couldn’t resist posting it for those brides that are already starting to plan their summertime beach weddings!  This idea can also be incorporated in to other seasons using a different base element, which I will explain shortly.

Boutonnieres for the groom and groomsmen are one of the smallest details in a wedding, and also one of the easiest to DIY.  Because you only need enough to cover the bridal party and any male family members, it shouldn’t be too time consuming.  My favorite DIY idea so far are these starfish boutonnieres, courtesy of Style Me Pretty.

They best part is, they’re simple, cheap and unique.  You can purchase starfish in bulk from places like Century Novelty.  You can also buy bar pins and a hot glue gun from any craft store.  The process is pretty self-explanatory–glue the bar pins to the backs of the starfish, and there you have it! Here’s a shot of the final product, as found on Bloom’s Design Studio.

As an alternative, you can use different items to compliment the season and style of your wedding.  Think flowers and ribbon, feathers, even small, shiney Christmas decor for holiday weddings!

At most weddings, it’s the small, thoughtful details that your guests will remember most.  Little things can stand out in a big way, especially when they actually make a direct impression on your guests.

While surfing my favorite list of wedding websites, I stumbled across an amazing DIY idea on Darcy’s Wedding Idea of the Day that is sure to up your guests’ fun factor.  Although it will take some imagination, it’s light on the budget.

Darcy suggests placing large glass containers or vases on the bars.  Inside, the couple places “dares” written on slips of paper, such as “Ask the Bride to Dance” or “Introduce Yourself to Someone New”.  Not only does this encourage guests to mingle, it gets conversation flowing!  Plus, with the only supplies needed being paper, a few vases, a nice pen and a lot of imagination, you can’t find an easier project!

As an option, you could also change the “dares” to fortunes so that the guests aren’t actually required to put in any work.  Either way, this idea is an adorable DIY project that is sure to entertain your guests!

Happy Halloween from DIY Divas!  Now, on to the fun.

This week we are featuring DIY Hair pieces, which can cost upwards of $200 if you purchase them from a retailer.  Rachel, our ever-crafty coworker, has found a way to completely bypass the bridal boutique and instead make gorgeous, chic hairpieces that are perfect for a bridesmaid or even a bride!

Step 1: Head to your nearest craft store and peruse the faux flowers section.  You’ll be surprised at how realistic and beautiful many of them are.  Once you’ve found the perfect flower, you’ll also need a hot glue gun, a small square of felt cut into a circle with a hole in it, and a little clip (also available at any craft store).  You can also purchase any sort of adornments to add to your flower, such as feathers, lace or jewels.

Step 2:  Open the clip and slide it through the hole in the felt.  This will be the back of the hair piece where you’ll attach it to your hair.

Step 3:  Place a dollop of hot glue on the back of the felt between the clip and the felt.  This assures that the clip will stay on and not detach in the middle of your wedding!

Step 4: Take the hot glue gun and use it to attach your flower as well as any additional accessories you’ve purchased to your felt backing.

Step 5:  Finally!  You have a beautiful hair piece worthy of a princess.  I love the look of this one with the exotic feathers.  It’s very vintage and modern at the same time.

A key element to any event is the mood and ambiance, which is often set by a combination of lighting, decor and music.  While I can’t help you with the music in this post, I can offer some great ideas for centerpieces and lighting that were sent to me by one of our very own staff members!

Rachel, a talented designer here at Wedding Paper Divas, found this gorgeous photo of candle centerpieces that were made simply by wrapping lace around various sized votive candles.  Placed atop a mirror to reflect light and surrounded by small details like these decorative rocks, this make a stunning centerpiece.

Inspired, Rachel adapted this idea into her very own outdoor lighting.  Using scalloped scissors, lacy doilies, and some tea lights, she turned these ordinary white paper bags into gorgeous lighting accessories.  You can also use flameless battery-operated tea lights to avoid any fire danger.

Here are her creations in action, lining the walkway up to the airy gazebo.

If you’re feeling even more crafty, follow in the footsteps of one of Rachel’s friends and etch your very own glass votive candle holders.  Although a much more intricate process, the end result is dazzling!

Guestbooks are one of those things at a wedding that blends in to the background.  Often, people don’t invest much time or through in what the guestbook will look like or how it will be presented.   However, the guestbook is one of the lasting memories that you will have from your big day.  Although most photographers will offer some sort of photo guestbook option, they are usually very expensive.  You can also buy standard guestbooks from any wedding supply store, but they aren’t very memorable.  Here are a couple of DIY ideas that can not only make your guestbook stand out, but will also turn it in to something you’ll want to feature in your home for years to come.

-Visit a website like blurb where you can upload your own photos to put together your very own, very affordable photo book.  As your laying out the book in blurb, remember to leave plenty of white space around your photos.  This will give your guests a place to leave personal notes.  Blurb’s product choices and quality is outstanding, allowing your to have a coffee table book that you can leave out for all to enjoy well after your wedding has passed.

-If you had engagement photos taken, or even if you have a photo of the two of you that you adore, have the photo enlarged and matted with a plain, white matte.  Make sure you have the matte cut much wider than you normally would.  Display the matte at your reception or cocktail hour and allow guests to sign it.  A friend did this at her wedding and now has a gorgeous, framed, personal photo hanging over her fireplace for everyone to enjoy.

When I got married last year, I had a lot on my plate.  I was planning a wedding from 2500 miles away, not to mention trying to accommodate our huge guest list that consisted of about 50% out of town guests.  I wanted these people to know that they were appreciated for taking the time to travel, rent a car and book a hotel for our wedding.  However, with a hefty out of town list of well over 120 people, I had to find a way to do this without breaking the bank.

Since my wedding was held in a suburb of Detroit, Michigan, I wanted to show the out-of-towners that Michigan, and especially Detroit, Michigan, could actually be a pretty cool and beautiful place to visit, despite its poor reputation.  To do this, I put together some very personal, hometown gift bags for my guests, without spending a ton of money.

To start, I bought the bags themselves from Oriental Trading to match our wedding colors.  Buying in bulk saved a ton of money, and you can even have the bags personalized (although I printed my own labels).  Next, I headed to Costco and purchased bottled water and small bags of local Better-Made chips emblazoned with the Detroit Tiger’s Logo (a lucky find!).  I also ordered Mackinac Island Fudge in bulk to please our guest’s sweet tooth.  Finally, by contacting my state’s Travel and Tourism department, I was able to get 120 state and local maps for free.  I also put together my own list of “things to do” with specific foods, features and places that my fiancee and I loved in the area.

As a final touch, I purchased some locally-grown Michigan Cherries and Apples at Costco so the guests would have something healthy to munch on.  Because almost everything was purchased in bulk, I was able to spend a little and give a lot.  And, using hometown goodies made everything really personal.  Do you have any ideas of your own for hotel gift bags?

Outfitting your wedding with gorgeous centerpieces can bite a huge chunk out of your budget, but it doesn’t have to.  DIY centerpieces are not nearly as hard as they might sound, and you can usually produce something beautiful on a small budget.

One of the easiest and cheapest ways to do centerpieces is to purchase curly willow or even long, tall branches.  If you live in a wooded area, you can gather your OWN branches, leaves, pine cones, etc.  Once you have enough, take some silver or white spray paint and cover all of the branches and leaves, then arrange them in vases.  Too add some extra glamour, glue or hang small crystals from the branches, and arrange tea light candles around the base of the arrangement.

As another option, you can forgo the spray painting and just use bare branches, but drop a few flowers in for some color, as shown in the photo below. Gorgeous!

When it comes to wedding favors, you have a million different options, from chocolates to candles, picture frames to mint tins.  Even though you can usually buy any of these items in bulk for a discounted price, it can still be a pricey commitment.  Because of that, we’ve come up with a few clever and creative ideas for DIY favors that guests are sure to love.

-Give your guests a gift that might really pay off!  For my wedding (260 guests!), I bought 260 $1 scratch-off lottery tickets.  I also purchased small envelopes in bulk that fit the tickets perfectly.  Using my home printer, I printed each person’s name on an envelope, and then stuck one lottery ticket and a shiny new penny in each.  When complete, these favors doubled as place cards, and they gave everyone something to talk about.  Hoots and hollers could be heard around the room as people won anywhere from $2 to $200!

-Share a piece of your personality with your guests.  Blank CDs are easy to come by these days.  Make a list of you and your honey’s favorite songs and burn them on to blank CDs.  Give each guest (or couple) a CD with a custom-made sleeve describing the meaning behind each song.

-Go to a bulk candy store and get a large quantity of your favorite sweet.  Next, head to the fabric store and buy some tulle and ribbon in your wedding colors.  Simply wrap the candy up in the little tulle “bags” and tie them with a ribbon.  You can even make small tags on your home printer with your wedding date, initials, or wedding location on it.

Whatever you choose to do, remember that any small token of appreciation will impress and please your guests.  What do you think? Do you have any other creative DIY ideas for wedding favors?