Feel the overwhelm of the many options?  Consider getting yourself a wedding planner to jot down and organize your favorite ideas for the big day.

Paper DIY Tutorials

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Wedding Program Template Download

This wedding program template is downloadable for a quick and easy DIY wedding project.  With added doily lace on top, this program is too cute! And it will save you lots of time designin your own. Just download the fonts, the template, and customize. [/lgc_column]

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Wedding Invitation Template Download

This invitation suite is free for download and the perfect way to customize your invites. They have a rustic chic vibe that your guests are sure to love! If you’re looking for a simple but gorgeous invite to download and customize, this is for you.[/lgc_column]

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Wedding Crossword Puzzle Download

Make your own crossword puzzle to put in your program. This is ultimate personalized wedding DIY, and can really entertain guests while they wait. The 9 step tutorial walks you through how to make your own.[/lgc_column]

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DIY Rustic Wedding Invitations

Ever So Britty shares the sweet rustic invites she made for her own wedding. And she tells us how we can make them too: “Making the invitations yourself can be a great way to save money, if you stick within a budget and choose your supplies wisely.“[/lgc_column]

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DIY Rubber Stamp Invitations

Rubber stamps can really give your invitation suite versatility and a custom look. Oh So Beautiful Paper shows us how repeating stamp designs can lead to several different wedding invitation suites by changing the stamp pad and envelope colors! I think this black style is ‘oh so’ perfect for a rustic chic wedding.[/lgc_column]

Sign DIY Tutorials

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Chalkboard Wedding Menu Download & Tutorial

For a sweet chalkboard wedding menu, download this template and follow the tutorial here.  Make sure your guests know what they will be served in a cute and rustic way. Just download the fonts, template, and customize![/lgc_column]

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DIY Wedding Chair Signs

Wood signs are the quintessential rustic wedding decor. To create something more personal or budget conscious for your wedding, then check out this easy tutorial on how to make your own DIY wedding chair signs by Mountain Modern Life.[/lgc_column]

Decor DIY Tutorials

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How to DIY your Wedding Flowers

Add some real rustic chic vibes to your wedding by DIYing your flowers! This bride shares her experience and gives lots of actionable tips for doing your own wedding flowers.  She even offers a free flower worksheet download. [/lgc_column]

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Rustic Mason Jar Chandelier Tutorial

Consider a mason jar chandelier to add some rustic glam to your wedding decor.  This would be perfect for any barn wedding! Mountian Modern Life made one to use in their wedding reception decor, which they hung right above the sweetheart table. Adorbs! Check out the tutorial here. [/lgc_column]

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Cotton & Lace Pom Pom Tutorial

Make these beautiful cotton and lace pom pom balls as decor for your rustic wedding.  Sylvie Liv gives an excellent and thorough tutorial on how to DIY these adorable poms. And she includes a supply list so you know exactly what you need to make them. [/lgc_column]

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Rustic Floral Centerpiece Tutorial

Make this rustic winter centerpiece yourself with step-by-step instructions from Rock My Wedding.  I love a good floral tutorial and this one is truly sublime with all those lovely eucalyptus leaves! [/lgc_column]

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DIY Floating Birch Cupcake Stand

This DIY floating birch cupcake stand is just what your rustic sweets table needs! Follow this step by step tutorial from Rustic Wedding Chic to DIY this sweet stand for your big day.  I love that this DIY is something you can keep and use long after the wedding is over  [/lgc_column]

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Burlap and Lace Table Runners

Miss Bizi Bee says it perfectly: “When you’re trying to give your event that rustic vibe, adding burlap and lace is the simplest way to do it.” And, I couldn’t agree more! Check out her great tutorial on how to make your own burlap and lace table runners and add some rustic vibe to your big day. [/lgc_column]

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DIY Rustic Table Numbers Tutorial

Spot of Tea Designs shares this fun tutorial on how to make your own rustic table number signs. Check out how her friend added DIY personalized touches with these rustic table numbers made by her handy hubby.[/lgc_column]

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DIY Burlap Bow Tutorial

Mommy Suite shows you how to make the PERFECT burlap bow in her step by step tutorial. These would make perfect seat back decor for your rustic wedding day, or they would be great at the end of your pews.  There are a plethora of ways to add these adorable bows to your rustic wedding decor.[/lgc_column]

Favors DIY Tutorials

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S’more Love Favor Download

Send your guests s’more love with these adorable s’more favors.  You can download the printable here and also read about hwo to assemble these yourself.  Wouldn’t this be perfect for a campground or forest themed wedding??[/lgc_column]

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Pinecone Fire Starter Favors

Pinecone fire starters are another perfect rustic favor for your wedding day. They are unique and people will actually use them! Evermine gives a tutorial on how to make these for your rustic wedding and truly impress your guests.[/lgc_column]

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Salt & Pepper (Mason Jar) Favors

Something Turqouise love the phrase: “We go together like Salt & Pepper!” They say if you share the sentiment, these are the perfect favors for a rustic, shabby chic affair. They will tell you how to combine salt and pepper in one darling mason jar spice shaker. These favors are sure to be peppered with compliments![/lgc_column]

Seating Chart DIY Tutorials

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Chalkboard Seating Chart Download

Let your guests find their seating in true rustic style using this faux chalkboard seating chart. There is a template download for simple creation.  Check out how you can get this chalkboard seating chart for your rustic wedding day![/lgc_column]

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Guilded Leaf Place Cards

These gold leaves are the perfect rustic DIY place cards for your wedding day. This tutorial from Polka Dot Bride shows you everything you need to know to create these yourself. [/lgc_column]

Guest Book DIY Tutorials

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Guest ‘Log’ DIY Tutorial

Have your guests sign there name and blessing onto this adorable wedding guest ‘log.’ Isn’t the play on words so perfect?! This rustic DIY guest book is perfect and simple to do yourself. Not to mention, it makes a great keepsake for after the wedding. [/lgc_column]

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How to Make a Wedding Wishing Tree

Have your guests write heartfelt wishes for the bride and groom and tuck them inside lovely little envelopes. You can open them together later and cherish these notes as reminders of your wedding day! Find out how to make your own Wedding Wishing Tree at Rustic Wedding Chic. [/lgc_column]

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Dream Catcher Wedding Guest Book Tutorial

Whimsical Wonderland Weddings shares this unique dream catcher guest book DIY. Using natural materials they created this rustic dream catcher guest book, which can be used as a lovely keepsake post wedding too. The inspiration behind it was nature, woodland and natural materials.[/lgc_column]

Other Rustic DIY Tutorials

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DIY Shotgun Shell Boutonniere

Nothing says rustic quite like a shotgun shell boutonniere! If your groom is the hunting type, honor his pastime with this personalized boutonniere made just for him! Miss Robbin Sparkles made some for her wedding and explains everything your need to know here.[/lgc_column]

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Log Card Box

On Instructables you can learn how to make this perfect rustic card box for your gift table. And it is a wonderful keepsake for after the wedding too. Don’t worry, it’s not as heavy as it looks! Most of the inside material gets removed.[/lgc_column]

The post 25 DIY Rustic Wedding Tutorials appeared first on Naomi Bjerk.

After DIYing my own wedding flowers, and helping out with many other friend’s weddings, I have definitely learned who provides the best bulk wedding flowers and even better customer service.  Read on to find out which might be a good fit for your DIY wedding floral needs!

Some of the links below contain affiliate links which just means that if you purchase I would receive a small commission.  As always, I only ever recommend products I personally use and love.

Bulk Wedding Flowers Providers

Fifty Flowers

I first experienced fifty flowers when I did my own wedding florals and I immediately fell in love with their diverse selection and unique way of discovering blooms that fit your wedding.  For instance, you can sort by season, flower type, or color.  They also have great wedding flower packages for those of you who aren’t into the guesswork of how many flowers to choose or what type.

After my own experience with Fifty Flowers, I used them for my friend’s wedding and was equally impressed.  They have excellent customer service and a floral designer on call to answer any questions you may have.

For a super in-depth review of Fifty Flowers and everything you should know before buying from them click here.

Global Rose

Global Rose offers offer lower prices and a good selection of fresh, wholesale flowers with slightly less variety than Fifty Flowers. They ship directly from the farm and offer free delivery which are both big pros. Global Rose offers a 24 hour return guarantee.

I find that although their website isn’t my favorite, you can find some great prices on this site.

Sam’s Club

For the no-nonsense brides out there – Sam’s Club is a great choice for your bulk wedding flowers.  They are extremely affordable (I’m not sure you can beat their prices) and I’ve used them on numerous occasions and always received top quality blooms.

They do not have nearly the variety of flowers as some may like, which is why if you like the more common flowers and a simpler look this would be a great choice for you.  Personally, I adore their hydrangeas, such good value!

Flower Moxie

I wish I had known about Flower Moxie when I was doing my wedding flowers! This company takes all the guesswork out of doing your own wedding flowers and let’s you focus on the fun part, playing with flowers.

You don’t have to worry about which flowers are in your dream bouquet or how many you need.  Amy has created professionally designed collections for you to choose from, or you can work with her to design your own.  I absolutely adore the arrangements she has put together, and I know you will too

So there you have it, my top 3 favorite bulk wedding flowers suppliers.  If you are looking to tackle this awesome endeavor check out my other posts on DIY wedding flowers below.  Or download my free wedding flowers worksheet!  Happy DIYing

The post The Best Bulk Wedding Flowers Suppliers appeared first on Naomi Bjerk.

Organizing your DIY flowers is simple with this worksheet I’ve created to give you a comprehensive picture of your wedding florals.  With hundreds of blooms, it can be tough to keep track of exactly how much you need for each arrangement and in total.  Here you can see where each stem is going and exactly how much everything is costing you.  And, use the recipe tab to know how many and what type of flowers you’ve allocated to each arrangement.

This excel worksheet is something I developed for myself when I DIYed my wedding flowers.  I’ve continued improving it into the comprehensive guide that is is now as I’ve helped other brides DIY.  I hope you enjoy this worksheet as much as I have!

Download DIY Flower Worksheet

Also, feel free to check out these other DIY wedding flower posts:

*This post first appeared on DIYBLOOMS.COM*

The post Free DIY Flower Worksheet appeared first on Naomi Bjerk.

1. Make an impact by doing less large arrangements

If you love big tall centerpieces but are trying to keep costs down, try making using the tall large arrangements on only half the reception tables and using candles and lanterns on the rest.  For instance if you have 16 tables and each arrangement cost you around $50, doing all the tables in your tall style would cost $800.  If you only did 8 arrangements and used rented lanterns on the others, you would only pay $400.  No one will think you ‘skimped’ on flowers, they will just be impressed by the 8 large and tall pieces.

2. Buy a only a few statement (aka expensive) blooms

Everyone wants their flowers to look like a million bucks, but cost far from it.  You can impress and wow by carefully choosing several statement flowers to steal the show while setting the background with more affordable blooms.

For instance, peonies are beautiful!  But if they were the only flower you used, you might end up paying quite a bit.  Instead buy some peonies but let them be a beautiful accent to a backdrop of garden roses and hydrangea.

3. Choose in season blooms

Dahlias may be your favorite flower, but if you try to buy them for your spring wedding your wallet will not be happy.  Just because a flower is available for purchase in your wedding month doesn’t mean it’s in season.  Make sure and double check before purchasing to ensure you’re not paying an arm and a leg for normally reasonable flowers.

4. Use more affordable look-a-likes

Just because peonies are expensive and seasonal doesn’t mean you can get that look for your wedding!  Garden roses are a great alternative at much lower prices.  And most likely no one except your green-thumbed great aunt will even know the difference.  Almost every expensive bloom has a cheaper look-a-like.  Start by checking out the seasonal flowers and you may discover some you like even better!

5. Cut out the smaller arrangements

Does anyone really remember the aisle bows and flowers?  If you’re trying to get the most bang for your buck, skip the pew decor and pool all your ceremony flowers into one big altar piece.  What about those bathroom flowers, and in the men’s room… seriously?  No one will ever be disappointed that there are no flowers in the bathroom.  Use them where they count most on your head table or near the desserts!

6. Add more greens

Greenery is a lot cheaper that flowers and can add great visual impact to an arrangement.  You might be able to use a third less flowers if you accent and fill in the negative spaces with greenery.  Leaves tend to spread out and cover more visual space, whereas flowers need to tucked together to form an arrangement. Plus, I just love some good greens, they add sophistication to any floral piece!

7. Choose larger blooms

By choosing larger headed flowers you’re making a bigger impact for less dime.  Hydrangeas for instance are huge and can come in up to 9″ diameters.  Using flowers like these, or large-blooming garden roses will help fill out your arrangements.  When these flowers are the ‘bulk’ of the arrangements, you can accent with the more expensive blooms and save money.

8. Pool your flowers into one statement piece

Want to wow your guests, but just don’t have the budget?  Pool most of your flowers into one statement piece.  This could be a floral garland on the cake table, a large altar piece or a luscious sweets table arrangement.  By pulling all eyes to the one piece you will get the most bang for your buck.

9. Use your bouquets as reception decor

Once you and your bridal party arrive at the reception, you don’t need those bouquets anymore!  Put them to good use by having vases to set them in and adorn the head table.  This cuts down on flower costs for the reception and puts your hard work to good use.  When it’s time to toss to your single ladies, just use one of the bridesmaids’ bouquets instead of having a separate one.

10. Use narrow mouthed vases

As a rule of thumb, the wider the mouth of a vase, the more flowers are needed to fill it out.  Maximize your visual impact by choosing narrower vases with wider bases.  This way less flowers are needed to look balanced, yet you still achieve the same visual weight.

For more wedding flower budget tips, check out how these links:

*This post first appeared on DIYBLOOMS.COM*

The post Maximize Your Flower Budget appeared first on Naomi Bjerk.

Accordingly to Google (and who can argue with him??) My most authoritative, informative, and relevant topic is how I DIYed my wedding flowers. This post was such a success that I even wrote a Bride’s Resource Guide for doing your own wedding florals.

I’m so passionate about the topic, in fact, that I spent months creating a whole new blog dedicated entirely to bride’s DIYing their wedding flowers. But, guess what?  It didn’t have three years worth of posts and web traffic indexing, so no one visits it (ha!).

So, I’m going to be sharing a few of my DIY Blooms posts here, because where better to share them then on a site whose #1 search traffic key-phrase is “DIY Wedding Flowers?”

Without further ado…

Top 3 Money-Saving Wedding DIY’s

We all know that DIY’s don’t always save money.  Personally I experience this firsthand after a well-intentioned but misguided attempt at a Pinterest project that ends up on PinterestFail.com.  I think to myself, oh look how easy they made it look!  That velvet tufted headboard with rhinestone nail-head trim only cost them $20.  Well, I could afford that…

Come to find out they had all those supplies ‘just laying around’ in their garage (hoarders, no doubt).  And the total for my project comes out to right around $275 with a whole lot of blood sweat and tears.

I know after going through something like that we’re tempted to throw our hands up and say, that’s it!  No more DIY’s for me, especially amidst all the stress that comes with planning a wedding.  But, believe it or not, there are some very doable projects that will save you lots of money on your wedding.  Here are the top three ways that brides can money on their big day by DIYing.

Invitations & Paper Goods

On average, wedding invitations costs over $400.  And if you want any specialization or unique details, you could be looking at up to $2,000!  Invitations and stationary are actually one of the simplest things you can DIY for your wedding.  By doing your own invitations, you could be looking at 50% savings over store bought.  Plus they will be uniquely customized for your very special day.

Many sites nowadays offer free premade templates for your wedding invitations.  One of my favorites with lots of options is Wedding Chicks.  All you need to do is enter your information, colors, and take to your local print shop.  There are also lots of resources on Pinterest of font inspiration and free graphics to add if you are a DIY-maven and want to create the entire suite yourself.

Why stop at invitations?  Any other paper goods that will be in your wedding could also be DIYed.  Think menu cards, ceremony programs, name tags, and more!  This personalization will pay off, and you will love the savings.

I loved designing our wedding invitations, and even offer the template for download here.  Also, I have our templates for the seating chart, menu, and programs available.

Music

Why pay right around $1,000 for a DJ and fear that he will honor your Aunt Ethel’s request to play the Macarena, when you could pay $10 and personally edit every song that is played?  If you use Spotify for your wedding you could save hundreds by not hiring a DJ.

Sure, you’d still probably need someone to announce the bridal party and speeches, and ensure smooth transitions from dinner to dance.  But, surely you have a crazy college buddy, or fun cousin who’d be up to the task!

Picking out all the music might seem intimidating, but there are a lot tools out there to help you out.  Some music services, like Pandora, have stations you could play that would cut out all the time you’d spend searching for songs.

Depending on your level of control-craziness, check out the Itunes options to fade songs in and out, and end them at a certain point.  I had a blast picking the order of all the songs and how long they should play before they faded into the next one.

Flowers

Of these three DIY’s, doing your own flowers offers you the greatest savings, but it will require a little more effort.  Studies show that brides spend an average of $2,000 on just the ceremony wedding flowers.  And if they want to pay for real floral centerpieces, the sky is the limit on price!  It’s common to be quoted upwards of $3,000 for an average sized wedding.

You could always skimp or go without, or maybe use silk and save money those ways.  But, what if your heart is set on real blooms?  Good news!  If you DIY your flowers, you could save thousands of dollars.  Yes, it requires some pre-wedding day flower time.  But, what a better way to bond with your gals than with a mimosa as you play with beautiful flowers?

I’ve helped brides DIY their wedding flowers for under $750.  They had beautiful floral centerpieces, larger than average weddings, and an abundance of blooms for their big day.  That amount of flowers would have cost upwards of $2,500 from most florists.

The biggest hurdles keeping brides from DIYing their wedding florals and saving a bundle are time, and fear/lack of information.  Yes, it is difficult to set aside 8 hours the day before your wedding solely for flower arranging.  But if you, the bride, don’t have time, maybe someone else in your life does.  While the position of DIY wedding florist might come with some pressure, it’s also a fun way to give back to the bride and groom and enjoy some girly flower time too.

What if you have the time.. but doing your own flowers seems insanely hard?  The good news is there are a ton of resources on the internet dedicated to walking you through the DIY floral process (this website for one) and helping you bridge the information gap that is holding you back.  With a little research and practice, you could save thousands on your wedding flowers and have a great time doing it!

{This post first appeared on DIYBLOOMS.COM}

The post Top 3 Money-Saving Wedding DIY’s appeared first on Naomi Bjerk.

You may remember reading my wedding crossword puzzle tutorial.  The heart-shaped crossword was on the back of our programs for a little pre-ceremony entertainment.  Of all these things I’ve shared, I totally forgot about our ceremony programs!  So, without further ado….

Free Wedding Program Template

As you can see this program requires a little crafting.  Once you’ve formatted everything in your Word Doc and have it printed and cut to size, you can glue the edge of a doily on top.  Such a fun detail, right?  Mine were actually leftovers from our DIY invitations.

Before you Download…

These are the fonts you will need to download and install for the template:

1. Bodoni MT Black (check before downloading, most computers should already have this font)
2. Oranienbaum
3. Sail

Hope you all like my programs, and totally let me know if you try for the crossword on the back!!  It is so fun

Get all the supplies you need here: (affiliate links)

The post Wedding Program Template appeared first on Naomi Bjerk.

I am also gladdened by the fact that apple picking season is on the horizon.  What a blissful event!  Enjoying fall colors and smells while picking apples, and eating apple cider donuts…. Mmmm  Such a wonderful and romantic event is the perfect inspiration for a Fall wedding.

Indulge me as I plan your picturesque autumn wedding for you….

VIA

The simplistic beauty in this tablescape captures the essence of fall and the celebration of nature.  A single apple favor at each seat, a natural looking table runner, and rich greenery can achieve a very sophisticated look.

VIA

How sweet is this invitation suite? (No pun intended :/ no really…)  Kraft paper brown envelopes lined with red gingham-esque paper, and a chalkboard card.  This look is so achievable too!  If you use my invitation template, simply add a chalkboard background and make your font white.  I think it would look fabulous!

VIA

This bouquet is perfect for a fall apple wedding.  Don’t the colors remind you of those yellows, pinks, reds, and greens that you see in apples?  It has yellow/cream garden roses and peonies, pinky/red garden roses and dahlias, and pretty ferns as greenery.

VIA

This goes without saying… a fall apple themed wedding just wouldn’t be complete without apple cider and apple cider donuts  I love the pretty wheat accent and the rustic setting.

VIA

Emerald green is the perfect compliment to all the apple colors you are incorporating.  Not only is it a fabulously gorgeous fall color that has not been overdone (orange, maroon, and brown are great and all, but I’m ready to see something new), BUT, it is also the Pantone color of the year!!!! Please, try to contain your excitement about this…  Uh oh, you’re getting married next year though? Never fear, it takes at least a whole year for the color to fully catch on.  Have I sold you yet??

VIA

The exposed layers on this apple surrounded cake further the autumnal simplicity and natural beauty.  Don’t you just love the green table runner too? (It’s almost emerald)

On a side note, I always thought those types of exposed layer cakes were called ‘naked cakes’ due to their lack of frosting.  Well, apparently that name is not widely known judging by the look on my baker’s face when I asked for a naked cake…. Let’s just say that was an uncomfortable experience.

VIA

Use apples in your floral decor.  Adding fruit to floral arrangements is all the rage these days!  And look how beautifully the colors mingle.

VIA

And finally, give a nod to apples with bright red punches throughout your wedding!  These shoes are simply fabulous and really pop against the neutral dresses.  If shoes are too bold, have all of your girls rock some red lipstick.

Have I convinced you yet??  Happy planning!  And I’ll leave you with a ‘pinnable’ image.  If you like my blog, follow me via Bloglovin’ (also on the sidebar to the right)

The post Inspiration for a Fall Apple Styled Wedding appeared first on Naomi Bjerk.

The food was SOOOO good, just looking at this reminds me of it

Like my seating chart, I also had this faux chalkboard printed as a Staples engineer print.  When I got it, I simply wrapped and taped it around a large piece of cardboard and voila!  Instant chalkboard menu

The menu and border graphics are from the Graphics Fairy.

I created it similarly to the seating chart, in Microsoft Word.  But this one was a little simpler because, instead of messing around with character spacing, I just used Word Art and sized each box manually to the perfect size.  That way the text automatically conforms to the shape you want it.  And, it’s much easier for you to change and customize with your menu!

Download Instructions

1. These fonts are used in the document, you will need to download and install them to preserve the formatting of the template: (sorry there are so many, they are all just so fun!  And don’t worry, they are super quick and easy to install.)

• Handy George

• Chalk Hand Lettering Shaded

• Janda Elegant Handwriting

• Bergamot Ornaments

• Decadence

• Decadence in a Different Light (different version of above font~ file name: decdiff)

• Birmingham (the first one)

• Sail

• Return to Sender

2. Click below to download the menu template:

3. To customize you may click in each WordArt box and enter your own text.  The words will conform to the shape of the box, making formatting much easier.  Adjust the shape of the boxes as you like for your text.

4. Adding graphics:  see my notes on adding images to the chalkboard background in this post. (Under instruction #4)

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It totally matched our casual country-classy theme, and who doesn’t love s’mores?  So we bought tons of supplies and put together over 200 favors.  For the most part, I enjoyed all the DIY projects for the wedding.  But, I definitely struggled with this one, because it was a tedious job!  Thankfully my whole family pitched in and made much quicker work of it.

I decided on a simple, sweet tag and used a craft punch to cut them out of our Kraft paper.  We ordered cellophane bags and tied the package with raffia.  They ended up adding a lot to the tables and were a fun way to show a little bit of our personality.  We actually were planning on making a bonfire because the venue had a nice fire pit.  But, the night got away too fast and it ended up raining late in the evening.

If you would like to download and print the s’more favors tags click below!

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There are so many good reasons to DIY flowers for your wedding….

1. You will save a LOT of money
2. You can fully customize your bouquets and arrangements to be exactly as you like them
3. You gain a MUCH greater appreciation for the flowers than you would if you saw none of the prep work

Despite all these attractive points, this task can be very daunting for many brides.  I fully recognize that this route is not for everyone… but if you are considering DIYing and are not sure where to begin or how to go about exploring this option, my hope is that this guide will assist you in your planning process.

If you don’t know what your flower vision is yet…

Chances are, if you are looking into DIYing, you already have a vision for what you want your DIY flowers to look like.  But, if not, I would suggest beginning by creating a pinboard of flowers that you like for your wedding.  From there, take note of colors, shapes, and styles.  Specifically note if you are drawn to simpler one-flower type bouquets (all roses for instance) or more ornate bouquets (cascade style can be difficult).  Also, for decor, do you like low vases with a few blooms or are you set on elaborate table arrangements.  These are important considerations, if you like simpler styles in general (of course there’s nothing wrong with a couple challenges in there too ;)) then DIYing could definitely work for you, but if your heart is set on awesomely crazy bouquets and arrangements; think long and hard about whether the pressure will be worth it.

If you have a vision, but don’t know the exact flowers…

So you have pictures stored away that represent what you want your wedding flowers to look like, but you are unsure what those flowers are or if they are too expensive, or even available during your wedding month.  I would suggest starting by looking at bouquet recipes on the Wedding Chicks to begin familiarizing yourself with flower names and types.  Click on bouquets that come close to your style and begin dissecting which flowers you like and are interested in using for your wedding.

Next, visit a wholesaler like Fifty Flowers, and view flowers in season during your wedding month.  By choosing flowers by season, you will save a lot of money and heartache (out of season flowers can sometimes be much lesser in quality than their seasonal counterparts).

You know what flowers you want, now find out their pricing/availability…

Start visiting flower wholesale sites you would be interested in ordering from and looking up your flowers to check when they are available, what colors, and pricing per stem.  I would recommend starting at either Sams Club or Costco if you have a membership: they have the best prices, but a limited selection (so yay for you if they have your flowers!)

Next, visit an exclusive flower wholesaler.  I highly recommend Fifty Flowers; they have the largest selection I have seen, are organized well, and are very bride-friendly.  Look by flower name, or sort by wedding color.  Their selection is so wonderful, it makes me giddy!

{TIP} Flowers are usually sold by stem or bunch-which will normally contain 10 stems.  Some flowers are called ‘spray’ because they contain multiple blooms per stem.  These can be great budget savers-as long as you don’t mind sacrificing some stem.

If the flowers you like aren’t in season or cost too much….

It’s ok, there are many many ‘look-a-like’ flowers out there that can get you the same look for a lesser price or different season.  Try looking through Fifty Flower’s flowers by color or season to find acceptable substitutes.  A very popular substitute is garden roses instead of peonies (pretty expensive except for several months of the year).

Also, consider the centerpieces and types of designs you’ve chosen and ask yourself if you could find a simpler/more cost effective arrangement without compromising too much.  Using the same flower gives an appearance of a larger, richer arrangement, and using low bud vases or bowls creates chic and affordable centerpieces.

You’ve got the flowers picked out, but how much do you order?

Create a list of everything you will want to use the flowers for.  Personally, I used Excel and it worked great!  Decide how many you’ll need of each item, and how many blooms to go in them.  Below you can see the method I used.  By putting in a starting number of flowers I was thinking of ordering.  I divided them out between the items to see if I had enough or where I was lacking.  If you would like to use this worksheet, click here to download.

You’ve decided how many to order… now what?

For most places, the sooner you order the better.  If there are shortages of a certain bloom, they ration them on a first come first serve basis.  Several months before is not too early!  Ideally you should set the delivery date to 2-3 days before your wedding (I do not recommend doing flowers the morning of).  This is because the blooms often come in tight buds and need time to hydrate and open before your event.

Consider what supplies you will need.  If you are doing corsages and boutonnieres you will need floral tape, and wire, and maybe ribbon.  You will want to order flower food, and buckets to keep the flowers in once they’ve arrived.  I used floral foam to secure my arrangements.  You may decide to use other methods depending on your type of arrangements.

At this point you should have a very good idea of what you are going for, now it’s time for the nitty gritty…  Unless you do trial runs, going cold before your wedding can be dangerous.  I suggest you watch several videos to get a feel for what you will be doing.

DIY Flowers Videos

1. Prepping Flowers   (E.g. Basics of Fresh Flower Care,  How to Prep your DIY Flowers or Preparing Wholesale Blooms)

2. Bouquets   (E.g. Romantic Bouquet, Spray Garden Rose Bouquet, DIY Bridesmaid Bouquet, or Hand Tied Garden Bouquet)

3. Centerpieces   (E.g. Pedestal Vase Arrangement, Mason Jar Arrangement, or Hydrangea Arrangement)

4. Corsages   (E.g. Ribbon Corsage, Wrist Corsage or Vintage Corsage)

5. Boutonnieres    (E.g. Ranunculus Bouts, DIY Boutonniere, or Wildflower Bouts)

6. Anything extra…   (E.g. Baby’s Breath Wreath, Floral Crown, or Carnation Pomander)

And if you are still thirsting for more DIY flower-arranging knowledge, I would suggest checking these youtube channels out: Blooms by the Box, and Flower School.  Now…. don’t you feel excited and geared up to tackle some arrangements?

See details on our DIY Wedding Flowers, or all our wedding projects and photos.

Please comment with any questions/suggestions/etc, I’d love to hear how I can improve this guide or add more helpful info.  Hope over to DIY Blooms for a plethora of DIY flowers tips and tricks. Happy DIYing!

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