DIY Weddings : A Closer Look at Three Uniquely Beautiful Weddings

I own a couple of blogs in different places but to make things simpler, I have decided to just focus on this one blog.  For the next few months, I would be doing a re-post of my favorite posts from my other blogs here, at the end of each week.  I sincerely believe that these posts are worth the second-look or the second-reading, in case you might have already seen them before, especially the interviews.

I would also be continuing the interview segments - the "Featured Vintage Shop", the "Featured Handmade Shop", and "Behind the Lens of" (an interview with a photographer).  So if you own a vintage shop, whether it's for vintage clothing or collectibles; if you sell handmade on Etsy or other venues online; or if you are a photographer; who would like to be part of these features, please send me a message =)  I am so looking forward to the new interviews this year.

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This following post was originally published on my wedding blog:

I absolutely adore DIY weddings! I would love for me and my hubby to get married again and DIY everything for the occasion.  It would be a lot of work, there would be some challenges but I'm sure that it would be fun and exciting!

Are you planning to do DIY projects for your own wedding?  If yes, I think you would be inspired by these three beautiful handmade weddings featured at Etsy.  I'm sure that ideas would fly.and your creative bone would be poked after this read.  I highlighted some of my favorite aspects from each wedding but you can click on their links to read their stories and view all the photos. 

Alex + Nika's Winter Wedding

Practically everything about this wedding was handmade with love:

wedding invitations. I love the simplicity and rawness of their invites. 

wedding cake.  Their wedding cake was homemade. Fortunately, one of the couple's friends know how to bake.  This was just a small, two-layered cake with plain white frosting, topped with a felted red heart that the couple made themselves.  There were also cupcakes topped with little hearts for the guests.

dried flowers.  I think it's a smart idea since you can make the arrangements earlier, even a week before the wedding day and wilting would be out of the question.

drinking jars. How about drinking jars as favors?  Each one, embellished with a rustic tag and lace.

rustic table setting.  The table-setting feels warm, homey and makes you feel like you're eating with family.  Whoever said that all table cloths should be similar?  They've used mismatched tablecloths and each table was decorated with wildflowers, candles, and trinkets.  On the menu? All-you-can-eat wood fire pizzas from a local catering company.

buntings.  These colorful buntings were made out of old bedsheets and pillowcases, carefully cut, ironed, and starched.

Mackenzie + Nick's Spring Wedding

school bus service. The ceremony was held in an apple orchard on Sauvie Island. After some photos and apple cider in the park, everyone was shuttled to a hotel in town.

glass jars.  These were recycled glass jars which were used as candle lights and pretty vases.

letterpress. The couple both loved letterpress  so this was an essential part of the decorations.

James + Cassandra's Destination Wedding

not your everyday bouquets. These are not the usual pretty flowers that you see at weddings.  There's a lot of greenery, succulents, and air plants.

DIY fascinator. The bride is a creative designer of wedding accessories.  She owns the shop, Fox & Hare Design, so it's only right that she braved to create her own fascinator as well as the accessories and bouquets for her bridesmaids.

beverages in glass jugs.  How cool to have three options for drinks!

live music from a cool-looking band. live music is so welcome in special occasions,

not your typical venue.   This destination wedding was held in New Orleans. They rented this place for an entire week so there was plenty of time to prepare and do photo shoots.  The venue was like two Creole houses connected by a courtyard so every corner has provided an interesting backdrop.

There's so many things to learn from each of these weddings.  

A small budget doesn't need to be a hindrance.  Alex and Nika had a small budget but it did not keep them from making their dream wedding come true.  They used their creativity, imagination and their hands to make things work and their efforts have paid off really well.


Make time.  If you insist on going DIY, you need to be willing to spend plenty of time to accomplish the projects.  Needless to say, the more projects you plan to do, the longer preparation time you will need.  For instance, Mackenzie and Nick spent 18 months to get everything done.

Set realistic goals.  Before taking on any DIY project, see to it that you have a clear idea about the process, the costs, and how much time would be needed to finish one task.  Unless you have time to do trial and error, it's best to keep the design simple and doable.  It is possible to make something uncomplicated, yet elegant and graceful. 

Enjoy the creative process. These couples have chosen to do the artwork - from the design to printing - their invitations, place cards, programs, and most of the decor.  They are passionate about what they do and they actually took their time to enjoy every step involved on each project.

Nonetheless, you don't need to do everything just to make it your dream wedding.  If it's not possible to work on a number of projects, you can choose two or three things to DIY and acquire the rest from wedding shops and suppliers.   If you do that, do comparison shopping, openly communicate your ideas with the sellers, illustrate what you have in mind if you can, don't hesitate to ask questions, and make clarifications.  Thus, you can be sure that the results would be just as you wanted them to be.

Welcome help with open arms.  These couples obviously did not do everything by themselves.  They sought the help of their family, friends, and people from the community.  Friends and relatives would only be happy to have a share not just on the wedding day but throughout the preparations as well.

Tell your love story.  All three weddings have a common denominator.  Each couple didn't want their wedding to be a mere copy of someone else's wedding.  They wanted it to be uniquely their own but at the same time, giving each person the chance to show his and her individuality.  The blending of the bride and groom's personal touches resulted to a wonderful combination - very much apt to the occasion they're celebrating - a matrimonial union.

So when planning your wedding, don't be afraid to be bold.  Decide on a theme first and foremost.  All the rest of the details should circle around that theme.  Look back and reminisce.  How did your love began to bloom?  That can be the perfect inspiration for your wedding theme.  What are the things that you are both passionate about?  What are your differences?  These are the details that would make the atmosphere on your wedding truly original and exclusively about the two of you.

Have you done a DIY-wedding?  Any other tips you would like to share is welcome:)  

Are you planning to DIY your wedding? If so, which projects do you plan to do?

Thanks for reading :)