DIY weddings are SO in right now! But with pinterest and no lack of wedding blogs out there for inspiration, where do you even start?

Check out the items from Real Weddings that are the most popular, and have the cutest result, for your northern Michigan wedding!

1. Hand Made Cupcakes

The secret is out – wedding cakes are a thing of the past! Hello cupcakes! These little morsels not only make for adorable dessert table decor, but if you are working with a budget, they can be a great desert to make with your bridesmaids a few days before the wedding, without having to pay for it!

ACTION PLAN: Buy some burlap from Jo Anne’s Fabric (make sure it is not dusty, or dirty.) Cut the cloth in a wide circle and pull ends together with fingertips to create the “folded, ruffled” look. Hot glue as desired, and add a ribbon or bow for a cute effect!

2. Brooch Bouquet

Real bride Hannah Bauer dishes on her secrets and advice on how to make a memorable DIY bouquet, with stunning brooches (no shortage of glitz and glam on this one!)

ACTION PLAN: For your bridal shower, ask all the attendees to bring a memorable brooch in the colors of your wedding to contribute to your wedding bouquet. If you have extra pieces of vintage jewelry, you can also use these for your “something old.”

3. Wine Bottle Centerpieces

Collect any wine bottles through the year before your wedding, and spray paint them using the neutral color from your wedding palette to create beautiful, easy centerpieces for your table decor.

ACTION PLAN: Chalk painting is the new trend for weddings in 2015, so instead of going with the sparkly colors, use Chalk Paint from your local craft store. You can even include a piece of chalk with the bottle, and ask your guests to sign the bottle as a creative “guest book.” After the wedding to preserve the bottles, spray with a dust adhesive (Michael’s Craft Store) to preserve the signatures.

4. Guest Name Cards

Although time consuming, this can be an easy way to save money without paying a designer to create your reception place cards. This can be a task that you whittle down while watching TV at night.

ACTION PLAN: You can purchase pre-made little flags from your local art and craft store, and write the guest’s name on the flag. You can easily put it into fruit, like apples, to not only be creative, but add a northern Michigan style to your reception today. Plus, the tables look beautiful as the guests first enter your reception!

5. Dessert Table

Gather old palette wood to create your own boxes, or find farm crates to create a vintage, rustic look for your dessert table. You can find palettes at coffee shops, home improvement stores, and even thrift stores. Stack the crates on top of each other to create a dynamic feel and spice up the look of your reception.

ACTION PLAN: Start visiting thrift stores, farm stands, or even farmers market to start collecting your wood pallets and crates. Always ask if you can have the palettes however, many companies pay a deposit to retain those palettes, so you may have to pay that small amount.

6. Ceremony Decor

Don’t forget that your ceremony aisle, and even the entrance for the guests, can be decorated too. This is the first time guests will  be interacting with your wedding, so make sure if fits your style and theme. You can easily create a fun entrance but finding a rustic ladder, and placing the wedding pamphlets, schedules, and decor items on each step.

ACTION PLAN: You can find chalk boards, metal buckets, recycled wooden ladders, and drape them with extra flowers, leaves, or vines to create a rustic look to the entrance of your ceremony site. Just make sure it is sturdy so when a guest reaches inside the bucket for the wedding program, it doesn’t tip over (I’ve seen this happen!)

7. Ceremony Alter

This is a fun way to make your own ceremony alter if you are getting married outside. You can make them out of birch bark, and drape vine and leaves over it for an elegant style.

ACTION PLAN: These can be made out of any type of wood, but the most popular for last year’s wedding season was a birch wood ceremony alter. You can make them fairly easily yourself, or hire a handyman to construct one for you safely (must withstand the weather elements of wind, rain, etc)

8. Guest Card Box

This is a great way to use those old vintage suitcases that have been siting in your closet forever. You can drape a DIY sign over if to direct the cards for the guests, and best of all, when the wedding is over, just snap the case shut and you have a secure location to store all your cards.

ACTION PLAN: Scour thrift stores or antique shops for vintage suitcases. If the interior is unsanitary, you can always rip it out and replace it with your own fabric to match your wedding colors.

9. Wedding Signs

Weddings are no longer complete without an awesome DIY sign for you guys to hold up! Whether it says “thank you” to use as your picture for the Thank You cards, or your wedding date, these can be easily made from buying flags (you can find them at your local craft store) cutting up scrapbook paper, or burning the words on barn wood (or you can even paint them too using Chalk Paint.) Whichever, you choose, this is the latest DIY trend for weddings!

TIP: It is fun to  have 1-2 signs, but don’t go too overboard with them. Decide which ones are your favorite and stick with those. This could include, for example, 1 sign that your ring-bearer holds before the bride comes down the aisle, and a “thank you” sign to pose with at the reception. Mix it up with props if you so desire.

10. Bridesmaids Bouquets

Simple bouquets and flowers can have an elegant element all to themselves. Find a florist that stocks up on Baby’s Breath and bundle it together with silk ribbon or lace for a perfect bridesmaids bouquet that is cheap and easy (but still looks great!) These white flowers till compliment any color theme you’ve picked for your wedding, and blend in well with your white dress!

ACTION PLAN: When purchasing baby’s breath from a florist, make sure that you get much more than you think you would need! This way if the flowers wilt, or if you have a few weak stems, you wont run out and have your bridesmaids bouquets drooping on the day of your wedding. Plus, you want them to look full to avoid a shabbier look.

11. Cake Decorations

People often forget that they can decorate their own cake too, or even the table display that it is on. Use elements that match your wedding for the perfect fit. You can use flowers, birch bark, branches, and even leaves to accent this table at your reception to truly make it pop!

Whichever DIY elements you choose, my top tip is to do it right! Watch tutorials, find directions, and commit to trial and error sessions before you make the final ones for your wedding. If DIY decor is put together sloppily, it will loose the “crafted” element and simply look too eclectic.

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HELPFUL RESOURCES FOR YOU:

• The Pro’s and Con’s of Letting Your Bridesmaids Pick Their Own Dresses!
• 6 Tips for Amazing Engagement Photos
• 5 DIY Steps For Chic DIY Brooch Bouquet & Boutonnieres
• The Secret to Fabulous Wedding Flowers: Victoria’s Floral in Northern Michigan Reveals All!

Don’t yet have a wedding photographer for your wedding? No problem! Contact me today for a FREE quote on packages and prices! We offer varying prices and packages, as well as custom designed photography packages to fit your budget!

Lux Light Photography  |  luxlightphotography@gmail.com  |  231-633-9410  |  www.luxlightphotography.net

Traverse City Wedding photography by Lux Light Photography, captures beautiful and intimate portraits for your wedding, engagement, family, newborn, and boudoir photography session in all of northern Michigan, including Traverse City, Petoskey, Inn at Bay Harbor, Crystal Mountain, Homestead Resort, Bowers Harbor, Mission Table, Glen Arbor, and Charlevoix!

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