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Crafty Wedding Ideas

Published on by Bridgett King, Wedding OfficiantLeave a comment

Valentine’s Day has come and gone, flowers are blooming, and the spring sunshine seems to be adding a bit of cheer to the day. With summer now on its way, many happily engaged couples are beginning to plan for their wedding ceremonies. If you are a bride, groom or an online minister, take a look at the following crafty wedding ideas for flowers, decorations, and party favors.

DIY Flowers

While fresh flowers and luscious bouquets can add elegance and beauty to your wedding, you may be able to save a lot of money by building your own flower decorations using silk or paper flowers. If you would like to try creating your own bouquets or decorations, you might want to start stocking up on the following materials:

  • Green floral tape
  • Crepe paper in a variety of colors
  • Floral stem wire
  • Flower and leaf templates
  • Craft glue

You can find a great number of ideas and templates for these flowers on the Internet or in magazines, as paper flowers are becoming very popular! You might find it helpful to start experimenting with different designs before you choose your style. Then you can have flower-making parties with your friends and family so you can make all your flower decorations in advance. By saving money on floral decorations, you may be able to splurge just a bit on the bridal bouquet and groom’s boutonnière.

Mason Jar Center Pieces

Mason jars have become inexpensive components of many crafty wedding ideas as well. You can find these at antique shops or local retailers for very affordable prices. You can tie ribbon around them and place small candles inside to create simple but lovely centerpieces. You can also paint them with glitter, cover them in lace, or place hand cut flowers inside them to create joyful and easy table decorations. You may even find it romantic to glue pieces of sheet music from your own wedding song onto the inside or outside of the jars and adorn them with vintage buttons or small silk flowers.

Party Favors

If you would like your guests to leave your wedding with small party favors of their own, why not send them home with one or two of the following:

  • A small jar of local honey tied up with ribbon and a personalized stamp
  • A small bag tied with ribbon containing the ingredients to make S’mores
  • A mixed CD of songs played at your wedding
  • A small bag of chocolates attached to a card that you and your fiance can sign and say thanks for coming

You do not have to spend much money to create personalized and fun party favors for your guests. Some couples even let their guests take home flowers and centerpieces in order to minimize clean up and storage of these materials.

These crafty wedding ideas offer just a small taste of the many affordable, delightful, and simple ways to decorate, celebrate, and remember your wedding.

Avoid These Common Mistakes When Selecting Your Wedding Favors

Published on by Bridgett King, Wedding OfficiantLeave a comment

While it is not a required part of your wedding, many couples find that giving out favors to guests is a wonderful way to make their special days even more memorable. Naturally, selecting the right favors is far from a simple or straightforward task. If you’re struggling to find the right presents for your family and friends, take a moment to look at these tips. By avoiding some common favor mistakes, you will have an easier time picking out favors that will impress guests and make you feel content. 

Go for Something Special

If you Google “wedding favor ideas,” you will undoubtedly come across list after list of the same ideas. While there is nothing wrong with giving something commonplace to your guests, you may want to stand out. The whole concept of the favor is to give out gifts that thank them for taking part in this important milestone in your lives. By handing out something generic, you are letting go of an opportunity to really shine. 

Try not to gravitate towards basic items that have been personalized with your names. While it might be cute, your guests likely aren’t going to be impressed by custom pens, koozies, shot glasses, or other items that can be found at a job fair.

Make It Practical for Travel

Next, you must consider the size of the favor itself. While it might be a cute idea to give your guests custom throw pillows, these might be too cumbersome for your friends and family to travel with. Since plenty of your guests will be coming from places near and far, you need to think about items that are easy to toss in the car or take on public transportation. Anything too bulky should be avoided for the convenience of your loved ones. 

It is also important to avoid anything fragile. Materials like glass are not great for travel and greatly increase the odds of the items breaking while in transit. 

Consider the Level of Work

In the last decade or so, DIY favors have grown in popularity. While this can be a fantastic way to save money, many people forget how much work is involved when it comes to making favors by hand. If you are scouring Pinterest for ideas and seeing some DIY gifts that you think would be perfect, be sure to sit down and look at how much work will be involved before you settle on your final option. 

When considering this option, be sure to think over the amount of effort you will need to put in. Take to heart factors like how much the materials will cost, how much time is involved in assembly, and how many guests you will need to make favors for. 

Make It Accessible

A lot of couples assume that their favors need to be customized with details about the wedding. While this is cute, it actually is much less practical than many people realize. If you give your guests monogrammed handkerchiefs with your initials, it makes it less likely that the person will use the item. Having someone else’s name or wedding date printed on an item makes it feel more like a “collectible,” meaning it will be tossed on a shelf, in a box, or in the trash.

If you want guests to use the gifts you give them, then you need to make them appealing. Keep the designs simple and avoid too much customization and it can go a long way.

Select What Works Best

There are several ways you can go about selecting appropriate favors for your wedding. As long as the gifts capture your gratitude, you will be able to impress your family and friends while simultaneously adding to the overall aesthetic of your big day.