DIY Wedding: How to Have a Pinterest Picture Perfect Day

Today is our wedding anniversary and each year I take a look back at the photos and videos to reminisce and am quickly reminded how it was absolutely the most amazing day ever. Having all the people we love in one place filled our hearts with so much love and joy and made the day so incredibly special.

In the months leading up to the wedding, I was spending what some might consider an unhealthy amount of time working on DIY projects for the wedding. In all seriousness, DIY is my life and being able to do so many different projects to make the day so personal was a dream.

So today on this anniversary day, I bring you 9 projects I did for our wedding day that you can do too, to make your wedding be a pinterest level picture perfect day.

1. Make Alternative Pew Bows

Ditch the bows. Flowers are where its at! Purchase fake flowers that are large such as hydrangeas, and hot glue a ribbon to the back to hang over the pew/chair. These have been reused at different weddings at least five times now and they are still kickin!

2. Print Wedding Programs/Menus/Signs

Making and printing your own programs is an inexpensive option. I purchased the glimmery paper from Office Max, designed the program in Word and printed them out. With a quick cut, hole punch and ribbon tie, the project is done!

I used the same paper for other signs and menus during the wedding day as well.

3. Paint a Ring Bearer Sign

I opted to go with a sign instead of a ring pillow since my little nephews were too young to be trusted with the rings haha. I used a white canvas with craft paint to match the bridesmaid dresses that said, “Uncle Tom, here comes your girl”. We stapled a thick ribbon to the back of the canvas for carrying. The sign made for a kodak moment and instantly brought smiles to everyone’s faces. So. Stinkin. Cute.

4. Gift Personalized Dress Hangers

Use wooden hangers to make a personalized gift for your bridesmaids. Drill a hole in the bottom of either end of the hanger the same width as the wire you choose. Then bend the wire to form the person’s name. Glue each end of the wire into the hanger and tie a bow around the top.

5. Make Photo Table Numbers

We had 18 tables at our reception so I decided it would be fun to use photos of us ages 1-18 at each table with the corresponding number. I simple scanned the photos so I didn’t damage the originals and printed them out in black and white. Using a paper cutter for clean edges, I cut and glued the photos on to black paper and put the numbers in between the photos.

6. Create an Interactive Photo Guest Book

I am slightly obsessed with photos so I asked everyone coming to the wedding to send me a photo of them and I somehow kept it a secret as to what it was for! I printed out all the photos, purchased photo mats from the dollar store and put them all together to create a photoboard guestbook. I put out pens for everyone to sign their mats instead of having a guest book. Everyone coming into the wedding had a great time with it and it made them interact with other guests they may not have known before – the perfect icebreaker!

7. Host a Photo booth

This isn’t necessarily DIY, but the props were! Make sure if you are having a photo booth to bring funny props. People really enjoyed it and the pictures are hilarious!

8. Use Wine Bottles for Arrangements

Leading upto the wedding I asked friends and family to give me their empty wine bottles. I figured out that the clear/blue tint bottles would make for the best decorations. So, if you are going to do this give a shout out to all your white wine/blush wine drinking pals. The red wine usually comes in the darker tint bottles. Getting the labels off was the toughest part. I soaked them in hot water, peeled off the labels, and used goo gone to remove the remaining. Once they were ready to go I brought them to my florist to put arrangements in. They were perfect for extra decorations in the space. Be sure to recycle them when you’re finished!

9. Take Epic Sparkler Photos

Work with your photographer to take sparkler photos. You’ll need a friend to run around you like a crazy person while you stand perfectly still. By the end of the night you should be able to find a volunteer rather quickly for the task…enough said. 🙂

10. Enjoy the Day!

You put a lot of hard work into your day, now go ahead and enjoy every minute! Here are some photos of our big day spent at Asbury Hall in Buffalo, NY.