Here at Manolo for the Brides, we’re in favor of bridal DIY. It’s a great way to save a buck or three and create an intensely personal celebration.

Whether you’re looking to make centerpieces, design and make your own veil, or coming up with handmade favors, chances are you can find inspiration and instruction somewhere on the net. So I’m going to hunt down some of the coolest ideas and clearest instructions to help you get started finding what projects are right for you.

Today, we’re talking about flowers. I’ve been looking around and I’ve discovered some fun projects that nearly anyone can do.

First up, see that picture at the top of this article? Wouldn’t those be delightful on the tabletops at a spring wedding, particularly with a Japanese theme? They’re also origami. This is the sort of project you can do over time or organize a party to play with.
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Captured by Daniel Usenki Photography

Fact: When it comes to personalizing a reception venue dance floor, options are limited. You can use lighting design to spruce up your party space. Or choose a reception venue with a dance floor that’s a cut above – something like a wood tile floor or light up dance floor. The only other option that comes to mind is the vinyl dance floor monogram, provided your wedding venue of choices allows such things.

But when you’re hauling in your own dance floor, anything goes. Er, within the limits of the local event rental companies’ inventories, I suppose. If I had my wedding to do all over again, I would spring for the dance floor – sandy soil underfoot didn’t exactly inspire booty shakin’ – and furthermore opt for a checkerboard like the one above. Probably wee like the one above, too, since I like the idea of everyone cramming their finely dressed selves onto a tiny checkerboard dance floor outside in the empty air as if that’s only place dancing is permitted. The contrast between the checkerboard floor and nature is fantastic.

Have you thought about your dance floor options? Or is that just too tiny a detail to matter in your wedding planning book?

Sometimes it’s the tiny touches that make a wedding beautiful – which is good news for those of us who can’t exactly fit the big luxuries into our budgets. What kind of tiny touches, you may be asking.

How about floral ice cubes? Which your wedding caterer may be able to provide. And aren’t that hard if you’re handling your own wedding catering. You can order edible flowers in bulk online, and floral ice cubes can make even simple things like water feel more luxurious.

Easy pretty touches for the DIY bride (or your caterer)

Or if flowers on ice aren’t your thing, consider spicing up your groom’s and groomsmen attire with floral ties for the guys. At one wedding, the groomsmen’s ties coordinated with the maid of honor’s dress, and the effect is really striking and fun.

Floral ties on the guys? Gorgeous!

Tiny touches can be anything, from mismatched, thrifted embroidered linens on your reception tables to something like puzzle place cards. What tiny touches will make your wedding extra beautiful?

Okay, so many not the very easiest, which would just be letting a florist do your reception table centerpieces. But definitely the easiest DIY reception centerpieces that goes one step beyond simply putting flowers in a vase on all of your tables. I love it because it’s easy and simple and pretty in an authentic, easygoing way.

Eating jam, getting centerpieces!

The recipe for this particular low-profile mason jar centerpiece? Take nine mini mason jars per table – easily acquired online or by eating a great deal of jam and cheap pesto in advance of the wedding – arrange in a grid, tie a ribbon around the whole thing, and add water and flowers. DONE. I really wish I’d done this at my own wedding, as the look would have been absolutely perfect and so much better than the messy afterthought arrangements I did have on the tables (boo, hiss!).

And speaking of my own wedding, today just happens to be my and The Beard’s fourth anniversary! Mazel tov to us!

I’ve posted a handful of paper flower bridal bouquets in the past, but of course, bouquets aren’t the only places you can use paper flowers! How about paper flower boutonnieres, paper flower reception table centerpieces, or paper flowers hanging from chairs and pews, or scattered on tables? It’s definitely not traditional, but paper flower wedding decor and accessories can be incredibly cute! (And for some, DIY friendly…)

A colorful paper bridal bouquet

Paper flower pew bouquets

HUGE flower wedding table centerpieces

And classic paper roses

Very cute, no?

Alternative, but similar idea: wedding pinwheels!

Wordsmiths and word lovers planning wordy weddings, heads up! Scrabble can play a role in your nuptials if you, like me, love this particular game. Seriously, game themed weddings? Yes, please! What you’ll find below is by no means a full collection of all the scrabble theme weddings ideas out there, but my goal is to get you started. Your imagination – and your wedding budget, I guess – can fill in the blanks as you put together theme wedding based around this classic game. You can even DIY this one with bags of Scrabble tiles!

Scrabble wedding portrait via CapClassique.wordpress.com

Scrabble save-the-dates from MagnetStreet Weddings

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I love love love silhouettes, and being a custom item much of the time, silhouettes really look beautiful on everything from wedding invitations to wedding cake toppers. There are even DIY silhouette kits, so if you’re feeling brave and want to make, for example, silhouette wedding favor tags for your favors, there’s nothing stopping you.

Of course, there’s also nothing stopping you from finding vintage silhouettes and using those in your wedding decor. After all, who says the framed silhouettes on your reception tables or on your place cards actually have to be you? And you don’t have to necessarily go tradition, either. There are some really cool artists out there creating totally modern takes on the classic silhouette for brides and grooms!

Here’s some wedding silhouette inspiration from me to you for what may just be a dreary Monday full of blahs (for both of us):

A silhouette wedding cake by K. Rose Cakes: http://krosecakes.com

Custom silhouette weddng favor tags from ForeverWed Store

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