DIY wedding decorations: ideas for table decorations, guest books and favours

There is always a lot to think about when organising a wedding, such as the wedding dress, selecting the venue and not forgetting the decorations. Whether it's a themed wedding like a fairytale wedding or a vintage garden wedding, having the right wedding decorations creates a wonderful atmosphere and fantastic photos. Below we will show you some ideas for homemade wedding decorations. We'll look at wedding table decorations as well as place cards, flower wreaths and more. We will also show you how to make your own wedding favours and a creative guest book.

Popular styles for wedding decorations

Lots of couples go to a florist to organise the flowers for their wedding, but quite a few couples also enjoy creating their own guest books, table decorations and signs for their special day. It is recommended to think about what type of wedding you would like to have before arranging the flowers and the other decorations.

You will need to make sure that the wedding decorations match the theme of your wedding. Therefore, it is important that the chosen decorations, flowers and colours used match the theme. If you are still feeling unsure, you could use your wedding venue as the theme, for example, if your wedding will be taking place in an old castle or a barn, then it is recommended to have more rustic style decorations. If you are having a wedding in the countryside, you can use a lot of floral decorative items. If the location is rather simple, you could choose to jazz it up a bit with some colourful decorations and flowers.

• Traditional wedding decorations: for this style traditionally you use gold or silver. White tablecloths, tall candlesticks, cloth napkins and matching flowers such as white roses all go well together.

• Flowers and nature style wedding decorations: you should use plants such as eucalyptus, pampas grass, succulents or green branches to give your wedding decorations a natural charm.

• Vintage wedding decorations: lace, crochet placemats, embroidered napkins and much more give your vintage wedding decor that certain je ne sais quoi. Crystal vases with wildflowers always look great on tables at weddings.

• Boho style wedding decorations: natural materials play an important role in a Boho style. Wood, jute or raffia are often used for this style as well as dried flowers and lanterns.

• Rustic wedding decorations: this style also relies on warm natural tones and natural materials. Wood, rattan, earthenware and ceramics are popular choices. Tablecloths made of cotton or jute also go well with this style.

It is not only important to check that everything matches, but also that the guests still have enough room to sit at the tables. That’s why at a lot of weddings the tables don’t have many decorations on them. Many small pillar candles and vases not only look great, but they also have the advantage of not getting in people’s way whilst trying to hold a conversation.

Wedding decoration ideas: homemade place cards

You will need to do the seating plan once the wedding venue has been booked and the guests have responded to your wedding invitations. The seating plan for the ceremony is not usually organised. However, most bridal couples draw up a seating plan for the venue, which is usually used for dinner, followed by tea and coffee, before the evening programme starts. For a large hall with lots of tables, a seating plan is useful so that the guests know where they will be sitting. For this purpose, the tables are numbered and a seating plan is placed at the entrance to the venue.

However, you can get creative when making place cards and add your own personal touch to these wedding decorations.

Here is what you will need:

• Empty photo frames in a colour that matches your decorations.

• Acrylic pens

• Decorative wrapping or spare pieces of matching material.

How to make table number decorations for a wedding

First you will need a picture frame and an acrylic pen in a matching colour. Use a computer to create templates for the numbers and print them out in the right size. Then place the template under the glass on the frame and draw on the numbers and leave them to dry.

Then cut the matching decorative paper or spare piece of material to the right size and decorate the picture frame with it. A fantastic alternative would be a glass photo frame, which you could decorate with flowers and petals.

A place card with a rosemary wreath attached to it is a simple and inexpensive, but still elegant option for your wedding. You'll need a rosemary twig for each guest, a name tag and a matching ribbon. Make a circle with the two ends of the rosemary twig and tie a small bow around it. It is best if two people complete this task. You can glue the name tags directly onto the wreath with a glue gun or simply place the small piece of paper onto the wreath whilst decorating the tables.

Tip: However, you will need to plan enough time to make these place cards. You could prepare the name tags in advance as the rosemary needs to be fresh and tied onto the place card a couple of days before the wedding. Although the rosemary wreaths can dry without wilting, the dry twigs are very brittle.

This flower wreath is an amazing wedding decoration and perfect as a background for a photo. You can also hang up some decorations on the wall above the buffet or decorate the bride and groom’s chairs.

Here is what you will need:

• An embroidery hoop in any size

• Ribbon

• Wooden letters

• Alternatively, you could personalise your ribbon and get it printed.

• Matching fresh or dried flowers

• Florist wire

• Glue gun

How to make a floral wreath as a wedding decoration

First arrange the flowers on your embroidery hoop. Once you have laid everything out, wrap the florist wire around the wreath to secure the flowers. Now get the ribbon, turn the wreath over and glue one end of the ribbon on the right side. Lay the ribbon across the opposite side and hold it on the front of the wreath on the left side. Once you like how it looks, glue the ribbon to the back again and cut it off. Now all you have to do is attach the lettering to the frame or ribbon.

Tip: If you use artificial flowers, you can make your own individual flower wreath in advance. This will give you more time to complete any other important tasks before the big day.

Wedding decoration ideas: illuminated photo frames

Have you both shared many adventures together as a couple? Then incorporate these memories into your wedding decorations using photos. This way, you and your guests can look back on the past on this special day and look forward to your future together.

Materials needed for the illuminated photo frames:

• (old) picture frames

• fairy lights (preferably with clips)

• one or more easels

• printed photos of you

• plenty of batteries

How to create these personalised wedding decorations

Decide in advance how many photos you want to display. This will determine the number of picture frames you need. The frames should be approximately 60 × 40 cm in size. This will fit around ten photos. For example, if you’ve been together for ten years, you can create five picture frames, each showcasing two of your years together.

1. The first step is to wrap the frames with fairy lights. Strings that already have clips attached are best suited for this. Secure the fairy lights with flat thumbtacks and stick the battery compartment to the back using double-sided tape. If you like, you can also paint the picture frames to match the colour scheme of your wedding decorations.

2. Now select the photos you’d like to display in the frames and print them out.

3. Next, decorate the frames with the photos and attach them to the clips. Make sure not to overcrowd the frames.

You can hang the frames on the walls as wedding decorations or arrange them on easels around the room. They offer you and your guests a lovely look back at your time together and make for a truly personalised wedding decoration.

Here is what you will need

• An old globe, for example from a car boot sale.

• Acrylic paint and a brush

Wedding guest book: putting the idea into practice

1. Start off by painting the continents on the globe in one colour and the oceans in another. Use lighter colours to start with so that you can easily even out any mistakes and then you can use darker colours.

2. Once the globe has been left to dry, you will need to unscrew it so that you can paint the stand.

3. Once the stand has dried you can put your globe back together. This is an impressive and very unique guest book for your wedding.

4. Now write your names and the date of your wedding on the globe. It's best to write them with a pencil and then trace them.

Put the globe in a visible place, such as on the wedding gift table so that all your guests will be able to see it. To get the ball rolling, you can ask your best man to sign it first.

Important: However, it is not always easy to write on a globe, therefore, make sure that you have enough pens in contrasting colours. The guests can use gold or silver markers to sign the globe as this will give it an elegant and uniform look.

DIY wedding decorations: making your own handkerchiefs

A wedding is a very emotional and special event. This applies not only to the bride and groom, but also to close friends and relatives who can't help shedding a tear or two during the wedding ceremony. You can make your own handkerchiefs and hand them out to your guests so that they have a lovely memento of your special day.

You can place this small wedding favour on the chairs at the wedding venue. This will be a lovely little surprise for your guests that will make them feel special.

You can buy mini succulents at the garden centre or in DIY shops. Sometimes you can already buy them in matching plant pots. You can now decorate them to match your wedding theme. For example, with beautiful ribbons or a small sign with your names and the date of your big day.

Tip: You can also use the succulents as place cards. All you have to do is attach a small label with the name of the wedding guest and place it on the tables. This way you can combine the place card with a homemade gift.

Homemade wedding decorations for every budget

Good planning and organisation are important when it comes to wedding decorations. After getting engaged it is a good idea to discuss what type of wedding you would like to have and choose your favourite wedding decorations. By making homemade wedding decorations you can save yourself a lot of time and money. This also allows you to get creative and design decorations you would like to have at your dream wedding.