DIY Wedding Decorations for an Economical Dream Wedding

Preparing for a wedding can be very expensive. There is a dress to buy, reception location to book, caterers to hire and numerous other details to take care of and pay for. The cost of a wedding can be somewhat daunting. Expenses can be pared down considerably by making many of your wedding decorations yourself. DIY wedding decorations can be crafted months in advance, allowing you time to purchase and acquire your supplies.

Use these DIY wedding decoration ideas for vintage, black and white, beach and country/western themed weddings, or easily alter them to coordinate with other themed weddings of your dreams.

Decorating the ends of church pews or rows of chairs has long been a wedding tradition. Make your own pew balls for use during the ceremony and then quickly whisk them away to the reception as addition wedding decorations for the tables. Purchase 2-inch Styrofoam balls for the base of the pew balls. Cut a 24-inch length of ribbon, cord, lace or jute for the pew ball hanger. Bring the ends together and tie an overhand knot. Hint: Inexpensive balls of jute can be found at local stores in the laundry aisle. Use wire cutters to cut a metal paper clip in half, leaving you with two "U" shaped wires. Open the loop of the hanger and lay it on the foam ball. Dip the ends of one "U" shaped wire in craft glue and straddle it over the hanger on the ball, inserting it in the foam to hold.

Purchase budget silk flowers at discount or dollar stores, or recycle flowers accumulated from thrift stores and tag sales. The amount needed will depend on the size and style of the flowers. Use wire cutters to cut the stems 1-inch below the blossom. Dip the ends of the blossom stems and insert them into the ball. Continue until the entire ball has been covered with flowers. Roses for vintage, and black and white weddings, tropical flowers for a beach wedding or sunflowers or daisies for country/western themed weddings are beautiful choices.

A lovely part of many weddings ceremonies is the lighting of the unity candle. These candle can be quite expensive, but by employing a little creative shopping, you can purchase a tall white pillar candle during an after holiday clearance sale. Use a computer to create and print a special bible verse, bride and groom names and the date of the wedding, on card stock paper, in a color of your choice. Before printing, adjust the size to 3-inches wide by 4-inches long and center the printing. Cut the printed verse in a long oval shape.

Create a sleeve cuff to wrap around the candle. Cut decorative paper 4-inches wide by the circumference around the candle, plus an inch. Use double sided tape to attach the oval shaped verse to the center of the cuff. Wrap the cuff around the candle and connect the overlapping seam with double sided tape.

Use wrapping paper, or wallpaper for vintage or black and white weddings, sandpaper for a beach themed wedding decoration or use old blue jeans for a different craft medium for a country/western ceremony. Further embellish the candles with beads, buttons, sequins, shells, conchos or other trinkets.

Place a small favor gift at each wedding reception place setting, as a thank you gift to your guests. Purchase small candy bars and wrap them in a decorative sleeve made from recycled paper or fabric. Simply measure around the width of the candy bar and add a 1/2 inch. Cut either paper or fabric an inch shorter than the candy bar length. This will be the width measurement of the sleeve. Cut the length of the sleeve using the measurement around the width of the candy bar. Wrap the sleeve around the candy bar and glue the overlap. Use a computer and printer to create small card stock labels with the bride and groom's names and the wedding date. Duplicate the label several times on a sheet of card stock. Size them small enough to fit on the front of the candy bar. Cut out the labels using decorative scissors and use double sided tape to adhere the labels to the front of the sleeve. Add additional trinkets and charms.

Many of these ideas can be made from items in your recycle bin, closets and store clearance sales. Once you have decided on the decorations you will be making, call all your friends with a list of supply necessities and have them save too. Vintage linens, old clothing and bedding are terrific sources of fabric, and don't forget wrapping paper from bridal showers and old books for paper supplies. Open those junk drawers for an abundance of little trinkets to use as charms and decorative elements to further embellish your handmade wedding decorations.