Hearts & Crafts
Designing your dream day is all in the details.
 |
|
Wedding Dress: Your dress can be a project in itself. Another DFY piece, the “Queen of Hearts” gown seen here was based on the bride’s personalized sketch of her preferred layers and colors—a true wedding fantasy come to life. Dress customized and designed by weddingdressfantasy.com. |
A DIY wedding can be personal, budget-friendly and fun, especially if you get members of the bridal party involved. Orlando Wedding art director and graphic designer Christine Cerniglia, who married at Lakeside Inn in Mount Dora on September 15, 2012, had a Queen of Hearts-inspired wedding that was almost completely self-designed. “Not all DIY projects have to be complex,” says Cerniglia. “There are lots of things you can do yourself that may take time, but are wonderfully simple ideas.” Here are tips on how she did it, and how to realize your own DIY wedding dreams true.
 |
Save the Date & Invitations Once you choose or create your typography design, work on printing, cutting, layering and gluing different paper elements together to make your Save the Dates and invitations beautiful. Even your envelopes can be distinctive. Find a paper with colors or patterns you like, trace the shape of the interior of the envelope on the paper, cut and paste it inside, and voilà! You have the personalized envelopes your stunning invitations deserve. Save the date envelopes and paper from paperpresentation.com; invitations printed by mamas-sauce.com; petal enclosures from paperandmore.com; self-adhesive heart rhinestones from Michaels. |
|
Brittany Fournier |
|
 |
Guest Favors Favors are meant to be fun. Look for items that your guests can enjoy post-wedding, like a deck of playing cards in a customized case. Tie a coordinating “Thank You” tag around the gift with a ribbon related to your color scheme. Playing cards with customized box from favorfavor.com |
 |
Guest Box Buy a small box or chest from an arts and crafts store, stain or decorate it and set it out at the reception with some cards and pens. Your guests can drop in their words of wisdom or, in the case of Christine’s wedding, customized ad libs. Start your own tradition by waiting to open the box on your first anniversary. Chest from Michaels. |
 |
Table Runners & Centerpieces Can’t find the right accents for your tables? Look no further than your favorite fabric store or website. Size your tables, then cut and hem the fabric to fit, and you have the perfect complementing table runners. And when it comes to centerpieces, silk flowers are a more affordable and eco-friendly option than the real thing. Buy one to two dozen flowers per table and organize them in complementary containers. Fabric from fabric.com; flowers from Jo-Ann Fabrics & Crafts; containers from marshallfloralproducts.com; other items were collected by the bride. |
 |
Programs Instead of a booklet, design your own program that can also double as a fan. Begin by downloading the template, then customize and print each petal of the fan. Stack them in order, punch a hole through and tie them together with more of your favorite ribbon. DIY petal fan programs from cherishpaperie.com |
|
Brittany Fournier |
|
 |
Bridesmaid Accessories Looking for something special for the girls standing beside you? Try some DFY (Designed For You) items. The embellished top hat was customized for the bride, while members of the bridal party created their own. Bridal hat designed by Hikari Design on Etsy; items for the bridesmaids’ hats from factorydirectcraft.com |
