Weddings: How to have a successful DIY Wedding

Jun 24 2009 By James Shepherd

Here comes the bride!

Creating gorgeous accessories for you and your guests is another way to save money and add some personal finishing touches to your big day.

And it’s surprising how easy it is to cut some costs without losing the effect (because, let’s be honest, handcrafted is chic so long as it doesn’t look like something made on Blue Peter!).

For example, buy a simple tiara or headband and embellish it yourself with delicate petite flowers, feathers, pre-wired diamantes and faux pearl picks. It’s quick, it’s easy, it’s truly original and won’t cost a fortune.

The same applies to hats and fascinators, which is great news for guests who don’t want to risk wearing the same as someone else.

And there’s plenty more you can do to get a designer look on a budget, like decorating plain shoes with diamantes (they look particularly good on the heels), ribbons and buckles, to make footwear sparkle.

Today, there’s a huge choice of faux flowers too, from exotic blooms to seasonal favourites, which are ideal for making bouquets, posies, button holes and corsages as well as pew ends and table centrepieces.

They can look as good as the real thing and what’s more there’s no risk of them wilting by the end of the day.