DIY Ideas for a Budget Bride Wedding
Ranked #670 in Weddings, #41,596 overall
Calling all Crafty or Budget Conscious Brides
If you are crafty and have the free time to devote to wedding projects, or just looking for some budget saving tips, you are in the right place. You can create some gorgeous details with the do it yourself approach.
I've also included some budget friendly ideas. It was my ultimate goal to keep costs down, yet still have a unique and beautiful wedding. I met my goal and wish you the best with yours.
Happy Planning!
Freeze Dried Rose Petals
Sprinkle on the ground, on table tops, in vases for centerpieces, use for the toss... the possibilities are endless
I ordered freeze dried rose petals (they won't stain or cause a slippery mess, plus they keep for a long time) to scatter for decoration and to use for the just married toss. Fresh petals are lovely, but are more expensive and harder to keep looking good.
Try scattering petals in some unexpected areas like the parking lot. No need to go through a florist, this is an easy DIY decoration. Wholesale flower companies sell over 3,000 freeze dried rose petals for just a little over $100. Keep reading for some company recommendations.
Photo used under Creative Commons from magnusfranklin.
DIY Fresh Wedding Flowers!
This one isn't for everyone.
For goof proof floral designs select all of one kind of flower in the same color. This will create a visually pleasing design without having to do a lot of arranging and rearranging. For example a bouquet of all red roses will have a lot of wow factor, but a bouquet with mixed white and red roses will have to be arranged just right to pull off the same effect. You can also mix a variety of flowers in the same color for a similar look, but will require a little more arranging.
Here are a selection of online wholesale fresh flower companies:
- Grower's Box
- Check out the Wedding in a Box specials. This is the company I personally used for my wedding.
- Fifty Flowers
- Visit the DIY flower combos for real inspiration.
- Fresh Roses
- US grown roses, buy direct from the growers.
- Amazonia Flowers
- Smaller quantities great for test runs!.
- Flower Muse
- A newer company, check out the exotic carnations.
Fresh Flower Tip
Select just one type of flower or one color of flower. Impact is in the numbers and it will be much easier to visually arrange without competing shades and sizes.

Red Carnations rehydrating *silk rose display beside them*
Red Carnation Pomanders!
A DIY project with wholesale carnations

This was my biggest DIY undertaking. I ordered bulk red carnations to make pomanders from Grower's Box. The pomanders were set atop a spray painted silver clay pot and used to decorate the aisles of the ceremony site. These were a lot of work and took a team of 4 of us about 3 hours to produce. They looked amazing and were carried from the ceremony to the reception site to do double work as decoration there, then we sent the flowers home with guests as a prize. People loved that! Can't beat triple duty wedding decorations. I like carnations and choose them for their hardiness, but you could use almost any flower with a good stem like roses or Gerbera daisies.
In this picture you see a cluster of pomanders sitting in their transport box. 3 trays of red carnations that held guest seating place cards. And a large basket of petal cones filled with freeze dried petals for the toss. All stored in a room with the air conditioner down low waiting to be taken to the wedding the following morning.
A very simple DIY and fun centerpiece is to float gerbera daisy heads in a bowl of water. Remember to leave about an inch of stem as an anchor and always use a knife or shears, not scissors to cut the stems.
Carnation Kissing Ball Tutorial
How to DIY
DIY Wedding Photo Albums or Photo Guestbook!
Get the most from your photos
I created my wedding photo album after the fact, but before the wedding I used Picaboo to create a guestbook alternating between an engagement photo and white pages for our guests to write us notes. I brought the photo guestbook with me to all the pre-wedding events giving our friends and family plenty of time to write in it.
- My Publisher
- Requires you to download software. Several sizes and cover options including leather for a very professional look.
- Snapfish
- No software to download, but you must upload your photos to work with them. Several book sizes. Check out the mini books a cute idea for gifts or mementos for your wedding party or family. Limited layouts and paper backgrounds.
- Picaboo
- Requires you to download software. 40 different font options and over 240 layouts. Allows background sharing. Allows for some creative layering.
- Blurb
- Requires software download, but has the largest number of pages allowed by far.
- Mpix.com
- One of the most customizable software I found, but the book is limited to 50 pages.
DIY Decor
So many ideas
- Rock Candy Centerpieces
- If I had seen this idea in time for my wedding, I so would have found a way to use it. This crafty blogger bought clear rock candy, the kind that looks like fat crystal blocks on a string, and hot glued them to wire hooks, tied a pretty ribbon to the wire and hung them all over. Fun!
- Feather Wreath Centerpieces
- I made centerpieces using a white foam wreath, hot glue, and cheap bulk feather boas. With the feather wreath placed around the base of a glass hurricane (rented) filled with rose petals and a white candle that had a clear label of our monogram on it, the whole effect made for a very pretty centerpiece.
- Another example of feather wreaths
- This one is done on a grander scale and would also look awesome hung up on say the church doors.
- Eiffle Tower Feather Centerpieces
- To mix things up, but in keeping with the theme, half the tables had a more expensive centerpiece. I found the ostrich feathers on ebay, used a bell bouquet holder, and filled the vase (rented) with sand.Very eye catching.
- Fruit Centerpieces
- Lots of things can be done with fruit. Poor white sugar into a hurricane, place a candle, and fill the sides with a layer of cranberries. Fill a basket full of fruit or cut up citrus and place in vases filled with water.
- DIY Centerpieces
- A long list of simple centerpiece ideas.
Ostrich Feather Centerpieces
Eiffle Tower Feather Centerpieces with Major Impact

Search eBay for your dress, but first try a Bridal Shop for size!
There are a TON of new or in great shape wedding gowns on eBay
Resist the bridal shops high pressure sales tactics!
Free inspiration from other people's photos
It's the best way to discover what you like
Magazines, wedding websites, forums, google, there are endless options to do wedding research. If you aren't sure what you want for your wedding, looking at other people's weddings is the place to start to find out what you like and hate.
Gift Ideas for the Wedding Party
or maybe just for yourself
iPod as D.J.
customize and personalize your wedding day music
Photo used under Creative Commons from stu_spivack.
Resources for having an iPod Wedding
Feel like skipping the D.J.?
I think a smaller wedding, or perhaps one where the dance isn't the focal activity would work really well with an iPod playlist. If you do skip the d.j. select someone to act as master of ceremonies for the reception so you don't have to make your own announcements.
- iPodWedding.com
- This appears to be a fairly new site. But it goes over the basics of what you'll need to pull of being your own Dj. It holds promise by making mention of a tried and true song playlist to be added.
- Saying I do: Weddings, iPods, and you
- This site is a little iPod crazy, as it goes into detail of using the iPod for all stages of wedding planning. Never the less the section on music is well written.
- A Dj's stance on using an iPod
- To be fair you need both sides of the story. Here is a DJ's stance obviously against using an iPod over a Dj and a few of the things that can go wrong.
- DIY Wedding Music
- Links to other resources and tips on what songs to play.
- One Couple's Playlist
- Searching for other couple's playlists can be helpful in coming up with your own.
"Marry Me" - Train
First Dance Song
I really love this sweet song by Train. It makes me want to relive our first dance. Take a listen. So beautiful. Our actual first dance was a song from the soundtrack of "Shall We Dance", I love it just as much, if not more.
You'll need Equipment
Surf for deals, check out rentals or your reception location
Wedding Music
From Amazon MP3
Ceremony Music on iTunes
Classical or fun to lighten the mood, it's all here
Even if you don't do an iPod wedding, iTunes is a great place to research what music you'd like to include on your day. Don't be afraid to give your D.J. a playlist.
| Track | Artist | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wedding Song (There Is Love) | Peter, Paul & Mary | The Very Best of Peter, Paul and Mary | |
| Pachebel: Canon In D | A Brides Guide To Wedding Music | A Bride's Guide to Wedding Music | |
| I Say a Little Prayer | The Cast of My Best Friend's Wedding | My Best Friend's Wedding (Music from the Motion Picture) | |
| Wagner: Bridal Chorus | A Brides Guide To Wedding Music | A Bride's Guide to Wedding Music | |
| White Wedding, Pt. 1 | Billy Idol | Billy Idol: Greatest Hits | |
| Air on a G String | Societas Musica Chamber Orchestra | The Most Relaxing Classical Music in the Universe | |
| Mendelssohn: Wedding March | A Brides Guide To Wedding Music | A Bride's Guide to Wedding Music | |
| Clarke: Trumpet Voluntary | A Brides Guide To Wedding Music | A Bride's Guide to Wedding Music | |
| Debussy: Claire de Lune | A Brides Guide To Wedding Music | A Bride's Guide to Wedding Music |
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Budget Poll!
Frugal or going Platinum?
Are you paying for everything yourself? Are your parents helping? Have you been saving? Working extra jobs? Are you putting wedding items on credit? Share in the comments after voting!
Leave advice for other DIY Budget Brides!
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happyhandsbelcoo
Nov 5, 2011 @ 8:30 pm | delete
- I am a DIY bride but im paying for my guests accomodation hence the big budget... What I save in one way I am spending in another way :o)
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ShareBeez
Oct 18, 2011 @ 7:19 am | delete
- I was a DIY Bride...Even through it can be frustrating at times you sure do save a ton of money for that great honeymoon! Great Lens Thanks for the tips and tricks on saving on weddings!
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andyl147
Sep 3, 2011 @ 2:09 pm | delete
- I thought I'd seen it all and then I came across your lens with the bit about i-pod weddings!!
Excellent idea by the way and I'm sure it work work fine for many couples.
wedding venues glasgow has lots of ideas for weddings too so it may be worth checking out.
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mountainstevo
Jul 16, 2011 @ 12:53 pm | delete
- These are some really good ideas - my wife did do a couple of these for our wedding.
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justinejamie
Jul 4, 2011 @ 11:40 pm | delete
- wow this is great! my parents have a function hall that covers a lot of occasions including weddings. my uncle who lives with us also does a lot when it comes to beautifying the place and coming up with ideas for weddings and other special events. this is very helpful and i'll let him read this. thanks a bunch for sharing!
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by Nibbled
My wedding was in the Fall of 2008, but we had an 18 month engagement that allowed me to acquire way too many ideas. I hope others might benefit from... more »
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