DIY Fashion Style

To finish up this week of creative wedding DIY we're going to share with you some fashion DIY.

Lauren's Mum was a great DIY-er when it cam to her wedding with Scott. She  made, from scratch, the bridesmaid's dresses. How gorgeous! 

Wedding of Scott and Lauren

Wedding of Scott and Lauren

Wedding of Scott and Lauren

Leah and Jamie's wedding had lots of little DIY touches. "I tried my hand at a little DIY when I made the boys boutonnieres using skeleton cameo brooches, some of the netting form my birdcage veil and feathers which matched my hair piece." 

Wedding of Leah and Jamie

Wedding of Leah and Jamie

Shoes are a great place for a bride to show a little creativity. 

"I decorated my shoes, and the bridesmaids' shoes; a lot of hours spent gluing the Swarovski crystals on.. but it was all worth it in the end!" Julian and Mirandah

Wedding of Julian and Mirandah

Wedding of Julian and Mirandah

For a bride who has a shoe in mind but can't get it just right, think about scoring some pretty brooches and pinning them onto your shoes for a little DIY glam. 

Wedding of Jennifer and Timothy

We love seeing the little 'I Do's' embellishments that has recently popped up as a trendy DIY to do. You can buy bedazzled letters fairly easily and are relatively easy to apply to shoes you have already got. 

Wedding of Craig and Stacey-Lee

Wedding of Sammy and Alexandra

QB x

Check out Queensland Brides at www.queenslandbrides.com.au, Facebook and Twitter. Get the latest issue here.

Cakes and Bouquets? Do it Yourself!

Over the course of this week we've brought to you a bunch of different DIY wedding ideas, and today is no exception! 

Another fabulous incorporation of DIY into your wedding is by mixing up the traditional floral bouquet with something a little more fun. 

Bouquets made out of non-floral materials have become more and more popular in recent years, and they truly are a great alternative - particularly for a bride who has allergies!

Here's a few styles to think about: 

Button bouquets

This button bouquet was made for Leah and Jamie's wedding, Leah says that they didn't do DIY to save money, but as a way to express themselves. The reason they decided on button bouquets was because Leah hates flowers! "I'm also allergic to them so I wasn't going to have a bouquet at all. But my husband insisted I shold have something to hold, so he made me and my bridesmaid button bouquets. There were all sorts of pink and white and silver buttons including croquet ones and a few skulls to fit our Friday 13 theme."

Wedding of Jamie and Leah

Wedding of Jamie and Leah

Wedding of Jamie and Leah

(Brides' bouquet made using a bouquet foam holder, florist wire, buttons and ribbon.) 

Jewelled/brooch bouquets
For her chic homestyle vintage wedding, Sheridan spent time making her jewelled bouquet and the button bouquets of her bridesmaids.

Wedding of James and Sheridan

(Psst, for a bride who loves the look of a jewelled bouquet, but doesn't like DIY-ing, try looking around as you can find companies that specialise in them.)

Debbie Carlisle Bouquets

Fabric flowers
Lauren's bouquet was made out of fabrics from each of her bridesmaids dresses, as well as her own.

Wedding of Scott and Lauren

The great thing about these bouquets is that they are timeless, you can keep them for reminiscing in later years, or even share your bouquet with a friend or family member. Twahnee suggests storing your bouquets with incense, "would you believe they still have a lovely scent."

Cakes are another outlet for the creative bride.

Urszula made her very own wedding cake for her wedding day. "I had never really done any cake decorating and certainly had never made a wedding cake, but I really wanted to make ours. I started practising months before and then made our cake during the week before the wedding. While it added a tiny bit more stress to that week, it was absolutely worth it and turned out exactly how I wanted it to."

Wedding of Urszula and John

A little more practically, this cake stand was made for Leah and Jamie's wedding. Jamie "designed and constructed our amazing cake stand. Our cake maker had never made them before so had nothing suitable for them [cake pops] to be presented on." The cake stand was "Built with wood and screws, sanded and lacquered with 80 small holes drilled into the 2 lower levels for the cake pops to stand."

Wedding of Leah and Jamie

For Selina and Brian's wedding they "wanted to incorporate origami into the wedding, so the white flowers in all the bouquets are all paper origami flowers and the wedding cake was all paper flowers."

Wedding of Selina and Brian

DIY doesn't always have to be the bride or the groom to be. Family and friends are great to recruit into any DIY projects you attempt. Amanda says that for her wedding to Craig, "My aunt, Diane Williams, made the cakes and she also, along with my other aunt, Della Lynch, and their husbands, set up the reception area for us."

Wedding of Craig and Amanda

QB x

Check out Queensland Brides at www.queenslandbrides.com.au, Facebook and Twitter. Get the latest issue here.

DIY Madness! Getting Decorative

Happy Hump Day! Here's some more DIY fantastic-ness for some wedding inspiration...

One of the easiest ways to incorporate DIY into your wedding is through your decor. We've been loving the submissions we've received over the last few weeks and they're really showing some ingenuity!

This wooden sign was made by Jamie for his wedding with Leah. They used wood, sander, and spray paint. But can you believe it, they also created this gorgeous thank you sign! 

Wedding of Jamie and Leah

Wedding of Jamie and Leah

What do you think of this rustic painted sign from Ryan and Natalie's wedding?

Wedding of Ryan and Natalie

 Have you seen the recent influx of paper pom palms in wedding styling lately? 

Wedding of Thomas and Jessica

Paper pom poms are actually really simple to make and they look really effective. All you need is tissue paper, string and a teensy bit of pipe cleaner (although you can probably just use string here too!). Here's a little How To.

Another great decor DIY is by giving your guests a way to leave you a message or advice:

Wedding of Tony and Amanda

"My Dad made our wishing well, which was an exact replica of the overwater bungalow we stayed in at the Maldives. It even had sand and a waterproof base to fill with water under the bungalow pillars." Amanda and Tony

Wedding of Jennifer and Timothy

Wedding of Julian and Mirandah

Julian and Mirandah: "I had a table set up with our treasure chest box that guests could put the cards in - it was handmade by a friend of mine." They also have a great photo display which is another great DIY project. "I made a photo board timeline of all the picture of Julian and I from baby pictures til now!"

Wedding of Josh and Brittany 

Wedding of Mark and Michelle

Wedding of Ryan and Natalie

But a potential favourite here at QB is a super simple DIY, you don't need to be super creative, just super collective. Glass jars are a great way of adding vintage charm to a wedding, you can display pretty blooms, or add a bit of ambiance with candles. 

Wedding of Jessica and Thomas

Wedding of Ryan and Natalie

Wedding of Hayley and Leo

Wedding of Josh and Brittany

QB x

Check out Queensland Brides at www.queenslandbrides.com.au, Facebook and Twitter. Get the latest issue here.

DIY - Stationery, favours, and lolly buffets

If you read yesterday's blog, you'll know that this week is all about DIY. We can't believe how much DIY we've seen in weddings lately, and we wanted to learn a bit more. 

We've discovered that the most popular DIY projects include designing the invitations, creating lolly buffets and making wedding favours for guests. 

Stationery 

We have discovered that a lot of couples created or designed the invitations, save the dates, place cards and other stationery items for their big day.

Laura Dickinson

Laura Dickinson

"Damien is a Graphic Designer so he designed the save the date, invitations and the banner for our photobooth cards. To have him be so involved in the planning and preparation was fantastic. It just made those little things all the more special." Erin Tucker 

Leah and James were determined to have a wedding that suited them to a tea. They DIY'd a lot of things, including these cute fans for during the ceremony, as well as the super cute place cards.

Wedding of James and Leah

Wedding of James and Leah

"I hand-made our wedding invitations using crystal pearl paper and white Ikea frames. The frames were sent to guests inside black gift boxes tied with personalised ribbon. As we had a destination wedding, I also designed and made wedding brochures listing fun things to do in north QLD that were sent to guests about a month before the wedding. " Joshua and Elissa

"I designed and prepared the invitations by myself. I couldn't find any prepared invitations that were exactly what I wanted, so decided to give it a go. It was surprisingly easy and I enjoyed the satisfaction of achieving the end result." Mark and Michelle

Wedding of Dan and Nikkie

"Name cards on the tables were replaced with pink coloured white chocolate macaroons, each held a flag with the guests name personally hand written on by the Bride." Dan and Nikkie 

Favours 
We love making things for other people, and weddings are a great excuse to try out some things we know you've been thinking about.

Wedding of Joshua and Brittany

Josh and Brittany created their own mixtape CDs that contained the soundtrack to their wedding which they gave as favours for guests.

When Lauren and Scott were married, Lauren had clutches embroidered for her bridesmaids.

Wedding of Lauren and Scott

Lolly Buffets 

When it comes to sweets, we're suckers! We love the idea of organising a lolly table. But if that's not for you, why not try a cheese table, or even a fruit buffet?

We "had a candy bar that was also 90% stocked with handmade goods. This included cupcakes, cake pops, rocky road, macaroons, caramel popcorn, meringue kisses, and assorted yellow & blue lollies." Christopher and Natalie 

Wedding of Christopher and Natalie

DIY-ing your food can be great fun, just make sure to check for special dietary requirements. 

"Our guests were surprised to learn that all of the food served was gluten and dairy free, they all commented on how great it tasted and was presented." Christopher and Natalie 

Check back soon for more DIY 

QB x 

Check out Queensland Brides at www.queenslandbrides.com.au, Facebook and Twitter. Get the latest issue here.

Do It Yourself! Why DIY?

DIY is incredibly huge right now in the world of weddings. Brides are stepping out of the box and using their creative imaginations to personalise their wedding, and save a few well-earned dollars. 

Wedding of Jen and Tim

This week on the Queensland Brides blog, we're going to focus on some great DIY projects that you can try, and some DIY inspiration eye-candy.

If you'd like to submit a DIY project that you have tried send an email to web@queenslandbrides.com.au

Wedding of Jessica and Thomas 

Wedding of Dan and Finley

One of the reasons DIY is so great is because investing time into a project is really rewarding. Many brides talk about how much they love seeing people enjoying their work on their big days.

Rachael Williams says "Make sure you bring your personality in to the wedding. Your day is all about you both and sharing the love with friends and family! xx" 

Wedding of Rachael and Brenton

Wedding of Rachael and Brenton

Some brides even have family helpers, so plenty of people feel involved in the wedding's organisation and design.

Stephanie and Jamie's wedding was nearly entirely DIY! "We were very lucky to have so many helpful hands in both of our families and we wouldn't have been able to create such a beautiful day without them all!" 

Wedding of Stephanie and Jamie

Stay tuned for some great DIY ideas over the next week.

QB x Check out Queensland Brides at www.queenslandbrides.com.au, Facebook and Twitter. Get the latest issue here.

Style Trend - Pastels

Wedding of Sarah and Adam. Photo: Marina Ridgway Photography

There’s no denying the sweet old-fashioned charm of pastel colours. They can be vintage, retro, country or modern. They’re a perennial fave of brides the world over and it’s easy to see why!

How To Do Pastel Perfectly:

• 50s style dresses work well with this theme as pictured below, with touches of lace to add texture.

Wedding of Chloe and Jonathan. Photo: Studio Impressions

• Floaty fabrics in pale tones create dreamy dresses in the wedding below - a more modern take on the theme.

Wedding of Stacey and Michael. Photo: Creative Wedding Photography

'You Callin' Me a Lyre' polish by OPI, RRP $19.95. For stockists contact 1800 358 999 or www.opi.net.au

Tocca Bianca EDP RRP $92 from Mecca Cosmetica. www.meccacosmetica.com.au

Styling 101: Get the look

• An ice cream or dessert station or lolly buffet are perfect ways to incorporate the theme

• Bunting, doilies, paper straws, vintage glass and lace tablecloths perfect the look

Three Piece Set in Polka Blue, RRp $349 by Royal Albert, available at department stores and selected independent shops.

Sweet n Pretty Iced Bird Cookies, 3 for $4.50, www.downthatlittlelane.com.au/sellers/sweet-n-pretty

Wedding of Nikki and Jana. Photo: Jess Marks Photography

Top Tip

• Don’t go too overboard with the pale and pretty, it can get a bit much very quickly. Mix it up with touches of timber, twine or contrasting colours as seen in the chair sashes below.

Wedding of Mel and Dave. Photo: Jess Marks Photography

Wedding of Kaitlin and Scott. Photo: Studio Impressions

Styling 101: Fun Additions

• Polaroid cameras on each table make instant memories for you to enjoy straight away

• Known for your addiction to Haigh’s Peppermint Frogs/Jaffas/Peanut M&Ms? Offer them with coffee at the end of the night

Wedding of Rhianna and Ryan. Photo: Adori Studios

QB x

Check out Queensland Brides at www.queenslandbrides.com.au, Facebook and Twitter. Get the latest issue here.