D.I.Y BRIDE

Hi Guys,

A bit of a personal blog entry today. So I got married in August - Whoop! It was a struggle as I was living in New York and planning a wedding in London. A lot of emails and vendors falling through so I decided to make a lot of things myself. So in this blog I will be sharing just some of the d.i.y projects from the wedding. How it was made and where you can get it.                    A little Blue Peter moment there :) Hope you guys enjoy it!  

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The Struggle! 

Originally I wanted to have real flowers or even a florist and a decorator so that I don't have to do it all myself. However due to the location and when the wedding would be NON of the florists were available and if so they would charge an arm and a leg. So I decided to do it myself  (inset sweaty face). With a creative mind, handy sets of helps and helpful friends we made it happen. 

Shops

Micheals Micheals Michealssss!! I absolutely love this store. It had everything from paint to flowers to even solid props. So what I would do is literally spend a few hours in store walking round in circles. Thinking about the invitations, table dressings and wedding decor. I would suggest registering to their emailing list for discounts if they don't have the ones you want on their site already. I mainly got some handy diy items such as different glues, stamps and fabric diys. 

@Micheals - I could be in the stores for hours.

D.I.Y Flowers & Decor

The Silk Flowers from SaveOnCrafts were a life savers - they look real, inexpensive and were easy to colour diy.

I then hit the online stores and after searching for props and silk flowers. As my colours scheme was quite ambitious (so i was told) i know i would have to customize by flowers. I opted for silk flowers are they are realist and affordable. Instead of listing a number of sites that didn't work i will just focus on the positive and list the ones i mainly use. Which were: Confetti.CO.UK and SaveOnCrafts.Com. Same as with Micheals they have a large range of wedding props and flowers however not as crafty as the Micheals store. Again they give out a lot of promotions so its worth having a look in to it. 

Technical bit

Hand dying the flowers - simply follow the instructions on the pack. I mixed the dye with the a small amount of hot water let that mix for 1-2 minutes. Then followed with two cups of lukewarm water. Lay out a towel and then dipped the flowers in the mixed water, holding it in and out until it achieved the colour I wanted. For the ombre effect I would dip the edges of the flowers straight in to the dye powder.  See picture 3 for a more detailed instruction. I wished I took step by step pictures but I hope it makes sense. 

1. From Micheal's - the instructions are easy to follow an you only need a small amount.

4. Here is the tricky bit. In order to get the colour variation on the flowers. I would rub a small amount of the diy power directly on the tips of the flowers and NOT wash it off. 

2.. Dip the flower heads in the coloured bath. Hold for a few seconds, shake and take it out. 

3. After dipping the flowers in the d.i.y bath. Turn them upside down on some towels to dry.

5. Here you see the flowers matching to the bridesmaids dresses

Lavender wreaths - I remembered sitting on my own feeling slightly overwhelmed as I had 18 odd wreaths to make and no ladies to help me. But then my dad offered to cut the flowers. And that alone helped me to finish them off. In the final days running up to the wedding, brides lose so much weight. Lack of sleep because you are trying to do it all. And I would forget to eat and my dad would be there making my meals and making sure that i had something to snack on at all times.  Thanks Daddy!!!!

Now back to the wreaths - I ordered the lavender from www.LavenderWorld.co.uk and they arrived in a big box and were so fresh and a beautiful purple shade. I researched online and watched so many YouTube clips to show me how to cut and wrap them around. Lets just say wait to get your nails done after you have finished alllll your d.i.y jobs. See below the end result:

Fan Order-Of-Service - All we needed were card paper, glue, corner cutter, fan sticks and a printer. It took us a few hours but we got it done. I got the sticks, glue and corner cutter from Micheals. The wedding was in August and it was hot so the fans came in handy and just like a sandwich we assembled them. I haven't got a picture of our Order of service but here is a example of the shape. 

Some more DIY items that we made: Using small black picture frames from IKEA. Spray painted the border gold while the inside we painted them with chalkboard paint. We used them as signage for doors, sweet table and guestbooks. 

Final tips and advice for future D.I.Y brides out there:

• Youtube is your friend while sometimes Pinterest can be your frenemy. It will show you some amazing things and leave you feeling so hopeful and inspiring but at the same time won't show you (fully) how its done.
• Brides(MAIDS) - Pick them wisely and accept the role wisely. There to help at any time and any hour before, during and after the wedding 
• Discounts, Coupons, Sales and Promotions! - Keep your eyes open on those wedding sites. Subscribe to their mailing list and if you're not a fan of junk mail then possibly use a email address that is just aimed for wedding stuff or just junk mail.
• Ask around and read on other wedding blogs for tips and advice 

Until Next time

XO ROSE