DIY Weddings

Developing your own D.I.Y. flower displays is the perfect way to add a special touch to your wedding day and the brand new Forever Flowerz from Craft Buddy are an amazing cost-effective solution to more traditional floral decorations, allowing you to create your own features that will never wilt.
The Forever Flowerz kits come with everything you need to make incredible flowers in simple, easy to follow steps that will have you mastering the skill in no time turning you into a green fingered flower making machine! Here are a few examples of the ways you can use them for your wedding day:

Spring is quickly becoming one of the most popular seasons to get hitched in; such a beautiful time of year with so many flowers in bloom, the sun is beginning to shine again and the days beginning to get longer once again.
Wedding planning can be stressful and overwhelming, especially when you’ve decided to take on many of the main responsibilities yourself. Whether you’re a couple looking to adhere to a tight budget or simply love all the DIY possibilities that come with planning a wedding, it is certainly possible to plan the wedding of your dreams.

Caroline Grimble – Bloom & Wild’s Lead Florist – gives Vows & Venues her top tips on the current trends in wedding flowers, and creating your own bouquets and floral arrangements. 

There is so much to think about for your big day – and what goes into your bouquet and floral decorations are no exception. Bloom & Wild have seen several trends coming through for 2019 and there’s something for every bride!

Over half of weddings now include DIY elements – whether it’s invitations, place cards, decorations, favours or even the cake itself. 

The popularity of this trend comes from couples seeking a truly unique day that is personalised to them, thanks to the incorporation of those special “little touches” giving every element of the day a special tie to the bride and groom.

It also reflects a new movement, with couples wanting to amp up their wedding’s “wow” factor without having to blow the budget.

For many, food is one of the largest outgoings from their wedding budget. You’ve got the wedding breakfast, cake, favours, canapes and the additional evening meal. It also goes without saying that the bigger the guestlist, the bigger the cost.

By Caterina Alves, Head of Venues at RIBA

Did you get engaged recently? Congratulations!

We love hosting a wedding here at the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and this year is going to be no exception. Our team is already looking ahead to the wedding season and we have been pondering on what we think this year’s nuptials will look like. 

So, without further “I do” (see what we did there?), here are our top three wedding trends for 2019 and beyond…

Themed weddings

A feature wall is a great opportunity to add character to your wedding without splurging out and spending too much of your wedding budget. Here are a few DIY feature wall ideas to make your special day even more beautiful.

Let the wall bloom

Kim K married Kayne in front of a flower wall in 2014. If that's not enough reason to consider your own flower wall, we don't know what is. 

A flower wall can be a beautiful backdrop for photos of yourselves and guests. Choose flowers (real or fake depending on your budget and accessibility) that will compliment the theme of your wedding. 

Throwing your own bash at home is becoming a fantastic option for those with a larger garden, saving thousands on booking a venue. If you're planning a pre-wedding get together, an outdoor wedding breakfast or evening party, check out the range available from Market Gazebo World. Here Stephen Evans, managing director, explains why the range is ideal for an outdoor soiree…

What material are the gazebos made of and what makes them waterproof?

Saying vows under a wedding arch is a centuries old tradition full of romantic meaning, symbolising the home that the couple will build together. For weddings held outdoors, arches and arbours also provide a beautiful focal point for the ceremony, and an attractive backdrop for pictures.

If you are planning an outdoor wedding, there are many hire companies around the country from whom you can rent an arch for the day. A much more special alternative, though, would be to be able to take your very own wedding arch home with you, to keep in your garden as a constant reminder of your big day. You could even grow your own wedding flowers over it, seeing them grow larger and stronger with every anniversary that passes.

Weddings are a joyous occasion to celebrate the love between two people and what better way to commemorate this than making your personalised wedding stand out from the rest by adding extra personal features to the day itself.  

Whether it’s table decorations, wedding favours or gifts for your bridal party, Dremel offers a variety of tools to help put your own stamp onto items for the big day. Here are some of Dremel’s top suggestions to help make your special day even more memorable:

Dremals top suggestions for a personalised wedding

Heart Garland

Catering arrangements and having the perfect wedding cake can be daunting, especially if you or your guests have specific dietary requirements, but fear not, now there’s a cake to suit everyone’s needs and your budget.

Whether your wedding is small and intimate or bursting with guests, the aim is to host a celebratory party that’s inclusive to all. Within many groups of family and friends, there is likely to be a few guests who have a food intolerance, so it’s important to find a way that ensures everyone enjoys a slice of the action.

A cake to cover all dietary requirements - Gluten and Dairy free

When planning your wedding, how do you decide on a theme or colour scheme? Simple, don’t stick to one, incorporate a few themes and colours for a stunning fusion wedding. Be creative with colour and include different tones and hues of your favourites across all of your styling and details.

Wedding stylist, Lindsey Hunter shares how you can create a colourful wedding using Indian, Moroccan and Scottish details for a beautiful take on a striking fusion wedding.

Colour

Emma Leighton, founder of Divine Makeup, Hawarden near Chester, gives her 5 best tips for the perfect winter wedding makeup

I love a winter wedding. Twinkling fairy lights, and cosy fireplaces, fur capes teamed with delicate dresses and gorgeous wedding bouquets full of winter blooms. And for a winter bride, it’s a wonderful opportunity to create a unique, beautiful look.

Here are our 5 tips for beautiful winter wedding makeup.

1. Work with the light

Wheat is a beautiful natural crop that gives us so much, so why not use it on your wedding day. The perfect way to include a touch of nature, wheat is versatile and looks wonderful on its own or teamed with other dried or fresh flowers and foliage. As well as being renowned for their natural petal confetti, Shropshire Petals also grow wheat on their farm for their iconic wheat sheaves and wreaths. Here are their favourite ways to include wheat on your wedding day.

Bouquets and buttonholes

Weddings are becoming bigger and more extravagant with each coming year, while there are also many couples who opt for a small reception with only the closest friends and family. However, no matter the size of a wedding, there are some trends that almost every couple seems to follow in 2017.

If you and your partner are tying the knot this year, you can incorporate the latest wedding trends set by wedding professionals and make your big day truly special. Here’s what they are. 

Shiny in Gold and Silver

When it comes to wedding décor, couples are looking up for inspiration. In order to maximise space and create a stunning venue, 2017 has seen vertical decorations take centre stage. Small hanging arrangements can easily look lost in large spaces, so sometimes you need to think big and bold with statement feature-pieces such as floral arches, swings and chandeliers.

This is a trend we’re really excited about – our giant teepees have so much space above eye level (often going unused) it’s high-time it was

put to good use. As hanging features grew in popularity our in-house team developed this fantastic giant rustic hoop. At 6 meters in circumference, the hoop offers maximum impact.