Etsy

I know I have already mentioned etsy a fair bit, but I want to make sure that everyone knows what an absolute goldmine it is.  A good starting point if you're looking for a bit of inspiration is to simply type your chosen colours into the search bar and see what comes up -  there will be page after page of gorgeous handmade and vintage items, from invitations through to decor.   There are some very talented sellers on this site, and if you're like me and love handmade stuff but are short on skill or time, then this is the place for you!  The majority of the sellers are based in America so keep the postage time in mind if ordering close to the big day, but you can set it so only sellers from your region are shown.

One of the first things I bought was a set of 12 different yellow, white and grey patterns as jpg files - inexpensive yet very versatile for the DIYer!  I could print these off as many times as I liked and used them for various things such as the lining of my invitation envelopes, and the background for the menus and dessert table labels:

These kind of digital files are available in all colours of the rainbow.  Some other things you could find on etsy:

Customised invitations including save the dates and thankyous

Flower girl and page boy outfits

Ring bearer options, including some beautiful porcelain bowls 

Cake toppers

Any colour cupcake wrappers 

Photo booth props and printables

Vintage  bridal accessories

Wedding Decor

My etsy finds 

(Photos by Lauren Waye)

1.Handmade matching ties for all the boys in the wedding party

2. My hair piece

3. Handmade clutches for the bridesmaids ( I filled these with "essentials" for the big day plus a little note thanking them for all their love and hard work)

4. Skeleton keys

5. "drink.eat.marry" stamp customised with our names and the date  

6. The bridesmaids' earrings

DIY Flowers

To me, DIY flowers seemed like a great way to save a bit of money and have some fun at the same time. I had read plenty of stories where the bride went to her local flower market the day before the wedding and did up the arrangements herself.   I only wanted very simple bouquets and even simpler table arrangements and had found some wholesale florists in Northwood St, Leederville that sell to the public and thought I had it all figured out.  All I can say is thank goodness I have talented people in my family who have done flower arranging before, realised the enormity of the task, and stepped in to help.  My aunt made the bouquets for myself, my three bridesmaids and my flower girl - fairly simple looking with only roses and lisianthus but it took her HOURS.  And my sister in law did all the button holes for the boys and little corsages for the VIP ladies, and that also took her HOURS.  Thank goodness for Aunty Suzie and Anita!

 (Photos by Lauren Waye)

If it had been left to me, I think there would have been no flowers at the ceremony and a very red-eyed bride.  I guess what I'm trying to say is, don't underestimate how long it will take, especially if you have other things to do the night or morning before the wedding.  By the way, how cute are those little yellow balls in the boys' buttonierres?  If you haven't seen them before they are called Billys Balls, believe it or not, and are native to Australia.  Perfect for a little pop of yellow and great as an option aside from a rose.

The table arrangments were within my skill realm, however, and with a little help from my sisters, we achieved that "simple" look I was hoping for

(Photos by Lauren Waye)

No vases, just recycled glass jars with a little bit of lace tied around the middle, and these were placed down the centre of our one long table.  I did, however, have lots of flowers left over, another by-product of inexperience.  So probably in the end DIY flowers was a false economy!