5 Handmade Wedding Details to Make Your Guests Feel Special
It’s the people you have with you that make your wedding day unique. Make them feel good and they’ll make you feel absolutely great on your big day.
Whether your wedding is a small soiree for 30 or a grand gala for 300, it’s the little handmade wedding details that will keep those people talking about your wedding for years to come. I’ve put together a quick guide to a few DIY ways to help you ensure that every guest feels a part of the party!
The Invitations
Technically, this comes a long way before the day itself, but the invitations can really whip up excitement and people often keep them for a long time, displayed prominently on mantelpieces and notice boards. This is the first hint as to what your wedding is going to be like, so make sure it really sets the tone for the day! From origami cranes to hand stamped envelopes, invitations are a chance to create something truly tailor-made to you and your wedding. Some designs even literally ‘tie the knot’! It might take a bit of time, but the results will be so worth it.
Emergency Baskets
Yes, it’s gorgeous, but it hardly fits anything!
This is a lovely trend from last year that’s really starting to take off. Never heard of it? Well, let me enlighten you!
Emergency baskets in the bathrooms at your reception can solve all manner of problems. You won’t need a Mary Poppins bag to fix a popped button or to get the grass off the back of the Best Man’s jacket. Even just having one there tells your guests “relax, everything’s taken care of!” My lovely friend Emma Constantinides at the Royal College of Surgeons made one for her own wedding, and now makes them for her friends’ weddings too!
“Wicker baskets are ideal for this, and can be decorated to match your colour scheme. I did mine with organza material, a plum ribbon and a diamante heart to tie it all in. All these items are easy to find in a local haberdashery. You can get loads of tips on what to put in them, and how to put them together at Wedding Bee. It’s easy to do but very effective. It’s the little touches that make a wedding and this is definitely something that people remember… They’re also very popular with the men but shhhh…”
– Emma Constantinides
Table Decorations
This one may be stating the obvious, but table decorations and favours are the perfect way to connect to each guest individually. From paper flags and washi-tape decorated straws, to handmade wedding flower balls and individually labelled cupcakes, there are as many ways to decorate a reception-table as there are weddings! You can find tonnes of inspiration on sites like Pinterest, and the web is full of fantastic blogs to motivate you to try something a little special.
The table decorations are a great opportunity to get the mums (yes, both of them!) and bridesmaids involved. Why not bring in flowers from your own garden? So much of shabby-chic style recycles things that might otherwise get thrown away: old book, milk bottles, jam jars. It’s not just personal, it’s thrifty and green too!
The Speeches
Okay, so I’m cheating a little bit here – you don’t make speeches with your hands, but you do make them, and that means no copying. Step away from Google, and go with something from the heart!
If you’re stuck for ideas, why not start with just saying thank you to the people who helped make the day possible? Take it seriously and just speak from the heart, or go for the oddball and think of all the funny coincidences that lead to the couple meeting: “Honestly, I think I need to start with thanking that rail-walking cow – if that train hadn’t been cancelled…”
There’s no pressure – just don’t start by reciting the dictionary definition of marriage!
We all know the rules, the Best Man makes the guests laugh, the Groom makes them twinkly-eyed and the Bride’s father makes them all cry. But why stick to tradition? Let the Chief Bridesmaid tell her favourite joke about the Bride or the Bride herself tell everyone how much it means to have them all together. If someone you love can’t be there, why not ask them to put a few words to paper for a friend or family member to read out on their behalf? Even better, what about a video speech? Do speeches even have to be spoken? Let’s get creative!
Thank You
The day’s over, the guests have gone home, and you may even have been on honeymoon. What better way to remind everyone of the day you shared than with a thank you picture? Stick it on a postcard, or tuck the picture inside the envelope, and make sure that the accompanying note is personal. It’s a simple way to connect with the people you didn’t have enough time to talk to or to let someone know how much you appreciated their help or gift.
But surely that’s not all? So many details are specific to the day itself! Beach party guests will love a snug blanket as the weather turns cooler. Will there be little ones at the reception – why not set up some games to keep them occupied? Any other suggestions? I’d love to hear from you on Facebook or Twitter!
