It’s been a good while since I’ve done any baking, so I definitely had fun with this one!

Go to Polka Dot Bride to check out the full tutorial for the cake toppers, as well as my fave recipe for hummingbird cake with cream cheese icing. Nom nom.

I simply have too many fun wedding tutorials at the moment to fit into my regular fortnightly column on Polka Dot Bride so we’re going to have a few extras right here.

Here’s another one from my own wedding.

You will need:

• Dowels
• Ribbon, various widths and shades
• Sticky tape
• Washi tape
• Tape measure
• Scissors
• Sandpaper
• Hacksaw

1. Cut your dowels into equal lengths using a hacksaw. Smooth the rough ends with sandpaper.

2. Cut ribbons into slightly uneven lengths.

3. Continue with remaining ribbon.

4. Take a small bundle of ribbon and secure ends with sticky tape.

5. Attach taped ribbons to wand using washi tape.

6. Wrap tape around and smooth down.

And here are the wands in action after our ceremony!

To be honest, these didn’t work out quite as I’d hoped. I realised during the project that the sticks and ribbons were far too short to really have the kind of visual impact I wanted, but I’d already spent enough on decorations and couldn’t justify the extra cost. This also meant I used cheapo craft store brand ribbon which I found out is stiff and horrible, so I recommend you get the good stuff for superior flutter factor.

If you don’t make the same mistakes I did, you will have some fun send-offs for your ceremony (or reception) that will give you some great photo ops.

Tutorial photos by me | Wedding photos by Luke Simon Photography

You’ve probaby worked out by now that I did a lot of crafting for our wedding. To save you from hunting through the archives, I’ve compiled a nifty little long post summing up all the projects.

Accessories

Fabric butonnoiere *

Beribboned bridesmaids’ fans *

Bridesmaids’ cameo jewellery boxes

Decorations

Book ring ‘pillow’ *

Ribbon wands *

Family photo display *

Paper garland

Book vases

Screenprinted napkins *

Twig balls and branch altarpieces *

Speech bubble blackboards

Vintage book page backdrop

Decoupaged book page votive holders *

Scrabble tile table names

Stationery

Invitations (more info here)

Screenprinted belly bands

Calligraphy

Envelope labels for ceremony-only invitations (free printable)

Envelope liners

Programs

Thank you notes (with free printable tags)

Menu *

Reserved ceremony seating signs for parents *

Giant trivia crossword *

Welcome message *

Escort cards *

Photo booth sign * (free printable)

‘I spy’ game sheets * (free printable)

Save the dates *

CD sleeves (free printable)

Because I was so involved in our wedding I did have some friends and family ask me what on earth I’d do with myself after the wedding and whether I would become one of those depressed newlyweds once I was no longer a bride. It’s true I absolutely loved planning and handcrafting our wedding, but no way did I want to prolong it forever. It took up an insane amount of time so frankly I was a little relieved to have a huge chunk of my free time back and to be able to focus on getting my fledgling stationery business off the ground.

Speaking of which, I wasn’t sure whether to include the stationery as ‘DIY’ since I am a professional graphic designer and some items were professionally printed. In the end I decided to include them to show the whole picture of what I created for the event.

There are a few of the more basic projects that I haven’t done tutorials for but if you’re interested in finding out more please just shout out in the comments. Cheers!

* Images marked with an asterisk by Luke Simon Photography.

Photography by Love Joy Faith
Concept & styling by Alanna Lock for White Room Events

Hello lovelies, how are you? Today I have a sweet (not to mention super easy) tutorial over on Polka Dot Bride. Clickedy-click to see how to make your own glitter word garland for your next event.

This suitcase-style card box is perfect for destination weddings, travel-loving couples… or any wedding really. Find out how to make it and download the free ‘cards’ tags over on Polka Dot Bride today.

Luke Simon Photography

I’ve had so many tutorials from my own wedding that I have been dying to share with you. I mean, we got married over a year ago so some of these projects I began two years ago… pre-blog even! Now that our wedding has been published, I can finally unleash all the crafty goodness, yay!

First to see the light of day is the boutonniere that I made for The Man. Check it out now.

Stumped for ideas for your Christmas breakfast or morning after wedding brunch? How about a waffle bar? I’ve designed these free printable labels for your toppings.

Download the labels and see more pretty pictures plus all the credits over at Polka Dot Bride today.

Free wedding favour tags for you to download over at Polka Dot Bride today.

Cute? Check. Affordable? Check. Easy? Check.

Head over to Polka Dot Bride to see more of this ticks-all-the-boxes wedding project.

After my recent series of rustic nautical wedding projects, it’s time for some classic elegance don’t you think? Get the first taste here with this sweet bouquet charm.

Oh, and can I get a big WOOT WOOT for Sally at Poppies Flowers for providing this stunning bouquet?