Having kiddies at your wedding? That means you need some kid friendly entertainment ideas to keep their little hands busy. I have one great addition to add to your stockpile of ideas. Found on Lovely Indeed these DIY wedding activity books are sure to keep the kiddos happy. And the best part? They're free and downloadable. Here's a peak:

To get your own activity book head on over to Lovely Indeed and get printing!

Just a few notes for you: 

All you have to do is download the PDF file, hit print, and go make some copies!  You’ll have to do a little double-sided action to get the pages in the right order, but you get the idea. 

A few pointers for printing and using the template follow below.

• The template prints best if you actually download it and print from a Preview program. Choose Print Options, then under Scale, select “Fit to Page” for the best results.
• The pages are not out of order. If you are printing at home, print out the page with the car on it, then on the back of that same sheet print the front cover of the booklet (ensuring that it doesn’t end up upside-down). Next, print out the page with the cake on it, and on the back of that same sheet, print out the tic-tac-toe page. 

Dressing it up

For a fancy finish, get some striped twine, punch two holes in the spine of the book, string the twine through from the inside, and tie a little bow on the outside.  (All available from a good craft shop.) Set out some crayons and pencils at your kid table, and they’ll have a ball. Have fun!

(Image via Pinterest)

Wedding table decorations set the scene from the moment your guests arrive at your reception. You want your friends and family to have an AMAZING time. Make the decor in your venue inviting and you'll get the party started the way you want it.

Ceremony to reception 

Don't forget, some table decorations will make the transition from the wedding ceremony to the reception venue very easily - doubling your wedding budget potential. (See the illuminated Mason jars below.) 

Here's a creative idea for a kids' table. Not expensive either. Package up crayons, add a lollipop and a plain notepad. It's the way they are put together that is so appealing, don't you think? 

Put these coasters on your wedding tables and guests can fill them in with their advice on being happily married. You might want to add the finished product to a wedding album or include in your wedding guest book. Fantastic idea and not expensive either, they work out at $1 each. 

From BHLDN and you can order here.

If you're having a winter wedding, or maybe a summer wedding that looks likely to go on until late, then these illuminated Mason jars from Amazon are just perfect. They contain battery-operated fairy lights that will brighten your tables so romantically! 

This idea is so easy. Place a flower in a vase, add water and float a candle on the top. Waxy flowers work best here - orchids are ideal, although you can use roses too. Ask your florist for advice. 

Love this idea for an autumn wedding table centre. It's so simple but so perfect. 

Here's an idea for a Christmas or winter wedding (via Pinterest). You'l have to spray the cones with frosting, 

Candles are their own decoration too - place an array of candles (Mason jars look good) along the centre of the table. Mirrors aren't expensive and can work very effectively on a bridal table setting, especially when combined with candles.

I love the idea of wedding guest books - after all you want a record of your big day, remembering who came along and shared all the fun and excitement.

Don't hide your guest book away

I just don't like the idea of a formal book that gets shut after the wedding and then spends its life sitting on a shelf in your house - being pulled off to be looked at when you happen to remember.

There are so many other ways of remembering your guests. There's a wedding guest tree, which you can frame afterwards and hang on the wall. (Here's a free template for making one.) You can theme the fingerprint colors to your season - blues and yellows for spring and summer, rich reds and golds for fall - you get the idea. 

A wedding guest book plate

If you're into junk shop finds and have a creative streak, then you'll love this quirky idea for wedding guest books that I found via Martha Stewart Weddings.

Just rummage through jumble sales and junk shops looking for white plates with a colored patterned rim. They don't have to match but you need to have some sort of a theme going on - florals, geometrics, golds, silvers or a color.

At the entrance to your reception, leave the blank plates out with a note encouraging the guests to sign them and write their good wishes and messages. Use a permanent marker pen in black, silver or gold that is water resistant (although these plates are ultimately designed to be hung on your walls, not used for serving food!)

Then you'll have a visible reminder of your big day to look at.

Did you have a wedding guest book? Was it a traditional book or did you do something a little different?


Credits: Main image via Martha Stewart. 

Trying to find that perfect way to ask your favorite girls to be an important part of your big day? We here at The Dessy Group have a stylish solution. Stylish and might I add FREE!

Stylish, elegant and FREE!

With designs provided by our friends The Wedding Chicks, simply visit the DIY bridesmaid cards at Dessy, choose your favorite design, choose your favorite colors and download your creation. Send, and watch the smiles appear!

It's a special moment

Choosing and deciding who is going to be your bridesmaid is a very special time in your wedding planning. 

You might have had a bestie in mind ever since you were a young girl, or perhaps you've decided that your maid of honor should be somebody that has been a big part of your life in more recent years. 

One thing is for sure - you need to choose somebody who is unflappable and organised as your head bridesmaid. They will have a lot to help you with and so you need to know that they are reliable. Asking a friend who is busy with young children or a new baby might not always be the best idea!

Postal invitations are wonderful

Rather than send a text or an email, inviting your girls in a more timeless way will surely be appreciated. 

Handwritten envelopes are always a pleasure to receive, particularly if they contain an exciting invitation - and asking somebody to be your bridesmaid with one of these cards will capture a perfect moment. 

Print them out onto a good quality card and search out some envelopes that fit in with your color scheme. Then hand calligraph (or ask a friend) the addresses and pick out some suitable stamps. 

Different designs

You'll find several different designs here to choose from and of course you can print them out in different colours to suit the shades and tones you've chosen for your wedding day. 

And because they're free, Dessy is helping you to spread that wedding budget a little bit further ...

Kingsbury Barn, St Albans, England

Charming, stylish, bags of personality, bit of a history (in a good way) and dependable.

Okay - so we know your fiancé is all that and more! But the same description could also be applied to a wedding that's held in a barn.

 

A post shared by The Barn At Flanagan Farm (@thebarnatflanaganfarm) on Jun 27, 2017 at 2:08pm PDT

Unpredictable weather 

To be honest, in the UK we never know where we are with the weather. Marry in the summer and you're not guaranteed a beautiful June day - it could be cold, chilly and wet. You could plan an autumn wedding and be blessed with glorious sunshine. You just never know.

 

A post shared by Earth Trust (@earth_trust) on Jun 27, 2017 at 7:39am PDT

A rural countryside feel 

Which is why holding your wedding in a barn could work perfectly for you, particularly if you want a slightly rural, countryside feel to the whole day.

You'll find that many barn venues are licensed so that you can hold your wedding ceremony there and then move straight onto a party (which is going to save you on transport costs for a start).

Barn decorations 

Decorating a barn isn't difficult either. The whole rustic background will give your wedding a personality, even before you start decorating. 

 

A post shared by Andy Li Photography (@andyli.photography) on Jun 27, 2017 at 3:09am PDT

Add a few haybales, bunting and letters and styling your barn wedding is simple!

You can take the weather as it comes - if it's a beautiful day have drinks and canapes outside and then move under the barn's beams for dinner and dancing. Bring the outside inside with haybales and rustic-inspired flowers and decorations.

Twine fairy lights around the beams to give a touch of magical sparkle and atmosphere. 

 

A post shared by Style & the Bride (@styleandthebride) on Jun 26, 2017 at 12:26pm PDT

Dress up barn beams with lengths of inexpensive muslin and you'll really get the wow factor. You can use muslin for the tablecloths too.

Remember that if you have a venue with character it's much easier to decorate and a barn lends itself perfectly to a boho style or vintage wedding theme.

Are you the kind of girl who likes to do things her own way?

You don't mind a bit of traditional - but you'd like to shake things up a little. Add a few surprises. Make your wedding day a little quirky.

I've had a look through some real weddings and some suggestions made by brides and created the following list of 20 ways to add that special quirky.

See what you think and if you've any to add, please let me know! All suggestions welcome.

20 Ways To Make Your Wedding Day A Little Bit Quirky

1. On each guest setting, write a note on how they know the bride and groom. Eg "Met the groom at school aged 7 and have been friends ever since." Or "Live next door to the bride and groom." A great ice breaker for the tables and a sure conversation starter.You could also do the above as a wedding badge - but keep it shorter. Eg - "This is the bride's auntie Rachel".  "This is the groom's Boss!"

2. As a wedding favor, get a little mini Lego figure made of each guest. You can do this via MiniFigMe.com. And even if you don't do it for the adults, it's a great idea for kids wedding favors!

 

A post shared by M A N D Y B O W L E R (@whitetulipphoto) on Mar 10, 2016 at 5:05pm PST

3. Wear colored wedding shoes

 

A post shared by Queensland Brides (@queenslandbrides) on Jun 29, 2016 at 1:26am PDT

4. Mis-match your bridesmaids necklines. Let them choose what suits them and they'll be happy. You'll be happy. And you'll get some great photographs if everyone is smiley!

5. Give the groom and his groomsmen mismatched buttonholes too.

6. If you'd rather have a buffet and you're having a country-style wedding then what about having different styles of food served festival style in different gazebos?

7. Have a break in the dancing and hold a Mr & Mrs Quiz for the bride and groom. Guaranteed to get your guests laughing!

 

A post shared by Hollywoods Golden Age (@hwgoldenage) on Aug 7, 2013 at 11:26am PDT

8. Have a wedding photograph taken that's a pastiche of a famous movie poster image

9. Send out confetti with your wedding invitations so the guests can bring it along with them

10. Hand out DJ cards on the wedding tables and put a letterbox by the DJ so he knows what everybody would like played

 

A post shared by Jessica Rothy (@jessicakes54) on Dec 4, 2016 at 3:00pm PST

11.Surprise your other half with a groom's cake as well as your joint wedding cake

12. Copy the bouquet your grandmother held at her wedding and take a then and now image

13. Get married at 6pm and have an evening party. The law has recently changed in the UK so you can do this and it'll actually help your budget as you'll be giving your guests one meal rather than two (or an evening meal and afternoon tea).

 

A post shared by Cocktail-Book.com (@signature.drinks) on Jun 29, 2017 at 10:49am PDT

14. Serve a signature cocktail to your guests when they arrive.

15. Create a hashtag for your wedding day and give it to your guests so they can use it to Instagram pics, on Facebook, Snapchat or wherever. Then you'll be able to find everything. #KateandWilliamweddingday

16. Have a short video made up of your time together and use instead of a speech

17. Have a break in the dancing and play some kids games for 20 minutes so the youngsters can join in. I'm thinking games like musical chairs, musical bumps, musical statues or even pass the parcel ... all the stuff you played at parties when you were a kid.

Just sometimes, you get to craft something and it's great. By which you mean you can follow the instructions and the finished result looks fantastic. Professional and something to be proud of (rather than a bit of a disaster).

Which is what we think you'll find when you follow this easy tutorial for making paper chrysanthemums. The ones here have been made in a soft pink but actually chrysanthemums come in many different colors - whites, yellows, creams, golds, rich deep purples and hot pinks - so you pick out the colour that's going to suit your theme (or maybe even more then one color.)

You will need:

• Paper of 180 gsm or a thin cardboard (in a colour of your choice)
• Craft knife
• Sharp scissors
• Florists wire
• Florists ribbon
• Masking tape
• Watercolor paints
• Paintbrush
• Cork

Method

• Paint the paper horizontally with watercolor and dilute the brush in water to layer the color. (You don't need to do this if you've bought paper in a color you already like).
• Cut the paper into strips of less than 1cm. It can be cut with scissors. Don't worry if the strips aren't exactly the same width.
• Wind the scissors round the tips of the petals and curl with the edge.

• Cut the leaves from green paper.
• Fasten them to the flower with masking tape.
• Cut a piece of cork, pass through the wire and turn it.
• Push it gently through the middle of the flower.

• With masking tape secure the flower to the wire and just cover it to give body to the stem.
• In the middle of the stem add a leaf.
• Make the flowers in different sizes to add variety and realism
• You can also create flowers that look like buds or some with fully open petals.

Using Flowers For Decoration

So where to feature your flowers once you've made them? Well, you could use them to decorate chair backs at your wedding venue. Tie them onto napkins to decorate place settings. You could make a bouquet out of them for the bridesmaids.

Doorways always look good decorated with flowers, so if you've the inclination, why not make enough to create a garland to go around the entrance to your reception.

Original blog by DRI

I found this great DIY wedding idea - Photo Bunting via Ruche - and immediately wanted to share it with all of you. It's an unique way to add your personal touch to your wedding reception decorations. Add pictures of you and your love to tell a story.

Bunting is a really versatile decoration. You can hang it indoors to liven up a corner, use it to drape around tables, above a doorway or to create an outdoor archway.

Which photographs will you use?

In this tutorial sepia and black and white photographs have been used - but of course it's up to you. To get the right look we suggest you have a theme to your bunting - use people's faces, or monochrome tones or a colored filter like sepia.

Of course, you don't have to just use photographs of you and your other half. You could have photographs of places that mean a lot to you or images of your family and friends. Or you could cut out pictures from magazines to use in different areas of your reception - say drinks for the bar area or cakes for a cupcake bar. Use your imagination!

You won't need any special equipment to make this bunting either, it's very straightforward. Most of it you will probably have everything at home already, although you might need to buy a glue gun (which is always a useful item to have for crafting). But if you're missing anything, a quick visit to your local craft shop will find everything you want - and inexpensively also.

In this tutorial the crafter has used cream ribbon and lace to hang the photographs onto, which gives a vintage kind of look. However, if you want a different effect then you could use lengths of colored string or ribbons in different shades.

One surefire way of making sure that your big day is unique is by having a DIY wedding day.

Making your invitations, decorations and favors yourself means that they will personal to you. However, be realistic about the amount of time you have available to you and don't be overly ambitious. Planning a wedding can take up a lot of time and you don't want to missing out on your beauty sleep because you're up and awake in the small hours making paper flowers and printing invitations.

Mind you, there are some easy and quick ways to DIY your wedding and choosing simple table centerpieces is one of them. Here are a few ideas we've come across we think you'll like.

1. Scented rose petals in hurricane lanterns

A post shared by Souvenir's Dećor (@souvenirsdecor) on Apr 22, 2017 at 1:51pm PDT

You can buy inexpensive glass hurricane lanterns online - we found some here on Amazon. Choose ones that are about 15cm high, so they don't dominate the table or block the guests' view. Just before the guests arrive, put in a white church candle, add a little water and sprinkle in fresh rose petals. Job done! Then light the candles.

2. Add some sparkle

A post shared by Lucy Nield (@1109532) on Apr 21, 2017 at 11:47am PDT

Place inexpensive colored glass chippings (you can buy different shades here on Amazon) in clear glass globes or hurricane jars, then a string of battery-operated fairy lights (buy here) on top. Add some blooms (roses work well) on top and then light up just before your guests walk in. A low cost idea that really has the wow factor.

3. Winter branches

Simple yet stunning centerpieces for Priya and Alex engagement celebration planned, styled and coordinated by us. venue @internationalofbrighton We had an amazing time planning this event. Photography by @ferndara . . . #weddinginspiration2017 #gettingmarried #weddingplanning #weddingstyling #weddingstylist #weddingstylistmelbourne #weddingdecoration #wedding2017 #weddingdecor #weddingideas #weddingcoordinator #melbournewedding #weddingplannermelbourne #weddingplanner #weddingdecoration #weddingcoordinatormelbourne #dreamwedding #instawed #instawedding #lankanweddingmelbourne #srilankanwedding #srilankanweddingmelbourne #centerpieces #weddingcenterpieces

A post shared by Pink Stardust (@pinkstardustevents) on Apr 20, 2017 at 7:24pm PDT

You can buy decorative branches in florist suppliers or online. For a rustic look choose bare bark but if you want some festive shimmer then go for branches in silver or gold. Wrap fabric around the base that ties in with your theme and then add Christmas decorations or wire on flowers.

4. No flower budget? Try this one

If your floral budget is severely limited but you still want to have fresh flowers on every table, then try this. Buy some inexpensive bud vases in different heights (charity/thrift shops are a good place to find them) and then put odd numbers on every table, filled with a single bloom. Don't choose just one type of flower - mix it up. Here the bride has used a sprig of delphinium (blue), wild grasses and statice. The trick is to always have an odd number of vases - three, five or seven. Don't worry if the vases don't match - you can mix up glass, ceramics and different colors. Experiment with what works for you.

Dreaming of #bohemian summer outdoor #wedding days! We also create custom handmade centerpieces, like this eclectic boho assortment of #vintage, hand painted & wrapped vases, #handdyed #shibori Table Runner & #calligraphed agate. . . . #indiewedding #handmadewedding #tablescape #weddingcenterpieces #bohowedding #outdoorwedding #phillyweddings #phillyweddingstyle #jerseyshorewedding #calligraphy #diywedding @alexa_granger @mlangelos 📷: @nikkiandchip

A post shared by wemaketwo (@wemaketwo) on Apr 20, 2017 at 5:18pm PDT

5. For a rustic wedding

If you're having a wedding out in the countryside, then keep things simple with this simple table centerpiece idea. Place candles in clear glass hurricane lanterns, then place lengths of cut greenery alongside (eucalyptus has been used here). This works best on long, trestle-style tables with the candles arrayed down the centre.

We now have glass cylinder bases with candles for rent! #weddingrentals #weddingtable #napawedding #weddingrentals #blossomfarmvintagerentals #tahoewedding #weddingcandles #weddingcenterpieces #weddingdecor

A post shared by Blossom Farm Vintage Rentals (@blossomfarmvintagerentals) on Apr 10, 2017 at 7:43am PDT

Ladies and gentlemen, the craze of the "do it yourself" wedding is apparent and we have to admit, we're totally loving it. Incorporating DIY ideas into your wedding means you're after a unique flair that will have guests paying close attention to all the  details. Whether it's a simple craft or a large scale project, trading the traditional for something a bit more creative will put a personalized touch on your wedding day, elevate your event,  and  save you some cash. We've seen many projects replicated beautifully again and again but we give these projects a 10 out of 10 rating on our scale in terms of pure originality.


Alternative Boutonnière

This fishing lure idea is sheer perfection for an event thats set in the countryside and has a rustic appeal. We like the notion that a boutonniere doesn't have to be a floral arrangement. Try incorporating a small pin into your gentlemen's ensembles that relates somehow to your overall theme.



Vintage Photo Booth

Photo booths are an amazing place for guests to remain entertained and also obtain a keepsake. Create a space where guests can hang the photos for an interactive decor idea. A vintage set up is a little more rare so you should  research where to rent one from in your local area.



Survival Crate

Take a different approach to the wedding survival kit and gear it towards your wedding party as opposed to your guests. Create two separate crates for both the bridesmaids and groomsmen that contains items for them to use while they're getting ready. Include uniquely crafted snacks, beauty products, and celebratory beverages.



Needlepoint Keepsake

The vintage art of needlepointing makes for a very charming keepsake. Embroider your names the date of your big day to display for years to come. 

Paper Crane Hanging

Florists get a run for their money when paper crane hangings are introduced into the mix. Note: this project is definitely time consuming. To quicken the timeline of this DIY  think about purchasing paper cranes on Etsy (or a similar site) that are already folded. Once you receive the oragami, you will just have string them together and strategically place them at your venue. 

Embroidered Jackets

We love that you can take the traditional bridal robe and revamp it to feel modern and different. Consider embroidering a flannel and wearing it to get ready for the special day. We also love the idea of applying patchwork to matching denim jackets to create personalized Bride and Groom looks.



Teepee Altar

For this grand scale project, assemble a team to help you both conceptualize and  execute. The only materials you need for a teepee altar are very large wooden dowels and your choice of fabric. Consider enhancing your DIY sanctuary with colorful garlands or fresh blossoms.



Wooden Directional Signs

Hand painting signs is  a rustic way to show your guests which way to proceed.



Plant Favors

Plants are a wonderful way to add some green to your wedding. Handing out something that can be planted not only resonates as sentimental, it's also environmentally friendly!

Photos by Apryl Ann Photography, Bonnallie Brodeur Photography, Town Country Studios, Heather Michelle Photography, Jose Villa Photography, Steffen Harris, and Black Hue Photography.