It's wedding season and at CraftCourses HQ we are looking forward to the events ahead of us, as well as reminiscing about our own wedding days.
We continue to hear that the cost of weddings keeps rising, with the average UK wedding coming in at £30,355 in 2018 (source: The Independent), but what if you want to make your big day special, and unique, without breaking the bank?
Unsurprisingly our crafty team members incorporated lots of handmade touches to make their wedding day extra special.
And we've got lots of crafty workshops to inspire and give you a helping hand too! From handpoured candles and hand lettered invitations right through to creating your own bespoke fragrance making the day memorable for all the senses!
Here are some photos from Alex's wedding in Tuscany and Kate and Lynn's joint wedding day:
''It also helps when your friend is a talented photographer and kindly does your wedding photography (it really puts you at ease too). Thanks Sandra Ace Photography!'', Alex
There are lots of ways that you can add a few personal touches to your wedding day by doing (some of) it yourself and saving a few pennies in the process too.
Pinterest can be a wonderful place for inspiration and ideas, but to get some guidance on how to make these ideas a reality you could always take a look at one of our many DIY wedding workshops.
From experience we recommend getting family and friends involved to take the pressure off and stop you feeling too stressed out in the run up to your wedding – you could host a crafty afternoon, or organise a hen do/stag do with a difference, so those closest to you can get involved in the build up to the big day.
We’ve put together a few suggestions for wedding crafts we think you’ll love (almost as much as your fiancé!):
Candlemaking
Candles are a fabulous way of creating a romantic ambiance, adding a cosy, warm light to your wedding venue.
They make a great addition to table centre-pieces and also make lovely favours for your guests.
Learn how to make your own scented candles, tea lights or wax melts under the expert guidance of our tutors.
Calligraphy & brush lettering
Once you’ve booked the venue, one of the first things you will think about are your save the dates and invitations.
Modern Calligraphy and Brush Lettering is having a revival at the moment. You can easily master the techniques to make your very own beautifully written wedding stationery with one of the many workshops listed on our site.
You could even use your newfound skills to make place settings, table plans and signage for your venue.
Perfume making
Our sense of smell is closely linked to our memory, which is probably why smelling the perfume or aftershave we wore on our wedding day takes us right back to that special day.
Tori Jackson from The Secret Scent Société can help you to create your very own one-of-a-kind fragrance to wear on your wedding day at her Artisan Perfume Experience Day.
Wedding Rings
Your wedding rings will always be special but designing and making your own is a great way to ensure your wedding rings are truly personal.
At one of the jewellery workshops on our site you’ll spend the day together and be guided through the process of making your own professional wedding bands by an experienced tutor, who will help you to make your personal designs a reality.
Floristry
Flowers play an important part in a wedding. They help create a beautiful setting and pull together your colour theme and styling, plus they look great in photographs.
Sarah at The Cambridge Flower School runs a popular floristry taster course, where you will learn how to create a hand-tied bouquet, a buttonhole and an arrangement in floral foam – all useful skills if you’d prefer to create your own wedding flowers.
Memories
Once your wedding day is over, you might want to look at ways that you can conserve elements of your wedding to look back on in the future.
We love this Botanical Plaster Casting course run by Jessica Jones in Cheshire.
You’ll be shown how to make a cast of a flower from your bridal bouquet, which you’ll then be able to paint and take home as a keepsake.
Browse all of the DIY wedding courses and workshops here >
