Melanie Shields Photography Blog: Do it yourself: Rustic Wedding Decor Ideas

Do It yourself, it has been pretty popular for at least the last 5 years in the wedding circle and it can really bring a personal touch to your event and make for amazing pictures! (not to mention it is often a more affordable alternative to other expensive decor pieces and you can find ways to incorporate them into your home after the wedding day)

Especially now with Pinterest we are sharing ideas from all over the world and I can't count how many items I've crafted from seeing how easy and beautiful it can be.

I've prepared a collection of images from recent weddings with rustic wedding decor (DIY) and inexpensive alternatives to jazz up your wedding or even a party, get together, etc.. the possibilites are endless.

My next two weddings will be along the same theme so I'll be curious to see how their themes look as I know they've incorporated a lot of DIY. My lovely Lonestar Ranch couple needed to collect about 80 jars so I ate a ton of pasta sauce while they were in search for glass jars, and my wedding the following day will be in a beautiful log cabin backyard surrounded by nature and by the sounds of it, lots of little artistic touches.

rustic wedding decor, apples fall seating chart

Shannon used a lot of cute and inexpensive items for her Fall Strathmere Lodge Wedding.
She incorporated apples and pumpkins as place card holders at the table and decorations around the room. Pictured above is her seating chart which was attached to those inexpensive fake leaves and strung on a series of branches. It was unique and inexpensive without too much work.

A close up on the place card holder and the full table setup at the Strathmere Lodge in North Gower.

Jessica wanted a very stress-free wedding, she bought the baby's breath separately and assembled her bouquet and added a sprig to her hair to add to her wedding day look.

Barnboard hand painted signs or burned in wood, both make for unique rustic pieces. The two above images were taken at Bean Town Ranch in Plantagenet, I believe Genevieve said that a couple had left those two signs for them to continue to use!

Also seen at Beantown (Below) is the chalkboard to announce as guests arrive the timeline for the day. What a great idea!

How to incorporate your engagement photos into your wedding day (Think I could write a whole blog post about this - I'll add it to my to do list) Here are just two inexpensive and reusable ways to have your engagement photos at your wedding.

The first photo, Courtney has framed, with Ikea standing frames, on one side her engagement photo, and on the other a table number to distinguish each table apart. She also converted them to sepia to match the champagne table linens and theme.

Below: Both Andreanne and Shannon used their printed engagement photo that came with their package, beneath an oversized mat and had guests's sign the mat with their well wishes. This is a great alternative to a guestbook because 1) You tend not to open a traditional guestbook after the wedding day but this way you can hang it on the wall and look at it daily or 2) you could change the engagement image after the wedding day and put in a wedding photo.
Tip: Use a fine point Sharpie in your wedding colours.

I personally love these birch table numbers! I wanted to make them for my Brother and Sister-In-Law's wedding last October at Lonestar ranch but I ran out of time.

Dried flowers? If your theme is country/rustic wedding why not? Pick wild flowers and put them in a vase or (as seen above) a pitcher that matches your colours.

Twigs and glass jar, burlap, twine and lace oh my! Collecting jars from the food's you eat and dressing them up with lace and burlap, twine or raffia are inexpensive alternatives to glass or crystal vases and they come with bonus free food ;)

This was a really cool idea from a wedding in July: Guestbook barrel. Everyone took turns writing their personalized message on the wooden barrel above. I've seen a guestbook Adirondack chair that the couple coated with varnish and placed outside in their backyard to relax in, so why not a decorative barrel?

Favours and seating card all in one. On a table at the entrance of the Baldachin Inn where the guests entered, there were these honey stirrers with the couple's monogram and the guests' name and table. On each place setting was a homemade jar of honey with "Sweet of you to bee here" on top.

Best way for you to not lose your guests along the way in the country, personalized signs. Great way to incorporate your wedding day colours and it's helpful for those coming from out of town.

And last but not least, this idea was creative and thoughtful. Before photobooths were even a thing, Martine and Daniel trekked all these leaves and branches draped with crystals up to the banquet hall in Minto Suites Hotel, Downtown Ottawa.

They had a New York themed wedding and this "Central Park" bench for the guest's to take pictures on was beautiful and unique!