Outdoor wedding ideas get a whole lot easier when the garden does half the decorating for you. These 17 projects lean into that garden party feeling with seed packet wedding favors, a wagon wheel chandelier hung with mason jars, grapevine balls and tin punched votive candles that throw little stars of light once the sun goes down. There’s a DIY s’mores bar for the late crowd, program fans for a sunny ceremony and a rustic seating chart, plus a whole bouquet’s worth of flowers made from coffee filters, crepe paper, cupcake liners, Q-tips, pipe cleaners and hot glue. And yes, one of them is made from toilet paper. It makes me laugh every time, and then it makes me want to try it. Perfect for backyard weddings, park ceremonies and garden receptions on a budget. Planning the rest of the day? See my cheap wedding decorations, Dollar Tree wedding decorations, DIY wedding flowers and DIY wedding centerpieces.
1. DIY Spring Candle Decor
Plain white taper and pillar candles become pretty wedding table decor with nothing more than paint markers. Pick a pastel palette, then outline the design first, working one small area at a time so nothing smudges, and let each section dry before switching colors. Fill in the shapes, then add tiny details like leaves, dots and flower centers. Flowers and butterflies suit a garden wedding. Tie on a ribbon bow, set them in candle holders and tuck fresh flowers around the base. These are for display only, so never light them.
Get the full tutorial at DIY JOY.
2. Rustic Wedding Seating Chart
This rustic wedding seating chart started as a plain thrift store cork board. Tape off the cork with wide painter’s tape, using a utility knife at the corners and a butter knife to tuck the tape under the frame, then paint the frame a soft color. Stretch strands of jute twine across the board, holding each end with white thumbtacks so the lines are neither too tight nor too loose. Clip the place cards to the twine with mini clothespins. Milk glass vases of flowers on either side finish the display for just a few dollars.
Get the full tutorial at Sadie Seasongoods.
3. Paper Flower Bouquet Using Cupcake Liners
A paper flower bouquet using cupcake liners is a budget friendly bridesmaid bouquet that never wilts. Stack nine liners (this one uses two yellow, two pink, two light pink and three green), cut the sides into eight sections and trim the top of each into a point. Poke a skewer through the center of the first liner, add hot glue to the tip and crumple the liner around it, then repeat with the rest. Wrap the skewer in floral tape. Cut leaves from folded green liners and glue floral wire between two so they bend.
Get the full tutorial at DIY JOY.
4. Seed Packet Wedding Favors
Seed packet wedding favors give guests something to plant and remember the day by. Buy a butterfly or bee seed blend from a local nursery, or mix seeds of the couple’s favorite flowers. Spoon about a tablespoon into small glassine envelopes, which let the seeds show through, then add a decorative label on the front and planting instructions on the back. For display, snip 8 to 10 inches of 14 gauge galvanized wire and twist a curlicue at one end with needle nose pliers to hold each packet, then push the other end into a planter.
Get the full tutorial at Garden Therapy.
5. Wagon Wheel Chandelier Made With Mason Jars
A wagon wheel chandelier made with mason jars hangs beautifully in a barn or from a sturdy tree at an outdoor reception. This version stacks three wheels, 18, 24 and 36 inches, with jars hanging on jute rope. Drill a hole in the center of each jar lid and sand it smooth. Wrap rope around each wheel’s rim between the spokes, staple it in place and leave about 7 inch tails. Tie a lid onto each tail, link the tiers with equal lengths of chain on eye hooks, then screw the jars on over battery tealights.
Get the full tutorial at DIY JOY.
6. Easy Flower Bouquet Bag
An easy flower bouquet bag turns a handful of fresh stems into a pretty, carry anywhere gift. Cut two 11 inch squares of wrapping paper and glue them wrong sides together. Turn the square so a corner points at you, fold the left side just past the center, then bring the right side over to form a cone and glue it. Punch a hole on each side and hook on a bead chain for a handle, then punch two holes in front and thread a ribbon bow. Trim the bottom to fit the stems and add the flowers.
Get the full tutorial at DIY JOY.
7. DIY S'mores Bar
A DIY s’mores bar is a cozy, interactive dessert that guests remember, and it’s easy to set up. Start with the basics from the grocery store: graham crackers, marshmallows and favorite chocolate bars. Set out barbecue sticks or wooden skewers, toothpicks, tongs and plenty of paper towels. Arrange everything on trays, or put a little starter box at each place setting. A real campfire is ideal at an outdoor venue, while tabletop grills or small hibachis work indoors (ask the caterer). Fancier add ons include flavored chocolate, dried fruit, toasted coconut and berries.
Get the full tutorial at Bellenza.
8. Toilet Paper Flower Bouquet
A toilet paper flower bouquet sounds silly until the tie dyed petals come out of the water. Lay one tissue sheet short side toward you, accordion fold it four times and cut a petal shape. Unfold it, bring the ends together into a flower and secure the base with painter’s tape. Color the center with a water based marker, then dip it briefly in water and watch the color bleed across the petals. Dry it on a wire rack until stiff. Roll green paper into a stem, glue the flower on and arrange a bunch in a vase.
Get the full tutorial at DIY JOY.
9. DIY Grapevine Balls
DIY grapevine balls glow beautifully strung with twinkle lights at a garden reception, and they hold up to wind and rain. Forage wild grapevine or take apart a store bought grapevine wreath, which is already curved. Blow up a deflatable beach ball, wrap the vine around it and secure the crossings with short pieces of floral wire, about 30 precut pieces per ball. Let the air out of the beach ball and pull it free, since a ball that won’t deflate is very hard to remove. Thread in a strand of about 50 lights on dark wire.
Get the full tutorial at Knowlton and Co.
10. DIY Backyard Wedding
This DIY backyard wedding in California shows how much a family home can do. The bride, who grew up around her family’s flower shop, designed every arrangement, bouquet and boutonniere herself. Rustic wood signs guide guests through the ceremony and reception, family photos hang on a rustic board with greenery and a love sign reminds everyone why they’re there. Long reception tables with modern menu cards and square plates sit under outdoor lights strung across the yard. A green and neutral palette keeps it simple and elegant.
Get the full tutorial at Pretty My Party.
11. Hot Glue Flowers
Hot glue flowers look like glossy little glass blooms, and they cost almost nothing to make. Tape a sheet of parchment paper to the table and heat the glue gun. Squeeze a small amount of glue and drag the nozzle to the side to form a teardrop petal, five per flower, then let them set. Peel them off, arrange them in a circle and fill the center with glue. Add a stem, then paint the petals with nail polish for color and shine. String a bunch onto a hoop as a hanging chandelier over the sweetheart table.
Get the full tutorial at DIY JOY.
12. Crepe Paper Flowers
Crepe paper flowers have a crinkled grain that looks remarkably like real petals, and they last far longer than tissue paper blooms. Cut crepe paper into 3.9 by 12 inch rectangles with the grain running parallel to the short side, 12 pieces per flower. Stack three, accordion fold them and wrap floral wire loosely around the middle without tightening yet. Gently pull each layer up toward the center to form a ruffled ball, then repeat and join the sets. Add a stem cut from green paper. Group them into a flower crown, bouquet or centerpiece.
Get the full tutorial at DIY JOY.
13. Tin Punched Votive Candles
Tin punched votive candles spell out a word in tiny points of light down a reception table. Clean empty tin cans, fill them with rice and water and freeze them solid so the metal won’t dent while you punch. Wrap a printed letter template around each can with duct tape and hammer nail sized holes along the outline. Soak the cans briefly in warm water to release the ice, then prime, spray the insides gold and the outsides white. Let the paint cure 24 hours before lighting real candles, or use LED tea lights.
Get the full tutorial at A Beautiful Mess.
14. Q-Tip Flower Bouquet
A Q-tip flower bouquet is made from plain cotton swabs, and it comes out in three flower styles. For a pom pom flower, roll air dry clay into a ball and press snipped swab tips all over it, then poke a hole for the stem and let the clay dry. For lavender, glue cotton tips up a swab stem attached to floral wire. Daisies go fast: work quickly with hot glue, ringing eight swab ends around a center. Paint or color the tips as needed, then arrange them in a little vase of skewers and jute rope.
Get the full tutorial at DIY JOY.
15. Easy Pipe Cleaner Flowers
Easy pipe cleaner flowers make a fluffy, never wilting bouquet that looks a lot like baby’s breath. Fold and cut a pipe cleaner in half, then carefully singe about 4 cm at one end with a lighter to remove the fuzz and wrap that bare stem in floral tape. Hold the stem with your thumb and coil the fuzzy part into a tiny bloom, making three. Tape the three together, make five more sets and attach them alternately along a floral wire into a single branch. Metallic or glitter pipe cleaners give a fancier finish.
Get the full tutorial at DIY JOY.
16. DIY Wedding Program Fans
DIY wedding program fans keep guests cool at a summer ceremony and replace a bulky program booklet. Paint a paint stirrer stick white for each guest. Trim patterned cardstock and cardstock in the wedding color to 8 by 5 inches, set the page size to match in a word processor and print the bridal party names and a short note onto the colored card. Hot glue works better than spray adhesive or a glue stick here: glue a stick to the back of the patterned piece, run glue around the edge and press the printed piece on top. Round the corners.
Get the full tutorial at Someday I'll Learn.
17. Coffee Filter Flowers
Coffee filter flowers look surprisingly like real roses and peonies, and they start with a pack of regular filters from the kitchen. Both basket and cone filters work. Tint them with watercolors or diluted food coloring, then let them dry before shaping. Cut and layer the filters into petals, glue them around a center and use a cup to help form the cupped shape. Used filters with a light coffee stain give a soft vintage look. Make them in the wedding colors for bouquets, flower crowns, bridal shower decor or a reception table.
Get the full tutorial at DIY JOY.
