DIY Wedding Details: Quilt Guest Book

One of my favorite details from Kara and Kristen‘s Past to Present vintage wedding concept was their innovative guest book idea.  I love how the paper flowers and decorative corkboard are more than just a guest book, they are also a keepsake for years to come!

Mother’s Day is just around the corner!  For those of you still looking for some gift-giving inspiration, Beka, Kimberly, and Stephanie from Styled, formerly Innove Events, created some gorgeous gifts for their own mothers and I’m so excited that they shared their ideas with us! Each of the unique and personal gifts was created for less than $40.

I am always on the hunt for guest book ideas that are original and interactive, so I love this sweet and easy DIY guest book idea from Project Wedding – the story line.  Set up a clothesline and lay out a stack of paper and pretty pens.  Have guests write their favorite stories and memories of you and hang them on the line for all to read!

The reception is by far the biggest component of most weddings as there are so many details that go into setting one apart from the next. And we could make no exception for ours. DIY was the name of the game for us, because well, I love detail! And because of the wedding blog world, I had a never-ending, sometimes extremely overwhelming source for inspiration and ideas. And I loved that this community could inspire such wonderful elements for my wedding. From the lace votives, to a “sweet love” candy bar to a wedding tree, these little details were what made our wedding so special.

The weeks leading up to your wedding are impossibly busy.  I was pretty organized throughout the process but between designing our programs, creating menu cards and printing escort cards, free time was hard to come by the last few weeks.  Oh and don’t forget about making sure all gifts were purchased and cards written.  And that there was a detailed timeline of the day.  Or, if you’re us, a detailed timeline of the 5-day event starting Wednesday.   Regardless, doing these projects myself made our wedding a labor of love and I enjoyed pouring myself into every last detail.

I absolutely LOVE when bridal showers or bachelorette parties have a project, craft or activity.  This love does not extend to games, because, lets face it-bridal shower games are pretty horrific for the most part.

I don’t know what to think about the guest book, as a concept. I’m a very visual person (have to see it, have to touch it) so I like things in writing, books, pictures, stuff. A guest book with pictures seems like the perfect place to write something nice – and bonus, it’s there to read later. But it’s also a lot of pressure, as a guest, to come up with the perfect thing to say after you’ve already exhausted yourself on the card.

Darci from With This Ring is one of my favorite bloggers (and people)!  I’ve been so excited for her DIY series, and these fabric covered buttons are already a favorite.

Jessica from How About Orange always has the craftiest and most genius ideas. This time, she’s shown us how to made these adorable gift bags from envelopes — and she’s even given us a download for the pretty labels!

The fantastic Ellie from the Mint Design blog brings us these adorable DIY birdseed toss packets (with downloadable tag too!).

It’s our FINAL DIY entry everyone!  Nicole created some amazing embroidery projects for her wedding. 

Tina submitted this awesome guest book, using her engagement pictures and her guests’ good wishes!

Once I got into the DIY groove from the wedding stationery there was no stopping it. Creating the stationery was so easy that I thought I could add my own DIY touches to the rest of the wedding details.

I tried to find matching dresses for my three friends, really I did. But the more I looked the more confused I was, and the less I felt qualified to decide for them. They are, as girls tend to be, quite different. In height, body type, and style. My maid of honor and I frequently shop together, and it’s a pretty solid rule that anything that works on her won’t on me, even if the size is right.

Amanda whipped up some yummy homemade sugar scrub, which makes a great gift!

Oh how I heart Etsy and these gorgeous vintage paper finds that you can put to use for your event!

So many of these adorable napkins have been floating around that I’m itching to try this!

What an adorable idea for favors, or just to personalize your event – make your own rock candy!

Every Thursday Once Wed features a DIY wedding project created by the very talented Laurie Cinotto of lalalaurie. Last week Laurie created the cake box below for guests to drop their wish cards into for the bride and groom in replacement of the typical “wish bowl”.

I’ve been trying and trying to find something that works with my event to use as a guest book.  No luck yet but here are some amazing ideas I have seen along the way!