10 Easy DIY wedding decorations

A gorgeous hand-painted wood sign saying 'just married' or the lucky couple's names makes a beautiful decoration as well as a great photo backdrop. Choose a dark, sleek wood for an elegant look or opt for a soft brown-coloured wood for a more rustic wedding aesthetic.  

If 'just married' isn't your cup of tea, how about a sign that gives the order of the day? With elegant wood and your best cursive writing, a sign that tells your guests the wedding schedule is both a stylish decoration and a useful visual cue. 

For a gorgeous natural wood look that won't break the bank, why not try making your sign out of veneered MDF or plywood. With options for veneered MDF and plywood with birch, walnut, oak, beech, ash, and cedar, it's easy to find the perfect finish to complement the rest of your decor.

Want to bring more greenery to your wedding? Forget vases - vases are boring and too easily knocked over by selfie-taking guests - and try these luxurious homemade wooden planters instead. 

Not just for house windows, a flower box filled with a spontaneous bouquet of wildflowers can make a great wedding centrepiece - the perfect addition to a long table. Or, consider choosing flower types and colours that match the bride's or bridesmaids' bouquets or groom's boutonniere for a fully cohesive look. 

Pick MDF painted in your event's signature colour scheme, high-graded plywood, or a classic veneered MDF board to bring a touch of the outside to your reception dinner tables.  

If you're going at it alone, read our step-by-step guide to cutting MDF here, but if you're looking for professional help, our CNC cutting service will be perfect for you.

Perfect for an outdoor wedding or even an indoor rustic or garden-inspired send-off, a beautiful homemade signpost with handwritten directions can add interest to an open space or boring corner.

Helping direct your guests to the toilet, bar, or smoking area, these are attractive pieces of decor while also being useful to help guests navigate the wedding reception and ceremony. We love this DIY wedding idea because it's both pretty and practical! 

To make your signpost catch your guests' eyes, choose dark-coloured plywood or veneered MDF paired with handwritten words in white, silver, or pastel colours. 

If there's one place you know your guests will gather, it's the drinks table. Why not make it more of an attraction by crafting an attractive handmade bar? 

If you're making a bar that will have to withstand outdoor conditions, we recommend choosing plywood because it will not warp or expand in response to moisture. This means that it will be a durable piece of furniture that can be used for years after the event. 

Need help choosing the best plywood for your bar table? Check out our guide to buying plywood. 

One great way to decorate your tables and direct guests to their seats is by making stylish wooden table numbers. Use rustic slabs of wood - perhaps the leftover offcuts from a different DIY project if you want to be especially cost-effective and eco-friendly! Simply paint or print the table numbers onto the decoration to help the guests find their place. 

An alternative but an equally appealing way of displaying table numbers is by spelling them out on handmade wooden scrabble tiles. For a playful yet upscale aesthetic, choose a pale wood veneer or MDF painted white.

One of our favourite homemade wedding ideas is a customised reception table canopy. This piece of decor is a gorgeous arch over the reception table, which can be draped with twinkling fairy lights, delicate flowers, or elegant vines. 

A canopy is perfect to signify the bridal party's table. Alternatively, use this canopy to delightfully frame the dessert table and draw attention to the cake and sweet treats to come later in the reception. 

To make a stunning canopy, we recommend opting for MDF which can be cut easily without splintering or leaving unattractive edges. However, keep in mind that MDF can be quite heavy, so you may need help installing it above the table! 

For a couple who enjoy a DIY project together, why not make an outdoor bench for your big day? A unique photo opportunity and a lovely reminder of the day when you take it home afterwards and install it in the garden, a personalised bench with the couple's initials or names is a lovely and multi-purpose wedding decoration.

Choose long-lasting plywood or a moisture-resistant MDF to create your own unique piece of garden furniture. These materials will not start warping or expanding when they encounter moisture and will therefore last a long time even in outdoor conditions. 

If you find yourself with leftover plywood from the wedding decorations, why not try out some of our favourite DIY project ideas? 

Wooden serving boards to display finger food or even the wedding cake can be a great addition to your reception's decor. By making your own, you can specify the exact size and shape to make sure they're perfectly suited to the foods that will be served them. 

If you don't fancy putting food straight onto them, these also look great with a mason jar or vase full of wildflowers or a few candles placed on top. This way, you can create an attractive centrepiece that brings a pleasing natural feel to the decorations. 

Some guests like to bring congratulations cards to your wedding, and you'll need to put them somewhere safe. Instead of repurposing a random box, why not create a beautiful card box that fits your wedding's theme?

For glam and elegant weddings, a stylishly finished smooth wood box can be a perfect addition to one of your tables. More rustic and outdoorsy affairs may better suit an effortless-looking wooden crate or box. You could even do it letterbox-style, allowing guests to post their cards for the couple on their way into the event. Don't forget to make a sign telling guests what to do with their cards! 

To decorate the wedding ceremony, why not create a gorgeous background to your 'I do' that will look stunning in person and in photos? Make a stylish wooden arch and adorn it with decorations such as flower wreaths, greenery, draped materials, sparkling fairy lights, or even balloons. 

Creating a backdrop is perfect for outdoor weddings because it provides a focal point and a beautiful backdrop for pictures. For best results, choose an easy-to-cut MDF board and paint it in your colour scheme before decorating with floral wreaths, fairy lights, macramé, or any other decor elements you're using throughout the event. 

Is working with MDF new to you? Read our full guide on working with MDF here.