We love this idea from Ashley and Dave's Mexican beach ceremony. Forget the confetti, guests at this colourful wedding were presented with maracas to shake at 'the kiss'. They would also make fantastic escort or place cards which double as a lovely take home reminder of the day. Photography by Jilian Mitchell.
There is no shortage of great tutorials for making your own Mexican paper flowers. Traditionally made for Cinco de Mayo and Dia de los Muertos celebrations, these colourful arrangements of tissue or crepe paper are perfect for bouquets or wedding decorations.
Try these instructions (pictured) from Creative Jewish Mom to get you started. You can also check out this good tutorials here and here from Martha Stewart for different shaped flowers and mix them all together.
This week I was feeling a little inspired by the work of Frida Kahlo. Ive been looking at a lots of Mexican wedding ideas for the 'i do' it yourself site, and she just kept popping up! So I put together a little homage to Frida, a digital mixed media collage using one of her quotes "Feet, why do I need them if I have wings to fly?" Available as a print from our redbubble and etsy shops.
Well, today the clocks went back and soon the days will be getting shorter and darker. So we felt even more colour and fun was needed on the 'i do it yourself blog this month. Grab your maracas and get ready for a fabulous fiesta with some beautiful DIY Mexican inspired wedding ideas.
Credits: Mexican paper flags make the perfect decorations, pic by Jamie Meares. A beautiful Frida Kahlo inspired bride from Seattle Bride Magazine photographed by Zee Wendell. A vibrant bouquet of handmade paper flowers. Photo by Joielala Photography via Green Wedding Shoes.
At street decorated with pretty paper picado banners, by Emilano Rodriguez. Cute party packs for take home treats via Martha Stewart. Margaritas are a must! Try this Strawberry version from Mix Shake and Pour. Pretty painted Mexican lanterns make great table decorations, pic via Camillestyles. Mexican paper roses from All Pop and don't forget your maracas!
Colour palette: yellow, blue, red and pink
Something new to our iDIY Jr shop this month - pinata party invitations! Printable fun for your next birthday party with a cute and colourful pinata illustration. Available from the iDIY Jr etsy shop.
Bride Fran wanted a vintage feel to the day, 'Kind of backyard chic' she says. 'We decorated the tables with hand made burlap corridors, old bottles and mason jars as flower vases filled with rustic white and yellow flowers arranged by my girlfriends and me, and paper doillies as coasters. And to add some playfulness to the atmosphere, my mom and I sewed some colorful bunting banners from scratch.'
Fran and Ben wanted to do something different with their wedding outfits. 'I had an idea of using an old havanna theme for Benjamin, so we bought him a nice buttercream linen suit and elegant panama hat, custom made for his big head! Which actually came from Ecuador.'
'For my dress I wanted lace and a 50's air. So we also bought it on ebay and was custom made, which saved us a lot of money. For my accessories, I made a birdcage veil with one yard of ivory frech veiling, a comb and some thread. The earrings and the matching bracelet were Sarah Coventry found on etsy, as well as the lovely flower pins I used in my hair.'
The couple incorporated a unity sand ceremony which parents also took part in, pouring different coloured sands into one big vase to symbolise two lives becoming one. Fran even made her own ring bearer cushion using a scrap of yellow silk, two vintage doillies and some ribbon! Gorgeous!
Fran fell in love with succulents: 'I used them in little pots as favours, which had a card with seating information for each gest. And my DIY bouquet was made with white peonies and some blue-gree succulents.' And with a lovely eco friendly twist Ben and Fran have since planted all the left over succulents on their balcony. 'They are growing quite well.' said Fran.
Ben and Fran chose to use 'i do' it yourself's gum leaf range for their wedding stationery. 'We chose the gum leaf theme for all our stationery, because I thought it really expressed that sense of green and relaxation that we wanted for our wedding.' said Fran 'We used the lovely gum leaf paddle fans as a courtesy for our guest too, since it was a sunny day.'
Instead of a classical wedding cake the couple opted for fun mini cupcakes with bright blue, yellow and white frosting - a real hit with guests, espeicailly the kids. These where placed on cake stands made of old plates bought at a flee market along with the bottles and mason jars. Talented bride Fran even made a pair of beautiful felt love birds as a cake topper. Emulating the groom and bride, with a hat for him and a birdcage veil for her. Too cute!
To finish up the day groom Ben, a musician, played a selection of special songs after the reception with a couple of friends. And guests were encouraged to sign a thumbprint guest book tree. 'The end result was framed and is currently decorating our living room.' What a clever and creative couple! Thanks so much for sharing Fran and Ben!
