Handmade ideas for paper items: DIY tips to help with wedding preparations
You want your wedding to be just right—uniquely your own.
If you’re about to have your ceremony and reception, you’re probably feeling the same way.
In this article, we’re sharing handmade ideas for paper items that we highly recommend for couples like you.
Invitations, seating charts, place cards, menus, profile books, guest cards—these are all essentials for a wedding.
If you’d like to see designs created by real DIY couples or learn how to make them, please use this as a reference.
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Handmade ideas for paper items: DIY tips to help with wedding preparations (1–10)
Seating chart
A seating chart is a table that shows where guests will sit on the wedding floor plan.
Once you receive the RSVP replies, start preparing it.
On the seating chart, include guests’ names, their relationship to the couple, titles such as their job position, and the bride and groom’s profiles.
Print your favorite illustrations or memorable photos on the chart’s backing paper.
It’s also nice to decorate with ribbons or colored pens, and to add pressed or dried flowers.
How about creating a seating chart full of your own ideas? A handmade seating chart will give guests something enjoyable to look at during their short wait.
Invitation
An invitation is an important way to formally share the location and date of the ceremony and reception.
Creating wedding invitations also becomes a cherished memory for the couple.
While you’ll want to take your time making these special invitations, the period leading up to the wedding is also busy with decisions and meetings.
That’s why using an app that lets you design easily is a great idea for making lovely invitations.
Just set the invitation size in the app, create your design, and print—it’s done.
If you think about your invitation’s general look in advance by browsing online, the design process will go more smoothly.
Please use this as a reference!
Marriage Certificate
Wedding certificates are a popular wedding item.
Many couples sign the certificate in front of a minister or their guests as part of the ceremony, along with their vows.
While it has no legal effect in Japan, in some countries it is treated as an official document.
There’s no fixed format for a wedding certificate, so you can create one filled with handmade ideas.
Using materials from 100-yen shops helps you save money and makes preparation easier.
These days, 100-yen shops also sell more elaborate items and supplies suitable for DIY projects, so gathering materials can be a fun time, too.
Try adding photos and making a lovely certificate using 100-yen shop materials.
Handmade ideas for paper items: DIY tips to help with wedding preparations (11–20)
Reply postcard
Among wedding invitations, the RSVP postcard is a particularly important item—why not try making your own? As long as you include sections to ask whether the guest will attend or decline, space for their name and address, and a place for contact details and a message, you’re free to use the remaining space as you like, so long as it’s appropriate.
The wording you choose for the required information and the overall design can both convey the couple’s personality.
Pay attention to details like the paper stock, too, and create an exciting atmosphere that makes guests look forward to attending the ceremony.
Honorarium and transportation fee
There may be times when you give a token of thanks or travel expense money to those who played a big role in the ceremony or who came from far away.
How about making the envelopes for these gifts yourself to convey your gratitude more strongly? Use a colored envelope as the base, then wrap it with a band featuring your own design.
This not only shows what the envelope is for but also conveys your heartfelt thanks.
Rather than using the same design for every band, adding designs tailored to each recipient will communicate your appreciation even more.
If you have the time, we recommend creating a variety of designs.
Guest card
Instead of signing a guest book at the reception, guests can fill out and submit a guest card with their name, address, contact information, and more.
This not only streamlines the reception process but also gives guests time to thoughtfully write their messages.
Add a design to these guest cards to build excitement for the ceremony.
A recommended approach is to use sturdy cardstock: feature illustrations of the couple or a title-style design on the front, and insert a sheet on the back for filling in the required details.
This offers both a festive look and practical functionality, making it easy to collect the necessary information separately.
Tracing paper band
These are tracing paper bands that can both wrap and decorate invitations, and also work like ribbons for gift embellishments.
The key point is what you design on the band; to avoid clashing with the item it’s wrapped around, a simple design with a single accent is recommended.
If you have an app and a printer, they’re easy to make, so they’re handy whenever you feel like adding more decoration.
It’s also a good idea to pay attention to where you wrap them so the design beneath shows faintly through the tracing paper.