Looking for unique, budget-friendly wedding ideas that will really make your guests smile? We have 101 incredible and beautiful wedding ideas for all elements of your wedding from food and drink to a bit of fun on the day. Just click on the category below you need wedding ideas on!
Contents
– Invites and Save the Date Ideas
– Seating Plan and Place Card Ideas
– Wedding Decoration
– Guest Activity Ideas
– Signage
– Meaningful Ideas
– Unique Wedding Favour Ideas
– Gifts
– Food and Drink Ideas
– A Bit of Fun!
Invites and Save the Date Ideas
1. Photo Booth Save the Dates
Super affordable and super cute – go to a photo booth and take a bunch of shots of you both holding save the date signs and simply send them out! It’s a good way of still sending a save the date but saving the expense for the invitations.
To have a photo booth at your wedding, click here!
2. Wedding Pencil
This is a really lovely idea and it gives your guests a keepsake for the wedding already. It also gives them no excuses to forget the day! You can buy these lovely invites here.
3. Themed
It’s a little geeky but we love it! Why not make your wedding invites something that you both love like Monopoly, Comics or maybe even the Marauder’s Map in Harry Potter!
4. Invite to the Best Man
For the members of your bridal party, you may want to do something a little extra. Give your best man a cigar, hip flask or some other manly gift asking him to be there for you on the day! Buy this cigar box here.
5. Destination Wedding or Travellers
If you’re having a wedding abroad, or you just love to travel, these boarding pass save the dates are a really nice idea and get across all the info needed! Buy these here.
6. Surprise Invite
As well as little gifts, you might want to surprise your wedding party with their wedding titles! We love this mug idea, an especially great one for keen tea drinkers! Get a mug like this on Not on the High Street.
7. A Tied Knot
Quite literally, tying the knot. This little friendship bracelet Save the Date idea is really unique and relatively inexpensive. Buy them here!
Seating Plan Ideas
8. UKbride’s Table Planner
Before the big day, you need to actually plan the tables out. The easiest way to do that is with this table planner (it’s free!). You can change the amount of tables, size of tables, number of seats, number of guests and even the names of tables and guests! Super easy and you can just download and print when you’re done.
9. Pockets
Keep things really need with colourful pockets! It also makes it a surprise for guests to pull out a card with their table number/name on so adding a touch of fun! DIY this seating plan using these instructions.
10. Theme Seating Plan
Whether it’s Avengers, Game of Thrones or even Harry Potter, going for a geeky theme on a film or TV series you’re passionate about will make your guests smile. Photo: Lina and Tom.
Get someone to decorate your venue for you. Click here!
11. Rustic Place Cards
Looking at creating unique place cards for guests? This is a really easy, clever and super affordable idea. In fact, it’s pretty much free minus the paper! You need a thick branch of a tree, a small saw (careful), paper and a pen.
Want more great ideas? Check out our Wedding Ideas page!
12. Picture Frame Seating Plan
Another affordable DIY seating plan idea is to frame the tables and the names at those tables. Use really different frames to create a really beautiful seating plan like this one! You can get fairly affordable frames from places like Ikea or even borrow your own.
13. A Sweet Treat
If you’re not going crazy on your wedding favours, combine your favour with your place cards! Ferrero Rochers make a lovely little sweet present and a good base for a place card.
14. Polaroid Places
This idea may take a bit of preparation beforehand but can look fantastic! You need to check you have photos of each and every one of your guests, and if you don’t, ask for selfies and don’t tell them what it’s for…it’s a bit of a DIY job but you could get a wedding planner to sort all of it out for you. Elise Events created this one.
15. Place Cards with Personality
You might want to do something a little quirky to represent all of your guests’ personalities. The above works quite well and it’s fun to include childhood photos, but to give a little favour as well as your place card, we love this Lego idea!
16. Table Names by Rock Band
Are you both really into your bands or perhaps there are a selection of films that mean something to you? Why not name your tables after them! We love this Rock n Roll idea!
For wedding song ideas, read The 200 Best Wedding Songs of All Time.
17. Woodland Theme
If you’re having a woodland-themed rustic wedding or perhaps a wedding in autumn or winter, this idea is super simple, really easy and looks fantastic! Name the table names different trees and create a lovely setup like this.
Wedding Decoration Ideas
18. Budget Friendly Seating
Instead of spending a fortune on outdoor seating for your wedding, this really simple DIY idea solves the issue and looks rustic and fun. This is an especially good idea if you live on a farm or have family who do. You can buy the hessian covers pictured below here.
19. DIY Confetti
Another budget-friendly decorating idea is to make your own confetti. All you need is a hole punch and some dried leaves! Do this in the lead up to the wedding and get your maid of honour or best man to hand little cups of them after the ceremony.
Or get your dream confetti here!
20. Let Love Glow
A way to add fairy lights around your wedding, hanging from ceilings or trees or in little display areas, is to buy battery-operated fairy lights here and little mason jars here. It will only cost you about £3 – £6 per jar and they look super cute!
21. Fairy Light Frenzy
Whilst we’re on the subject of fairy lights, we recommend you going a little crazy with them. They make anything, including weddings, look incredible and they’re affordable ways of decorating a space simply.
22. A Helping Hand
In our experience after speaking to hundreds of brides, friends and family love to help you out or contribute in some way. Instead of having a conventional aisle, get friends and family to bring their favourite chairs and sofas or if you’ve got a big budget, hire a selection for the wedding day! This display was designed by Love & Splendor and the photographer was Ryan Ray.
Guest Activity Ideas
23. Wedding Guestbook Video
As a bit more of a modern and more practical way for your guests to leave you messages, why not get them to video a short clip! It’s easier for them, easier for you and it adds so much more personality when looking back. You get a special wedding video too aside from your videographer.
24. Wedding Bucket List
This is a really fun idea and will get your guests to be creative. Get a bucket and ask your guests to write an idea or an adventure or something crazy on a slip of paper and drop it into the bucket. You can do all the things they’ve suggested over your lifetime together!
25. The Honeymoon Fund
Instead of bringing lavish gifts, get your guests to bring money for the honeymoon fund! It’s often more needed and practical, and you can have a jar like this for your guests to contribute to.
26. Disposable Camera Snapshots
Simple silly pics of your guests throughout the day will be cherished when you get these images back! Just make sure they’re not in the reach of children or you may have a reel of ceiling and floor shots…
27. Puzzle Pieces
“Without you our puzzle wouldn’t be complete.” This is a really unique and fun way for your guests to leave a little message. You can buy this one on Etsy.
28. Wedding Message in a Bottle
So that you can enjoy your wedding for a little longer, don’t open your guests’ messages until a year later. Get them to write a message on a little scroll and pop it in a jar not to be opened until a year later…buy this one here for just £15.
29. Blankets for Colder Days
If you’re not in a particularly sunny spot or time of year and your wedding is going to be predominantly outside, it might be a nice idea to offer blankets to guests. You can display this in a really sweet way like this below! Get affordable blankets from Ikea and the baskets online or from another home store.
30. Dancing Shoes
Your guests (and you!) must have sore feet after a long day standing up probably in heels. Give everyone a break with a pair of comfy flip flops to dance in. Buy this gorgeous basket with flip flops here.
Want more great ideas? Check out our Wedding Ideas page!
31. Coaster Guest Book
Instead of usual coasters, get something like these for guests to leave a little comment. It saves them from even getting up and it will ensure you get a message from everyone on the day. Get the design below here for just £27 for 30!
32. Birthdays and Anniversaries
Get your guests to add their birthdays to a calendar! Since you have them all there, you may as well, and that way you won’t forget anyone’s special days!
33. Fingerprint Guestbook
The problem with guestbooks is that you read them once and then they go in a drawer and never get opened again. With a fingerprint guestbook, you can have a beautiful piece of artwork on display in your house that will remind you of your wedding everyday.
34. A Date Jar
Get your guests to share their favourite date ideas! It’s a fun thing for them to do on the day and handy for you both in the future.
35. A Globe of Guests
If you love to travel, get a beautiful globe and get your guests to sign it! This is something else you’re able to display in your house, and if you’re keen on travel, it will mean something very special to you and tie in with your lives.
Win your dream £25,000 wedding for FREE here!
Wedding Sign Ideas
36. Festival Sign
If you’re having a festival wedding, you need a festival sign! Tell the guests the lineup of the day and make it look fun! This is our favourite – we love the lettering.
37. First Day, Yes Day, Best Day
This is a really lovely sign that just sums up all the significant dates in the leadup to the happy couple getting married! It’s also something you can keep in your house afterwards. Buy it here on Etsy.
38. Pretty Picture
DIY your own beautiful flower frame for guests to use and take photos with! If you’re being really trendy, add your wedding hashtag to the bottom of it.
39. Drink Stoppers
When the waiters and waitresses are trying to keep your wedding neat and tidy, they may accidentally take away a couple of half-drunk drinks. That’s why it’s handy to have these little signs to place on the top of your drinks.
40. Rhyming Signing
Little signs around your venue with sweet little rhymes is very popular at the moment, but this has to be our favourite. It’s a lovely idea and you can buy a beautiful one for just £16 here! It’s a great way to unite your families.
41. Mirrors and Glass
Instead of just a sign, make it special! Use glass or a mirror and you get this lovely look. With glass, you can put a stencil behind it of a nice font saying what you want and trace the wording if you want to DIY. If you prefer to buy one, you can get a personalised sign here.
42. Photo Collection
Make use of all the phone photographers at your wedding! Instead of having them all send you the photos after the big day and chase everyone up, just tell them to add your wedding hashtag. Add a cute little sign like this one! Buy it here.
43. An Exit Sign
Make a grand exit! Trail cans along the road and add a sign to the back of your car as a sweet ending to a beautiful day.
44. The Three B’s
Add funny little signs to bring a smile to your guests’ faces around the venue. We love this one!
Want more great ideas? Check out our Wedding Ideas page!
45. No Paparazzi Please
Number 41’s plea for wedding photos may be the exact opposite of what you want on the big day. If so, that’s fine! Use this sign instead!
46. Funny Pageboy Signs!
Give your guests a little giggle in the morning and send your pageboy down the aisle with this cute little sign! Later on in the fun section, you can see another fantastic idea for pageboys too…get this one here!
Meaningful Ideas
47. Burn Candles in Loving Memory
For those that can’t be there, burn a candle for them so they can be there in spirit. This is a really lovely way to remember and include loved ones who couldn’t be there on the day. Buy this sign here.
48. Carry Them with You
Another lovely idea to remember loved ones is to carry small photos of them with your bridal bouquet so they can ‘walk you down the aisle.’ We love this one and you can buy the idea here.
Looking for beautiful flowers still? Check out our Complete Guide!
49. Add Sparkle to the Day
Make your wedding really memorable – give your guests sparklers in the evening and get some gorgeous wedding photos!
Check out our incredible photographers here!
50. A Family Tree
This is a really lovely idea to tie your families together. Gather photos from both of your families’ weddings and hang them up for all to see! It’s a lovely idea for a wedding.
51. Seats Assigned to Loved Ones
Save seats in loving memory of family members who couldn’t be there on the day. This is a really special and meaningful way to make them a part of your special day.
52. A Hankie for Happy Tears
In the Order of Service, add a little hankie for happy tears! It’s a lovely little note and may even encourage a couple of tears for your wedding photographer…!
53. Bad Luck to See the Bride Before the Wedding
It is…but that doesn’t mean the bride can’t see the groom! This is a really sweet, meaningful and exciting idea that will get you both, especially the groom, really excited for the wedding to start!
Unique Wedding Favour Ideas
54. Let Love Grow
Give your guests the gift of life with lovely little plants for them to take home and look after. This is is an especially lovely idea as the couple will have a reminder of your wedding every time they go to water it! Want to know how to create this? Follow these simple instructions.
55. Love Potion
As a little quirky addition to your day, create your own love potion! This can be your favourite drink or just something sweet – it’s the idea that will make your guests smile.
Want more great ideas? Check out our Wedding Ideas page!
56. Hot Chocolate for Winter Weddings
To warm your guests up at a Christmas wedding, make little Mason jars of hot chocolate with a side of Baileys for those who want it! It’s a lovely idea and relatively affordable.
Win a £25,000 wedding for FREE here!
57. Hit the Jackpot!
Now you have hit the jackpot with the love of your life, it’s time to give the same gift to your friends and family! Give out scratch cards as wedding favours and hope for someone to win. Buy these scratch card holders here.
58. It was Meant to Bee
If you’re a beekeeper or you know a beekeeper, this is an obvious choice. If not, it’s still a lovely idea for those sweet-toothed couples! Find little honeypot labels here.
59. For Richer For Poorer
This is a sweet idea, especially if you’re on a budget. Download a free printable here for the background, and you can get chocolate coins from most supermarkets! Super easy and just something sweet.
60. Pretzel Knot
Ok, so it’s a little American, but we can’t think of any other food displayed in a knot for you to use the phrase on the bag! Buy them here.
61. Dancing Juice
Similar to the Love Potion idea, fill a little bottle with something tasty and label it dancing juice! Super simple wedding favour idea and something your guests will definitely use! Buy a bottle here.
62. Hangover Cures
When you’re deciding on a wedding favour, you want to select something that your guests will definitely use and something that will make them smile. That’s why this idea of pills to use before and after drinking is perfect! Make your own by following these instructions.
63. Homemade Jam
This is a really sweet idea if you want to get creative in the kitchen before the big day. Jam is really simple to make – see recipe here – and the jars are very affordable. Label with phrases like ‘Spread the Love’ or ‘Jam Packed with Love.’
64. Minty Freshness
When you’re trying to find something that every single one of your guests will like, it can be hard. However, this is super simple, affordable and something not many people will turn their noses up at. Download the free printable sleeves here.
Win a £25,000 wedding for FREE here!
65. Thanks for Popping By!
Another foodie one – you want the favour to be something your guests will definitely use and they will definitely use food almost straight away! You can display popcorn in a really nice way, it’s cheap and it will fit with a Hollywood glam theme.
66. Take a Shot
To really get the party started, give your guests a little shot as a favour be it gin, whiskey, jagermeister or tequila perhaps! This is not advised for weddings with small children…get the free downloadable labels here!
Wedding Gift Ideas
67. The Maid of Honour Gift Box
The Maid of Honour has the biggest job in your bridal party, so treat them with a gift. We love the idea of getting a box together with all your favourite things, but if you’re tied down with wedding duties and work to get something like that together, just buy this! It’s still so beautiful and she/he will absolutely love it.
68. A Gift for the Main Gal
Since most of the people reading this post will be the bride at the wedding, you may want to *ahem* drop a hint to your H2B…such a cute idea and obviously, they would have to be written on a brand new pair of shoes that he has bought you as a wedding gift…
Win a £25,000 wedding for FREE here!
69. Bridesmaids
This looks like an extravagant and expensive present, but it’s just a personalised hanger, plastic champagne flutes with straws, a hangover kit and a cute ring plate. You can DIY this really easily and bridesmaids – this is a sweet engagement present too! Get the little ‘Minimergency’ kit here.
70. Mother of the Groom
A gift to your new mother-in-law is always nice and often overlooked. Presuming you have a very sweet and lovely mother-in-law, it may be nice to get them a nice gift like this one! You can buy it for just £29 here.
71. A Gift to your Father
Get something special for your father, the man you loved first and the one walking you down the aisle. This is a really lovely heartfelt gift that will be sure to bring a tear to the old man’s eye! Buy it here for just £15.
Win a £25,000 wedding for FREE here!
72. Wooden Engraved Watch
Get a wooden engraved watch for your partner on the wedding day including a note on back of it. This watch is perfect and can be completely customisable. A lovely saying on the back could be ‘To my husband, I love you in the morning, in the middle of the day, in the hours we’re together and the hours we’re away.’
73. Mother of the Bride
Don’t forget your own mum! This is a lovely present that she will treasure forever. Buy this gorgeous necklace and earring set here.
74. The Groomsmen’s Gifts
Controversial as to whether you should gift or not, especially considering how drunk they will be getting or how terrible their speech will be…it’s a lovely idea to give them a little gift! Perhaps do it as a ‘best man proposal’ right at the start of wedding planning. Find similar ideas here.
75. Bridal Robes
For your bridal party on the big day, get them some floral robes to get ready in! You can get lovely photos of all the girls together and it’s a really sweet gift that they will treasure forever. Buy them here!
Food and Drink Ideas
76. Pizza Bar
Instead of formal, sit-down catering, why not have something fun like a pizza bar? Everyone loves pizza, you can easily get vegan/vegetarian versions and it avoids the stuffiness people with weddings! Suggested sign phrase: “he has a pizza my heart.”
Get amazing wedding caterers here!
77. His & Hers Cocktails
This is a lovely idea, expressing your personality as a couple and giving your guests awesome drink ideas. Your bartenders may appreciate this too instead of lots of people choosing lots of different drinks!
78. Frozen Flowers
Another really lovely way to jazz up a drink is putting edible flowers in the ice cubes! It makes your drinks look really pretty, and when the ice melts, you’ll have a pretty flower sitting on top of your drink. It’s just to make your drinks more ‘wedding-y.’
79. Meringues for Marriage
Instead of a wedding cake, why not have a tiered meringue cake? It’s something everyone can help themselves to and it looks amazing! This one is from the Meringue Girls.
80. Rosé-dipped Strawberries
This may be something you can get younger kids involved with to help out before the big day! Cover strawberries in melted chocolate of all different colours and add a sprinkling of glitter. This was made by Tara Milk Tea.
81. A Cheese Cake
This is a really popular trend in weddings at the moment; a savoury cake made out of cheese! It’s a great option if you and your guests don’t have sweet teeth and you love cheese! You can get heart-shaped wheels too #justsaying.
82. Melted Marshmallows
Instead of a dessert table or a cake, why not have a marshmallow bar? This is an especially good idea if part of your wedding will be outside or perhaps in a marquee for that ‘around the fireplace’ feel to it.
83. Build Your Own Burger Bar
If you want to be really relaxed and informal, why not just have a build your own burger bar? It’s loads more affordable than other options and puts a light-hearted spin on catering.
84. Split the Cake
Cut your cake in half – bear with us – and fill the opening with flowers, chocolates or anything you wish! It may even save you some money if you decide to have a sixth of your cake cut out to fill with something different. It just makes your cake look really unique.
Get a dream cake maker here!
85. Midnight Snacking
For later on in the evening, hours after the wedding breakfast and after plenty of drinks, your guests – and you – may feel a little peckish. Organise midnight snacks like little pack-ups for when people start to crave food. You could even give them as wedding favours!
86. Homemade Contributions
If you are really trying to save a bit of cash and the wedding is ever so slightly breaking your budget, get friends and family to help! Odds are they would love to, especially any bakers in the family. Get them to bring along their very best bake for the day and display as a cake table. The selection displayed are freshly made pies!
87. Personalise Your Drinks Bar
This is a really popular trend at the moment! Allow guess to ‘pimp’ their Prosecco by adding different flavours and items to a bar. It’s just a nice and simple way to add a bit of pizzazz to the day!
88. Sweetie Bar
Instead of a cake or desserts, just fill a table full of your favourite sweets! Express your personality as a couple and save a tonne of money just by going to your local supermarket and stock piling on sweets for the big day! Try to colour-coordinate too to make it look extra special!
89. The Booze Bath
1. Buy a tonne of you and your partners’ favourite beers. 2. Get a massive bath/receptacle of any kind. 3. Fill with ice. 4. Stick beers in. That is literally all you need to do for this amazing idea that will certainly put a smile on your guests’ faces!
90. Champagne & Candy Floss Cocktails
Make your wedding unique and memorable. It’s easy to do that with a couple of small upgrades from the norm, so instead of just Prosecco or Champagne as a welcome drink, add a handful of candy floss that will dissolve when the fizz is poured and tasty without!
91. Wedding Cake Pops
Instead of a cake that looks pretty for a moment then needs cutting and distributing among guests before they leave, why not just have cake pops? They’re small enough to hand out like canapés, they’re small blasts of delicious cake and more affordable! For the recipe, click here.
92. A Wall of Champagne
Instead of employing someone to hand out glasses of Champagne, simply create a wall to hold hundreds of glasses. You could even turn this into your table plan too with guests finding their named and numbered glass before finding their seat.
93. Cupcake Corner
Why not try cupcakes instead? Another more affordable and practical wedding cake idea (although one that definitely divides opinions). You can have lots of different flavours this way too and they can be homemade!
94. Drink Stations
If you’re wedding is going to be a long day in warm weather, it’s important to add refreshing drinking stations here and there for guests to quench their thirst.
95. A Donut Wall
Do we really need to go into detail about this one? It’s a wall of donuts! Who wouldn’t want this at their wedding? It’s so easy to DIY – just get a board, pegs/nails and a tonne of donuts. Create a beautiful feature wall like this one and of course entertain your guests all evening.
Just a Bit of Fun!
96. Ring Security
This idea is really sweet and will get your pageboy feeling very special while putting a smile on your guests’ faces. All you need is a tiny little briefcase, black sunglasses and a headphone…make it more fun by adding a personalised security pass!
97. Wheel of Kisses!
Add a fun game to the day with a huge wheel of fortune and different kiss for each section of the wheel. Mix this up a little and put little dares for the guests to do on the wheel too..! It’s a bit of a big DIY job though.
98. Caricatures
Let your favours be a hilarious portrait of themselves. Caricatures are fun sketches of people, emphasising particular features that makes them distinctive. They always look great and you’ll get some good laughs!
Find incredible artists and entertainers here!
99. Cardboard Cutouts
We’re unaware of the official names of these things…let us know if you have one! But the big cardboard cutouts with faces cut out for you to take funny photos in that you usually see at the seaside can also feature at your wedding! We recommend DIYing this and getting someone good at painting or you may be a dab hand yourself! Get them to get the dress and suit right!
100. Age Pictures Based on Table Numbers
If you can’t think of what to call your tables and settle on numbers, you can still make this element of your wedding fun! On the signs for each table, add a photo of you and your partner at that age. This is a really sweet idea and will give guests something to talk about. DIY it following these simple instructions.
101. Man’s Best Friend
There is nothing cuter or funnier than a dog wearing a sign running down an aisle! If you are having dogs on the day, this is a fun idea to make them a big part of the celebrations! Buy this sign and others here.
