Wedding season is almost upon us once again!  Are you or anyone you know preparing for the Big Day?  Wedding crafts are among the most popular category of dollar store crafts; when planning a wedding on a budget (and who isn’t these days?) even those who’ve never crafted a day in their lives pick up their glue guns and DIY as much as possible in the name of saving money.  We’ve rounded up some of our favorite wedding-related dollar store crafts.  Wondering what kinds of things you should look for at the dollar store for your wedding crafts?  All of these crafts involve items you can find at Dollar Tree.

[Tissue Paper]

[Balloons]

[Tissue Paper Balloon Lanterns by Kleas]

If you’re looking for an economical, DIY alternative to store-bought paper lanterns, try this easy idea incorporating balloons and tissue paper.  The resulting papier-mache-like lanterns can be customized easily by using tissue paper in your wedding colors.

[White Wedding Favor Boxes]

[Heart Favor Boxes by Shindig Parties To Go]

This project was originally made for Valentine’s Day, but it translates well to weddings!  Using colorful scrapbook paper, plain white favor boxes are transformed into festive heart favor boxes!  Replace the colors and embellishments however you see fit to make them match your wedding theme; the technique remains the same.

[All-Occasion Gift Wrap]

[Fruit Drop Candies]

[Extra Large Star Party Favors by The Cheese Thief]

These origami star favors are super economical; just a few rolls of wrapping paper is all you need to make enough for all of your guests!  Tuck hard candies or other treats inside as a special surprise for the recipients.

[Clear Cello Wrap]

[Cellophane Origami Star Garland by The Cheese Thief]

Once you’ve mastered folding origami stars, grab a roll of cello wrap and some string to make this crystal-like star garland.  Hang them alongside clear Christmas lights for a little bit of elegant sparkle!

[Silk Roses]

[Round Candle Holders]

[Rose Votive Candle Holders by Two Crafty Mules]

Don’t know what to do with all of those silk flowers in the craft department at Dollar Tree?  If you can find roses in the right colors for your wedding, make rose votive holders!  Look for glass candle holders that are rounded to make a nicely-shaped flower.

[Serving Trays]

[Taper Candle Holders]

[Colorful Tiered Trays by Joy’s Hope]

Tiered trays are one of the most popular varieties of dollar store craft.  This variation, assembled from serving trays and candlesticks, uses spray paint to add a pop of color.  (If you use paint that is not food-safe, make sure you do not place food items directly on the trays; use a barrier such as cocktail napkins or cupcake liners to keep your guests safe!)

[Crepe Paper Streamers]

[Crepe Paper Flower Corsages by Under the Table and Dreaming]

Let’s not forget one of the handmade goodies you will need for members of your wedding party and for distinguished guests: corsages!  While crepe paper streamers are a party decorating staple, fashioning them into frilly flowers is a twist you might not have considered!

What are your favorite wedding crafts using dollar store items?

Disclosure:  This post is sponsored by DollarTree.com.  All opinions are 100% my own.

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Hi Heather,
I first want to say that I love your blog and always enjoy seeing the crafts you showcase. I have seen you come up with ideas for several other decorating and party schemes (and your readers are wonderful too!) so I was hoping you might be able to help me out.

My husband’s family (of 14 kids *gasp) has 7 birthdays from April through May (ages 17 through 30, boys and girls) and every year we do a mass birthday party instead of trying to have a party every week. This year we are trying to plan a masquerade theme and I would really love some cheap ideas. I’m already making giant and over sized paper masks to hang on the walls and I have a couple of wrought iron candliers to hang up (we’re decorating in our large unfinished basement) and I plan to use lots of twinkly lights as well as balloons but I would sure love some ideas for centerpieces and other decor. We plan to have the party on the first of May in the evening with indoor and outdoor entertaining areas so we’ve got a couple of weeks and I’ve got a LOT of free time.

Thanks so much in advance for any suggestions you can make!

Melissa

My idea:

A Candy Buffet: Since there will be guests of all ages, a candy buffet would be a fun and colorful centerpiece (and the best part: you don’t have to spend money on stuff you won’t use again, because it’s all edible!) Here are some ideas for how to make a candy buffet:

I found a fantastic example of a candy buffet at Kara’s Party Ideas. She gives a lot of info on how she created her candy buffet in this blog entry, but some of the cool things she made are: marshmallow pops, tissue paper pom-poms, and a Dum Dum topiary, which is a fabulous centerpiece idea for a masquerade!

The Dum Dum topiary is a great dollar store craft! So great, in fact, that I’m gonna cost it out for you right here:

Project Estimate:

• Planter, $1 (paint your theme color)
• Floral foam, $1
• Foam ball, $1
• Dowel, $.50 (will make several topiaries)
• Maribou boa, $1 (if you can find one in the toy section of the dollar tree, otherwise more like $3-5 per boa)
• Bag of Dum Dums, $1 and up (sometimes they have these at the dollar store)

Total: $5.50 or so

One reason why I like the topiary is that it gives a lot of visual impact (and the appearance of a LOT) of candy, but you can make it for relatively little money. Instead of having to fill an entire vase with candy, you can strategically place your candy on the foam ball and visually extend it!

Lollipop Display Idea: There are a lot of other great candy buffet ideas at Hostess With The Mostess, including this Sesame Street candy buffet post in which she gives a lot of good advice for setting your own buffet up. I like how she displays these lollipops by filling a container with a flat piece of foam, sticking the lollipops in the foam, then topping with loose candy.

Sourcing Your Candy: If I were doing a candy buffet, my first stop would be Winco–a west coast grocery store that has a great bulk food section, including lots of candy. If you don’t live in WA, OR, CA, NV, ID, or UT, you might have a similar grocery chain in your area. The dollar store has some novelty candy (although not in big quantities!), so you might be able to do some fill-in candy from the dollar store. You can also buy a variety of candy in bulk from Oriental Trading Company (and they also have some masquerade party supplies). [I found the swirl sucker assortment shown here at OTC: $24.99 for 110 pieces]

This photo is from a Pirate birthday party I had for my son. As you can see, you don’t have to have huge containers of candy to make visual impact! I used dishes I already had at home for a few kinds of candy, and then filled in with other cheap, colorful items like plastic containers of bubbles, and basket of fruit.

Candy Buffet Display: You can find various colorful or clear receptacles for holding candy at the dollar store. They have a lot of candy dishes, bowls, vases, glasses and goblets. You can also make your own tiered serving dishes from trays and a candlestick, like this one at Tatertots & Jello, or this tiered bowl would also be especially great for a colorful candy display. Don’t overlook the cylindrical vases! They’ll make a great visual impact filled with colorful layers of candy.

[this candy buffet by Holly at Art, Meet Craft]

Serving the Candy: Remember to provide some kind of portable receptacle for people to take their candy in. Clear plastic party glasses are good for at-party snacking, and little favor bags or boxes work well for to-go boxes. You can find all of these things in the wedding section at your local Dollar Tree.

Now it’s your turn: Readers, I know you have a lot of good ideas for masquerade party centerpieces and decor, so please chime in with your ideas!

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