‘Tis the season for doing DIY projects at home! It took me a little while but per your requests, here’s a tutorial for the DIY blusher birdcage veil and embellished sash belt I wore on our wedding day. You can also make thinner versions of the sash belt with smaller pieces of appliqué to dress up bridesmaid looks. For those not in wedding mode, perhaps try your hand at one of my tutorials for a holiday tulle skirt, a regular A-line skirt, or a foldover clutch using festive materials!
I made my own bridal accessories in order to get exactly what I needed (my gown was a slightly hard-to-match champagne color), and ended up saving quite a bit in doing so. The belt is so easy it doesn’t even warrant a tutorial! The veil will require a little patience, but I still think it’s suitable for beginners with little to no sewing experience. I considered a variety of veils and went with birdcage for the vintage-inspired look, and also because the simplicity balanced out the volume of my gown.
I also re-wore both of these accessories with my reception look:
I’ve listed where I got all of my materials at the bottom of this post, but you should be able to find similar at any of your local fabric or craft stores.
And of course the only clear closeup photo I found of both accessories is this goofy shot with our mini ice cream cones : )
Belt Supplies:
– Ribbon or material of your choice for the sash. I used a 1.5″ wide grosgrain ribbon cut to about 100″ long (I liked long tails for draping over the back of my dress)
– A piece of embellished appliqué. Lots to choose from if you search online! Mine is a 7″ long iron-on one from The Bright Shop – the exact one is no longer available, but she mentioned a super similar one will be in stock when her shop re-opens in early January. You can go for a longer appliqué to cover more of your waistline (I wanted to do this but ran out of time to order more appliqué), or arrange together several smaller pieces.
– Clear nail polish
– Iron & ironing board, and/or needle & thread
Veil Supplies:
– A small haircomb – these come in either plastic or wire
– 1 yard of Russian veil netting. I got 1 yard of the 9″ wide champagne color from Benoir’s Closet to match my gown. She also sells white, ivory, and several other colors.
– Needle & thread
There are actually several places on Etsy or eBay to order an inexpensive birdcage / blusher veil already made – however, I bought one and it arrived in the mail so misshapen that I couldn’t revive it despite my best steaming and ironing efforts. Making one ensured that the poof would be nicely shaped, plus you can use wider or narrower netting if you want to customize more or less coverage on your face.
I had my florist create a floral comb with fresh flowers (here’s my simplified tutorial) which I layered on top of my birdcage veil comb. This helped conceal any rough edges from my DIY work, and also dressed the piece up more. Please feel free to share this with any friends getting married, and please let me know if you end up trying it yourself!
For previous wedding-related posts: You can read about Nick’s proposal, our engagement photos in Paris, garden party bridal shower, Chinese marriage tea ceremony, and our wedding day!
Hi! I love what you did with your wedding heels and am inspired by you to do the same for my wedding too. Would you have a tutorial that you could point me to on how to stitch embellishments onto heels? I am thinking of getting strappy sandals too so would also want to embellish the front strap. Thank you!!!
Hi Jean! I love the DYI on the belt, I am looking to buy the same Lazaro dress for my March wedding and wanted to know the exact color of your gown, the dress looks like an Ivory top with gold details and the champagne color skirt but I can't tell. I'm worried champagne will look too non-traditional but I also feel that the skirt detail shows up better in champagne. Your pictures look great!
Hi Jean! Love this tutorial! I was wondering what color was your sash that came with the dress??
Hi Jean! Love this tutorial! I was wondering what color was your sash that came with the dress??
Thanks for sharing. Love all your videos and I especially appreciate your natural tone. Keep those videos coming!
What is the clear nail polish for?
What an ingenious idea! I wish I had read this during my own wedding prep last year. Thank you for sharing 🙂
xo Soo | http://www.BrownEyedToast.com
I hadn't seen the Aiden Maddox gown before. Each dress you had was fabulous!! You must've felt like a princess 🙂 so amazing
I wish you'd gotten married after me – our wedding style is similar and I could have used the inspiration! Also, I LOVE that you added another tutorial, I like that you're getting back to your blogging roots a little more. <3
Bravo! Wish I had this when I got married 😀 I had my sash made in china (with finishing touches by my mom).
I love how you made your bridal accessories yourself! They look beautiful. I love the veil!
Lifestyle by Joules
Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful!!!! I wish I had held off on buying a veil, which is obscenely expensive for no good reason!! Great DIY Tutorials, thanks for sharing.
Hi Jenn – it was a plain ribbon that came with my gown! It actually mistakenly didn't arrive with it, but I looked on their website photos and saw one with that particular gown, so the store sent it afterwards. Perhaps ask the shop where you got your dress if they could procure a piece of it too in the color that matches your gown. Congrats!
Such great DIY ideas! Love your dress. I think I'm gonna do a lot of things myself too:P
Shall We Sasa
Where was the ribbon purchased? That colour and texture is perfect! I will be wearing a champagne coloured Lazaro gown on my wedding day in May 2016. Thanks in advance!
Loveeeeee your dress and wedding day photos! xx
Loveeeee your dress! xx
Thank you! I will definitely keep this in my mind for the wedding of our daughter 🙂
xx from Bavaria/Germany, Rena
http://www.dressedwithsoul.com
Lovely video! You looks so gorgeous in this wedding dress!
Hugs,
Love from http://www.trangscorner.com {a lifestyle, fashion, beauty, and food blog}
I was a bridesmaid for a wedding recently and wore a Jenny Yoo bridesmaid gown. It would have completed the look perfectly if I added sash to it! Thanks for sharing, bookmarked!
Julia || Closet de Jules || Recent Post – J.Crew Icon Trench Coat