Is it wine o’clock yet? You had me at merlot. Just imagine, two empty glasses and a wine bottle. Ooh, classy and romantic #af. Talk about timeless too. Who wouldn’t love their wedding to have that look? From wineries to country clubs to lake houses, nearly any venue will look dang good with some wine and cork decor.
But, as you know, weddings cost a lot of money. The photographer, the venue, the food...it never ends. You don’t want to cut too many corners and end up feeling regret and disappointment.
You do have control in the decoration section of your budget. And the best way to save some money is by getting a little crafty with your wedding decorations. If you drink wine, why not save the corks and bottles why you’re at it? Heck, you can even go door-to-door and ask people for theirs too.
Once you have your inventory, you’ll need a few things here and there that you can reuse for other decorations. Plus, you can reuse the wedding decorations you’ve made for home decor afterward!
If you’d like to save some money, you’ll love the following 5 DIY wine and cork decorations for before and after your wedding!
1. Two-in-One Wine Bottle Centerpieces
My husband and I created 10 of these two-in-one wine bottle centerpieces together. We placed the centerpieces next to the aisles on the floor for the ceremony. Afterward, we put them on the tables for the reception! After the wedding, we asked some people to take the wooden frames, and we recycled the glass bottles. We then kept one centerpiece at home for ourselves, and it’s sitting on our dining room table now.
You’ll need to purchase some wood, staining supplies, spray paint, rope for crafts, and print letter decals. First, spray paint all of the wine bottles with your ideal colors. After they’ve dried, glue the ropes in the middle of the bottles with a glue gun. Then, add the letter decals.
You’ll then need to create the wood centerpieces by cutting the wood into four pieces. Glue the pieces together and cut holes in the top. Stain all the centerpieces. Lastly, insert the wine bottles top first through the top holes. Voila! You now have your affordable centerpieces!
2. Cork Guestbook
My husband and I wanted to do something special for our guestbook that we could hang up on the wall in our house afterward. All you need to do is get a basket, lots of corks, a big vase with a guestbook sign, and some good markers. Your guests will take a cork from the basket, write their name on it, and place it in the vase afterward. Be sure to ask if you’d like each person to sign the cork individually or as a couple!
What you do with the corks afterward depends on how many people signed the corks. Many of our guests signed the corks as a couple. And since our wedding was on the smaller side, we purchased a small wooden frame with an insert for the corks. After you have your corks and your frame, simply glue them in the frame with a glue gun and hang it up!
3. Photo Board with Corks
You probably have hundreds of photos of you and your partner on your phone. Why not print some of those fun photos to feature at your reception? Many people commented on the photo board at our wedding, and we hung it up at our place after the wedding! You’ll need some photos, some corks, a stain, a white marker, and a good knife.
My husband found some pallet wood he had at work and cut the boards into several pieces. Then, he stapled the pieces together on the back. Next, we used a good knife to slice an insert into the corks. (Be careful with that step!) Then, we glued on the corks and inserted the photos. At our reception, we placed the photo board on an easel.
4. “Love” Cork Painting
Another great decoration made with corks! At the winery where we got married, they let us know that we can have our own painting to go above the cake table as a decoration. Of course, I set out to create something with corks to go with the theme! After some inspiration on Etsy, we created a painting ourselves. You’ll need to get some wood, stain, corks, and spray paint.
First, measure out the wood and staple them together. Next, stain the wood. Then, write out the word “Love.” After that, glue all of the corks onto the board with a glue gun. Lastly, get fun with some spray paint! You also don’t have to spell out the word “Love.” You could do a different word or even your last name. Have some fun with it!
5. Giant Initial Letters Filled with Corks
We needed something to go above the head table for our wedding. We wanted to feature our initials, but we wanted it to go along with our wine and cork decor theme. This one is pretty self-explanatory.
You can get giant cardboard, plastic, or metal letters from many places or even online. Then, glue all of the corks into the letters with a glue gun. You can either hang them up or set them on the table as a decoration.
Additional wine bottle and cork decor ideas:
3 empty wine bottles wrapped in craft rope with the date glued on
Cork boutonnieres made with corks and flower inserts
Ceremony wine box for notes and a wine bottle to open in several years
Message in a bottle - people write marriage advice on little pieces of paper, roll them up, and put them in the wine bottle
Empty wine bottles as vases
Many of these ideas are just a starting point. While you’ll find hundreds of wine and cork decor for your wedding on social media, you can get really creative and personalize it for your big day. Don’t be afraid to get a little experimental! Some decorations will take some time, but my husband and I cherish the memories we made while making decorations together before the wedding.
And in the long run, if you’re on a DIY budget, you’ll love that you saved money for other important areas for your big day. Plus, it’s a little more environmentally friendly, as you can keep many of the decorations or recycle the bottles!
About the author: Sydney Lutz lives with her husband in Florida. She loves all things DIY decor, traveling, and writing for vacation rentals. Visit her website at www.sydneylutzagency.com.