DIY wedding idea: photo display frame

A beautiful DIY wedding idea to display photos of the bride and groom at their reception, which doubles as a unique gift for the newly-weds.

I wanted to come up with a DIY wedding idea for a gift when my brother married his lovely lady (known in our house as Auntie Pretty) this Summer.  Through Pinterest, I discovered that Auntie Pretty liked this Pin, but did not have time to make anything similar what with all the wedmin….

I thought this DIY wedding idea would be a great way to share photos of the couple (and their friends) at the reception, serving as a talking point/ice-breaker, which they could take home afterwards as a gift.

To make this DIY wedding idea, you will need:

• an ornate framed mirror (this one is moulded plastic and my mum found it in a thrift shop in Broadstairs)
• gross-grain ribbon (10mm/0.5″ width) in your choice of wedding colour
• chalk-finish paint (I used classic antique white, but you could choose a brighter colour if it would work with your wedding theme)
• a clean medium sized paint brush
• masking tape
• mini-pegs
• photos of the happy couple!

How to make this photo display frame DIY wedding idea:

• Remove the mirror from the frame (ours just unscrewed at the back).
• Clean the frame thoroughly and if necessary sand and vacuum any dust from it.
• Paint the frame using chalky finish paint.  You may need to do 2 or 3 layers, leaving 12 hours between each coat (of course, if you already like it, don’t bother painting the frame!  This was a horrid faux-gold, so I HAD to paint it)
• Clean the mirror if needed, then use your ribbon to make an inter-weaving criss-cross pattern over the mirror (see pic below – like you would use for a noticeboard), fixing the ribbon in place at the back of the mirror with masking tape.
• Carefully replace the mirror within its frame.  This should be a snug fit, as this will prevent your ribbons from coming loose or moving.  Secure the mirror in place.
• Using mini-pegs, clip and tuck photos* of the couple onto the ribbons.
• At the end you shouldn’t see much of the ribbon, as it will be mostly covered with photos.
• You may want to leave the photo arrangement until you are at the wedding venue, so that you can do it in-situ, however I transported this with the display already done and it arrived in one piece, needing only minor tweaking!

*I sourced the photos secretly from friends and family in advance and had them printed in black and white in a square polaroid style, which I think helped them look consistent despite being of varying quality and era!  It also means your photo colours don’t clash with your chosen wedding colours.