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17 Cool Homemade Wedding Gifts Anyone Can Make

Updated: May 31, 2023

The next time you're invited to a wedding or bridal shower, give one of these perfectly personalized presents that won't break your bank.

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Courtesy A Beautiful Mess

Song lyric art

Blogger A Beautiful Mess has created pretty prints that would make for great DIY wedding gifts. Find out the couple’s first dance song—or, another memorable verse—and spell it out with vinyl letters on a prepared canvas. After a quick coat of spray paint, peel the letters free to reveal the patterned prose. In less that 30 minutes, you’ve created a present with more meaning than anything on the couple’s registry.

Get the tutorial at A Beautiful Mess

Courtesy Delightfully Noted

Memorable map

Track where the couple came from, met, and got married with this homemade wedding gift from Delightfully Noted. Easy enough: Cut shapes from a map and coat with Mod Podge, then adhere to colorful cardstock and frame. DIY wedding gifts aren’t the only fun crafts you can make for the happy couple.

Get the tutorial at Delightfully Noted.

Courtesy Marieken Hoefnagel of Your Invisible Crown

Patterned plates

Though there are a few examples of permanent marker plates out there, nothing compares to this modern, creative pattern from Always Wear Your Invisible Crown. Using a black permanent marker, draw simple shapes onto a porcelain plate, then pop into a 300ºF oven for about 15 minutes. Make a set of eight if you can.

Get the tutorial at Always Wear Your Invisible Crown.

Courtesy Alejandra Ramos

Blackboard glasses

Newlyweds who entertain will love that these DIY wedding gifts come with built-in drink “tags,” from Always Order Dessert. How to: Wrap painter’s tape around stems and apply a layer of blackboard spray paint to glass bases. For a bonus wedding gift, give with a nice bottle of wine. (Not sure which bottle to gift? These are the best wines for every health need.)

Get the tutorial at Always Order Dessert.

Courtesy A Beautiful Mess

Marker mug

Does he like one lump of sugar or two in his morning joe? How does she prefer her tea? Make personalized mugs for DIY wedding gifts with this easy craft from A Beautiful Mess. Pick up two porcelain mugs (or, gift eight for a full set) and a permanent marker, design, then pop in the oven.

Get the tutorial at A Beautiful Mess.

Courtesy A Beautiful Mess

DIY portrait

It’s surprisingly easy to transfer a printed image onto a canvas—and make it look like you painted the realistic pic yourself. With some crafty supplies like Liquidex (available online), you can create this fun project from A Beautiful Mess to give to the happy couple. Looking for a funnier gift? These joke presents will make any holiday great. 

Get the tutorial at A Beautiful Mess

Courtesy Heather Freeman of The Lovely Cupboard

Paint-dipped pots

Put old paint samples to good use with this two-second craft from The Lovely Cupboard. Turn flower pots upside down and pour paint onto their undersides, rotating slightly so that some paint spills over the side. Let dry upside down on a piece of newspaper. Gift with a houseplant that they can care for together.

Get the tutorial at The Lovely Cupboard

Courtesy Brit+Co

Watercolor pillows

Make your friends some throw pillows for a gift with this simple step-by-step from Brit + Co. With permanent markers in various colors, draw designs onto cotton pillows. Soak a cotton swab in rubbing alcohol and trace along your design to create a bleeding effect.

Get the tutorial at Brit + Co.

Courtesy A Beautiful Mess

Gold honey bear vase

Recycle honey bottles the way that A Beautiful Mess does and you’ll craft gorgeous gilded vases. All you need is a thoroughly washed bear-shaped container, a paintbrush, gold leaf, and 10 minutes. Want it faster? Opt for metallic gold spray paint instead. Attach a card with these pro tips to make flowers last longer so the couple can enjoy them in your vase as long as possible.

Get the tutorial at A Beautiful Mess.

Courtesy Sugar and Charm

Magnet silhouette

Here’s a quirky wedding gift for those who are good with scissors: Silhouette the happy couple (maybe even their dog?) for a fun fridge accessory. Eden Passante of Sugar and Charm prints a portrait onto a sheet of paper, cuts it out, and traces it onto magnet sheets. A few snips later, you’ll have a pristine profile.

Get the tutorial at Sugar and Charm.

Courtesy My Handcrafted Home

Playful pillows

Take two minutes and make these “Dreaming of You” pillow cases from My Handcrafted Home to add as a gag to a more significant bed or bath wedding gift. Simply slip a piece of cardboard inside a pillowcase, and draw with a black fabric pen. When your friends put their heads down, it will look like one is dreaming about the other.

Get the tutorial at My Handcrafted Home

Courtesy Karina from Maple Ash and Oak

Patterned napkins

Use the couple’s favorite colors to create unique linens for entertaining. Follow Karina from Maple Ash and Oak through this simple tutorial on Poppytalk to make napkins, table runners, placemats, and other pretty wedding gifts. Just make sure you always follow these important wedding etiquette rules when it comes to gift-giving.

Get the tutorial at Poppytalk

Courtesy Brit + Co

Wine-shot glasses

The creative geniuses at Brit + Co. came up with a cool way to relive your college years when celebrating a classmate’s wedding. Attach shot glasses to cup bottoms with clear hardware glue, and you’ve got a set of fun DIY stemware for a gift that’s anything but crystal. Check out these ideas for gifts for your wife she’ll absolutely love!

Get the tutorial at Brit + Co.

Courtesy Rebecca Gallop

Personalize coasters

Trendy, patterned coasters can cost big bucks at a nice home-goods store, but not if you make this gift yourself. In this beginner-level craft from A Daily Something, you start with tiles and acrylic paint, then let your imagination go—maybe incorporating the happy couple’s names and wedding date. If you’re shopping for a special lady in your life, this could also make a great gift for her.

Get the tutorial at A Daily Something.

Courtesy Penelope and Pip

Color-blocked coasters

Dress up wooden or cork coasters from any craft store with a coat of color and this cool tutorial from Poppy Talk. Just whip out the acrylic paint, a paintbrush, and some tape to get the cute look.

Get the tutorial at Poppy Talk.

diy string heart
Courtesy Green Wedding Shoes

String heart

This work of art by Green Wedding Shoes looks complicated, but you can complete it in no time at all—and for only $35! Spray paint a large piece of wood your desired color. Cover it with a large sheet of paper, trace a large heart, and then nail around the outline, keeping the nails about an inch apart. After you remove the paper, tie string to the head of one nail, then wrap it around any and every other nail. There’s no wrong way to do it!

Get the tutorial at Green Wedding Shoes

painted spoons
Courtesy going home to roost

Rainbow-painted wooden utensils

No couple can have too many kitchen tools, so why not spruce them up a bit? This idea from A Pretty Cool Life couldn’t be simpler. Just paint the bottoms of wooden utensils with non-toxic, dishwasher-safe enamel paint. Use plenty of bright colors to bring a smile to the newlyweds’ faces every time they cook.

Get the tutorial at A Pretty Cool Life

Reader's Digest
Originally Published in Reader's Digest