If you regularly stop by the blog then you'll already know that the RMW team is fond of a DIY project or two. In the past we've bought you CD mixtape favours, rubber stamp stationery, cake flag toppers, miniature wreaths, golden swings and a whole heap of glittery goodness to name a few.

If you missed out on these splendid projects the first time round then have no fear; all you need to do is to click on the grey ' DIY Projects ' tab just underneath the RMW logo and it will take you to a dedicated page containing all the DIYs ever to have featured on the site.

I know, how awesome is that?!

And so, onto the topic of today's post which I'm sure you've guessed by now is another crafting beauty. This time we'll be showing you lovelies how to create a bespoke table plan for your wedding reception using luggage labels and badges. Well you know us, if there's ever a chance to incorporate a badge or two into W-Day decor then we'll use it...

What You Will Need:

Essentials:

Metal ruler, cutting mat, scalpel or craft knife, hole punch, wool or ribbon or twine of your choosing, scissors, printer, brown paper or desired paper/card of your choosing, RMW Download and badge making kit.

Step 1 - Gather Your Essentials

The first step really, even before you collect all your 'essentials' together is to print off the luggage label and badge templates that we've provided for you as a handy download at the bottom of this post.

We chose to print both downloads onto some snazzy looking brown paper for a more rustic feel but there's absolutely no reason why you can't use coloured paper to complement your wider wedding scheme or thick velvety card if you're after something more luxurious.

To explain the concept of the table plan, each of the 'luggage labels' represents a table at your wedding reception. We've chosen some rather random table names e.g. 'I Like Your Face' and 'Oh Happy Day' to name two but again you can tailor this DIY to reflect names/places/sayings that are more personal to you and your intended. Each luggage label has a number of lines pre-printed on them for you to write down the names of those guests who will be sitting at the respective table.

The badges themselves double up as the place name of the guest as well as providing you with a canny little wedding favour. I know - super cool, right?! All you need to do is to print off the same number of badge templates as the number of guests that will be sitting at the self-same table.

Make sense? Yep thought so...we told you it was super easy.

Step 2 - Brown Paper Labels Tied Up With String

Ok so once you've printed off the luggage labels using our download you'll need to cut them out. Obviously if you're not the owner of a craft knife and cutting mat then of course you can use a pair of scissors instead. We tend to favour the craft knife method purely because of the clean lines that it gives to all kinds of paper pretty.

Next you'll need to cut out a hole at the top of your luggage label which is where you'll be threading your twine/ribbon/wool through. I bet you were wondering where that hole punch would come in handy eh?! We used a small handy version a bit like this one but there's no reason why you couldn't use a conventional one.

The last step of 'Step 2′ is all about your bits of twine and string. Well actually in this case it's wool. We love wool, in fact we can't get enough of the stuff but that doesn't mean that you need to use it in your own table plan. Perhaps you're a fan of garden twine or you fancy using some vintage ribbon you've picked up on your travels? Both are equally as practical for this DIY so customise to your heart's content.

Cut your chosen ribbon/wool/twine to your desired length and loop through the hole you cut out earlier.

Step 3 - Display All The Way

Once you've completed the luggage labels for each table you'll need to think carefully about how you'll display them for your guests to see at your wedding.

We loved the idea of hanging the labels off this mirrored window frame that we snagged from Mrs O'Shea's house and propped against a wall but there's no reason why you can't be as creative as you like in your styling.

Why not hang the signs from a painted twiggy tree in a large vase at the entrance to the room in which you'll be serving dinner or have your florist make you a special heart shaped wreath or hoop to dangle them from in the area that you'll be hosting your drinks reception in.

As always accessorise with lots of florals and maybe a handsome usher or two...

Step 4 - Badge Up Your Life!

Ok so let's move onto the badge part of the DIY.

We mentioned earlier that the badges double up as both the place name of the guest as well as providing you with a sweet wedding favour for them to take home as a memento of the day. So, once you've printed off the same number of badge templates as the number of guests that will be sitting at the self-same table you'll actually need to make the badges themselves.

We made our badges using the RMW badge making machine - yep we actually have one of those bad boys in our crafting cupboard would you believe. Now obviously not everyone has their own machine but I'm told that you can hire them by the day if you don't want to fork out the pennies for your own.

If you are interested in purchasing one then you can do so here ...

To make it clear which guest is sitting at which place setting you'll need to download our smaller luggage labels (also included at the bottom of the post) and scrawl the names of your nearest and dearest on each one.

Using your chosen pieces of twine or string you'll then need to attach this individual label to the badge that corresponds with the table they'll be sitting at. 'Anthony' for example is sitting at the 'I Fancy Your Pants' table.

Awesome!

Step 5 - Table Pretty

All you need to do now is make sure that each of your tables is laid out with their respective badges in the right places on the day itself. We recommend that the badges are laid out with the name face side up on the napkins or in the middle of the place settings for easy viewing.

We guarantee that your guests will love it!

Accessorise with pretty blooms and you're away!

So there you have it, your very own table plan nightmares solved in a jiffy.

Will you be using this DIY for your big day? How will you modify it to complement your wedding theme? Perhaps you'll get your guests to pose with their badges for your wedding guestbook...

We'd love to hear all about it.

All my love Lolly xxx

YOU CAN DOWNLOAD OUR TEMPLATES HERE