DIY Photo Backdrop | For a Wedding, Engagement Party, or Party

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If you’re looking for a fun, and easy DIY photo backdrop, you have come to the right place! It’s a great way to add a little fun to your wedding, engagement party, bridal shower, baby shower, holiday, or any party.

One thing you may not know about me is that Martha Stewart is my idol. Growing up, I would flip through her magazines, website, and craft books. I loved how she made everything feel special and put together. So, I’ve been DIYing ever since!

When we got engaged (!!!) I knew that I would want to DIY our wedding. While there are some things I will definitely be paying the pros for (looking at you photog!) other parts we plan on doing ourselves. Decor is that area. I love photo booths and photo backdrops, so I knew I would want to make a DIY photo backdrop for our wedding and engagement party!

This was so easy! Yes there is some sewing involved, but I promise it’s easy peasy! If you don’t have a sewing machine, have no fear, you also could use this no-sew iron on stitch tape.

First, you’ll need to gather supplies. I got this photo backdrop stand. Unlike many backdrop stands, this one has three horizontal rods at the top, which is perfect to make a layered DIY photo backdrop.

Supplies:

Photo Backdrop Stand

8 yards Sheer Fabric

Silk Plants like these or these (I used 14, depends on how many clips you use)

Curtain Clips

String of Icicle Lights

Greenery Garland (I used 2, but will depend on how wide you want your backdrop)

Zip Ties

Once you have the supplies, putting together your DIY photo backdrop is simple and easy. While there are many pre-made options out there, what I love about the DIY route is you can customize it to your event, your colors, your feel. I used eucalyptus type greenery but you could easily do pine for a holiday theme, wheat for a country feel, or colorful flowers to fit your occasion.

Cut the fabric into 3, 8 foot sections. To sew the rod pocket, I don’t measure, or pin or anything. On the short side, fold over about an inch and a half, then sew along the fold to create a pocket for the rod to slide into. Again, I do not pin or anything, this does not have to be exact, no one will ever be able to tell that in one section it’s truly 1 1/2″ and in another spot it dips down to 1 3/4″. So, just go slow enough that you feel comfortable and can be in the ballpark. Do that for all 3 fabric panels.

Now, here is why I love the 3 rod photo backdrop stand. Layering! To put it all together, I put the 3 panels of fabric on the middle rod. On the back rod, take the strand of white icicle Christmas lights and secured the strand to the rod with zip ties. Pro tip: If possible, you will want to set this up a couple days ahead of time. Icicle lights right out of the box are crinkled so the icicles will be short. You want to give it some time to loosen up and the icicles to fall.

On the front rod, slide the curtain hanger clips onto the rod, and space them out as desired. This pack gives you 7 each, and I went with 2 packs. Again, you can customize this. You could have more, or less. Put them all on the sides with more cascading greenery, or in groups. I spaced mine evenly. Then attach the silk flowers, or greenery. You can trim the stem length as needed.

The last step, to help make it look more polished, I added the greenery garland at the top, to hide some of the clips and make it look more lush and finished. Secure with zip ties. Then all you need to do is call some friends over, have a party, and take some pictures!