Emma, the maker behind Howes That, is a needle felt maker known for her whimsical handmade characters and DIY kits. Alongside running her online shop and physical workshops, she began sharing her journey of planning and making for her own wedding – a project that unexpectedly captured huge attention online.
Her “Bride on a Budget” series, full of creative ideas, honest behind-the-scenes moments, and clever wedding hacks, has since amassed well over 2 million views across social media. What started as a personal approach to keeping costs down quickly resonated with couples everywhere, showing that a beautiful, meaningful wedding doesn’t have to come with a luxury price tag. From handmade bunting and homegrown flowers to needle felt cake toppers made from fabric offcuts of her dress, Emma’s wedding became a celebration of creativity, resourcefulness, and doing things your own way.
First things first – tell us a bit about you and your partner, your love story, and the kind of wedding you dreamed of when you first started planning.
I met my (now!) husband Josh in school when we were both 17, so you could definitely say we were high school sweethearts. We have basically grown up side by side, and after 11 amazing years together, he finally popped the question on the top of a beautiful mountain whilst on holiday in Italy… equal parts romantic and slightly overdue!
When it came to planning the wedding, we were both completely on the same page from the start. We knew we didn’t want anything too formal or traditional as we are not those kinds of people! We always loved the idea of staying in Wales to get married as we wanted it to feel like home, somewhere surrounded by mountains to really add to the atmosphere of the day.
From the very beginning, we knew we wanted a relaxed, laid-back wedding without too many formalities, more like a big get together with our favourite people. We were drawn to the idea of keeping things small and intimate, so we had just 40 guests with us to celebrate on the day.
During the planning process, I discovered that the average UK wedding costs over £20,000 which was far from our set budget! Even though we were planning a smaller wedding, we quickly realised how fast decor costs can add up, and one thing we didn’t want was to compromise on was the look and feel of the day. The only solution was to get crafty and make it ourselves!
Your ‘Bride on a Budget’ series really struck a chord – what do you think made it resonate so much with people?
I started the ‘Bride on a Budget’ videos because I was so proud of how much wedding decor I managed to make myself, and wanted to share that with others going through the same chaos of wedding planning too. Planning a wedding is overwhelming, and I wanted to show a more realistic side of it all, one where you don’t need unlimited budgets to make things look amazing.
Like so many crafty fiancés, I wanted a Pinterest wedding and had a very specific vision of how I wanted it to look. Alot of the inspiration I saved was way out of my budget, but I still wanted that look but for less. The only way I could get that was to make it myself.
I think the videos resonated with people because more couples are realising that weddings don’t have to follow a strict (and often expensive) formula to be beautiful or meaningful. People want reassurance that you can do things your own way, spend what feels comfortable, and still create something really special.
What were the first decor elements you decided to make yourself – and why those in particular?
Right from the start, I knew I wanted colour to be a huge part of the decor. I didn’t really have a strict colour scheme in mind, it was more about creating a vibe with a mix of fun, whimsical and bold colours.
With this in mind, the first thing I decided to make was the fabric bunting. It felt like the perfect way to bring in those pops of colour while instantly creating that laid-back, slightly festival feel we loved.
No fabric in my stash was safe from being turned into bunting. It ended up setting the tone for a lot of the other decor choices that followed and tied everything together. It also filled the venue space and tall ceilings beautifully, so had a big impact on the overall look.
Which DIY wedding project are you proudest of – and what did you learn from the process (even if it didn’t go perfectly)?
I think the project I’m most proud of has to be our cake toppers. As a needle felt artist, I always knew I wanted to bring my craft into the day in some way, but I didn’t want it to feel like I was taking on a commission. My aim was to incorporate some kind of small needle felted detail into the day, that we could keep forever as a special memento.
I ended up making little bride and groom bears as our cake toppers, which felt very us! I even used offcuts from hemming my wedding dress to create a tiny veil, which made it feel extra special and meaningful.
The process itself was such a lovely reminder to enjoy the making, rather than aiming for perfection. There were definitely moments where I overthought the details as the fact they were for my own wedding added so much extra pressure, but in the end it was those slightly imperfect touches that made the bears so unique. Seeing them on the cake on the day was such a proud, full-circle moment.
Were there any decor ideas you thought would be simple but turned out to be much harder than expected?
I really wanted our venue to be full of flowers on the day! As someone who loves gardening, it felt like a natural choice, but having professional florals just wasn’t in the budget. Slightly ambitiously, I decided to grow and arrange my own wedding flowers.
This was by far the most challenging part of the whole process! It took so much more planning than I expected and working out exactly when to sow everything to bloom at the right time is basically a science in itself. There was a lot of trial and error and a lot of last minute hoping for the best.
But don’t even get me started on the slugs… they nearly had their own wedding feast before I did!
Despite these challenges, it was so rewarding seeing the flowers come together for my bridal bouquet, bridesmaid’s posies and table bud vases on the day. It made it all feel even more personal, knowing I’d grown them myself.
When planning a ‘budget’ wedding, how did you decide what was worth spending on vs making vs skipping altogether?
When it came to planning a budget wedding, we really tried to focus on what mattered most to us rather than what you’re supposed to have. If something felt important to the overall experience or was too stressful to take on ourselves, that’s where we were happy to spend a bit more.
I think there are some real necessities, like food and live music, that we knew we just couldn’t (and probably shouldn’t!) try to do ourselves on the day. Those were definite priorities for us.
For everything else, I’d always ask myself, “Can I make this, and will I actually enjoy making it?” If the answer was yes, it became a DIY project.
If you have an interest or a skill in something, I’d say go for it! There are no rules saying you must do things the traditional way. If you’re great on a computer, have a go at designing your own invites. If you love baking, why not try making your own cake? It’s such a nice way to bring a unique bit of yourselves into the day.
Did creating things yourself change how you value handmade work from other makers?
Absolutely! I think a lot of people don’t always realise just how much time, effort, and care goes into making something by hand… even something that looks simple still takes so much patience and dedication.
I’m so used to being confident in my own craft of needle felting, but trying my hand at other skills really made me appreciate the time and effort behind other people’s work so much more.
It has given me a much deeper appreciation for other small businesses and makers. There’s something amazing about knowing an item has been carefully thought through, crafted and made by hand rather than mass-produced.
If you could give one piece of advice to couples thinking about using handmade decor or gifts for their wedding, what would it be?
Firstly, give yourself plenty of time. Whether you are making projects yourself or purchasing from independent makers. Handmade projects almost always take longer than you expect, especially when you’re balancing them alongside all the other parts of wedding planning.
Secondly, don’t get too caught up in what everyone else thinks your wedding should look like. The best handmade details are the ones that feel personal to you as a couple, not the ones made just to follow trends.
My last piece of advice would be to scope out your venue properly beforehand. Take photos of everything… and I mean EVERYTHING. The decor they already have, empty nooks, walls, tables and especially any hooks or nails that you can actually hang or display your DIYs from. There’s nothing quite like realising on the morning of your wedding that your beautiful sign has nowhere to go.
What role do you think handmade plays in making a wedding feel more personal or meaningful?
The process of making and getting to involve my family was so special and I will have memories that will last longer than just the wedding day itself. The handmade details make a wedding feel so much more personal because they carry memories with them, not just decoration.
I also love that handmade lets you include little inside jokes and quirky details that are completely unique to you as a couple… things you can’t just buy off the shelf. It’s those personal touches that will have your guests thinking, “this is so them!”
I have recently made a collection of custom woolly dogs that couples have used on their wedding cakes as a nod to their furry friends. They send me photos of their pets (the best part!) and I create a mini version to display.
What did it mean to you personally to be able to use your own making skills to create parts of your wedding day?
It definitely gave me a real sense of pride. Seeing things I had made from scratch become part of our important day felt really special and made everything feel even more personal.
I was also a very Type A bride, so being involved in creating and organising everything honestly helped keep my stress levels down. Knowing exactly what was happening, how things would look, and that it was all done the way I’d imagined gave me a lot of reassurance. I don’t think I could ever have fully handed it over to someone else!
Outside of the things you could make yourself, how important was it to you that you supported small businesses for your wedding?
It was incredibly important to me to support small businesses wherever I could throughout our wedding planning. After making so many things myself, I had such a deeper appreciation for the amount of time, creativity and care that goes into handmade work and running a small business.
Working with small businesses felt much more meaningful than simply ordering everything ‘next day’ from big companies and you can really feel the love people put into what they create. It made the whole day feel much more thoughtful and unique to us.
And finally, since sharing your journey online, how has your relationship with creativity changed – and what’s next for you (both as a maker and content creator)?
I don’t think it’s any surprise that I absolutely love a wedding! Sharing my own journey online has made me realise just how much I enjoy the creative side of them… not just making things, but sharing ideas, inspiration and the meaning behind all those little details.
It’s really changed the way I see creativity too. What started as something personal became something I wanted to share with others and hopefully use to become a small part of their special moments as well.
Looking ahead, I’d love to become part of other people’s wedding journeys, whether that’s sharing inspiration and DIY ideas, or making things that eventually become keepsakes and special memories in someone else’s life too. I have a collection of woolly cake toppers and decor listed on my Folksy shop so make sure to take a peek!
