How to create a gallery wall - with free printable template

Our home has quite high ceilings throughout, meaning acres of blank wall can be a bit of a problem. This is especially the case on the stairs, where I decided to create my first ever gallery wall. So I thought I'd share with you my tips for creating your own display. Plus, I've included a template of the layout I used including measurements, so you can download and print, should you want to create your own gallery wall.
I felt very overwhelmed with where to start, so one thing I would definitely recommend is gathering lots of inspiration first. I looked in magazines, on Instagram and good old Pinterest (have a look at the board I put together here), before deciding on the look I wanted to go for. 

Something else I think is important is to decide on a 'theme' for your wall. I decided to incorporate images/items that were all related to our wedding day, and opted for the colours of black, white and gold to tie everything together nicely. 

I knew I wanted to feature black and white photos from our big day, so printed out a number in different sizes, and put them in white frames from Homebase. To compliment this nicely I decided to include any non-photo bits in black frames, also from Homebase. 

This included one of our invitations which I framed, a gorgeous gold foil print from the fab Home Full of Dreams, gold leaf initial letters from Posh Graffiti, and this stunning personalised drawing from the amazingly talented Laura over at Dolly Doodles. 

I then put together two prints myself, using a gold pen and calligraphy, which I've been trying to teach myself recently. 

Finally I found these beautiful glass picture frames, and knew they'd be perfect thing to finish the wall off. I filled them with some more handwritten calligraphy. 

I decided I wanted the design and layout of the wall to take a very structured style, with everything lining up with each other exactly, so laid the frames out on the floor to create the style I wanted before drilling holes in the wall. 

Once we were happy with the way everything was laid out (and had taken lots of photos!), we cut some paper to the size of all the pieces, and stuck it up on the wall. This enables you to make sure everything is properly spaced out and you're happy with the layout before drilling any holes. 

The finished look! 

Click here download and print your gallery wall layout template 

What are your tips for putting together a gallery wall? I'd love to see your displays - tag me over on Instagram: @dove_cottage.

Thanks for reading 

Sam Xx