Manic Monday: DIY Do’ and Don’t’s

Manic Monday by Corine Brosseau

DIY projects are all the rage on Pinterest these days and they’ve become more of a trend than a way to save money on your wedding details. Despite all this, DIY can easily become stressful and it’s important to keep a few things in mind when taking on a project for your special day. Here are some of our do’s and don’t’s for wedding day DIY.

– DO inject your fiancé and your personalities into your DIY projects. Making your own wedding decor is an opportunity to really allow your unique love story to shine. You’ll end up with something truly one of a kind that everyone will always remember because of how well it reflected the two of you!

– DON’T bite off more than you can chew. Too many DIY projects can lead to more stress than they are worth – especially if you are still busy with work, kids, or other wedding prep. Make sure that anything you take on is do-able and not overambitious.

– DO check out bridal blogs and sites like Lover.ly or Pinterest for lots of DIY inspiration. I especially love the tutorials on Hey Gorgeous – they’re full of step by step images and really fun, unique ideas.

–DON’T forget to have a back up plan. If something doesn’t work out, it’s important to have a Plan B so you aren’t left with any missing details.

–DO know when to trust the professionals. If you know nothing about graphic design or stationary, you may want to leave designing your invites to someone with the experience necessary to create a gorgeous product. Sometimes it makes more sense to spend a bit more money and save yourself the stress of worrying if the end product will come out the way you want it to.

Did you DIY for your wedding or are you planning to do so? Share your favorite DIY projects or stories on our Facebook page!

Gingerbread Favors

Clever Crafts by Private Receptions

Winter weddings lend themselves perfectly to all sorts of fun themes and DIY projects.  Take this gingerbread favor for example!  What better way to send off your guests than with a delicious holiday treat!  Here’s the how to:

You’ll Need:

4″ gift boxes
kraft paper
one bundle of greens (they used oregonia)
waxed string or baker’s twine

parchment paper (can be found in the baking aisle of your food store)
homemade gingerbread cookies
round Avery labels

 

1.  Stack cookies in four’s and tie with string

2. Place cookies in craft boxes, lined with parchment paper

3. Write or print names, wedding logo or monogram on labels

4. Wrap boxes in kraft paper (If you’re not too handy at wrapping, tissue paper works too and is a bit more forgiving)

5. Tie box with string and tuck in holly or festive greenery

 

This is also a fun project for you and your bridesmaids and mom to work on together.  Plus, it’s versatile enough that you can customize to your own wedding by wrapping boxes in your wedding colors…

Happy baking!

 

Photo courtesy of Project Wedding

Do It Yourself

Diary of a Bride to Be by Lauren Cooper

As a college Art major and soroity alumnae, I’m big on crafts.  So, I’ve been searching for ways to do little wedding projects myself without taking on too much and driving myself insane.  To date I’ve decided to print the escort cards, menu cards and programs myself, and I’ve even purchased Microsoft Publisher to make them snazy looking.  But I’ve been searching for something a little more “hands on.”  Enter my wedding savior Etsy.  I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this before, but I LOVE Etsy. I started searching for address wraps for our invites, since I’m not so confident in my caligraphy skils and I thought a plain label would be a little, well, pasee.  Anyway, I found the perfect one from blushprintables.  Ok so it’s not totally do it myself since she has already designed the lovely wraps and all I have to do is type in the address and print.  BUT, it’s just what I was looking for to add an extra touch to our invites.  Whoohoo!

Coming up next:  Birthday weekend dress shopping!  This saturday (my birthday) my mom, sister (and new baby), FMIL and bestest friend ever are going dress shopping to help me make a decision between the two dresses I’ve been dreaming of.