The New DIYBride: Even More DIY-ier!

Posted by Khris in DIYBride News

As you may have noticed, DIYBride has undergone some changes this month: outdated content has been purged, the blog content has been re-categorized, dedicated sections for real weddings and inspiration boards have been added. This is the first phase in a total restructuring of DIYBride.com.

After 7 years of operating the site I feel like it’s no longer meeting its potential as a resource for you, my lovely do-it-yourselfers. It is also falling short in fulfilling my personal needs for creativity and, let’s be real here, a sustainable income. A fundamental shake-up in what DIYBride is and how we operate is in order here. (Honestly, this is a very scary thing for me, to be so open and to reveal so much about the workings of my business.)

The first step was purging the old stuff and reorganizing the keeper pile. The second phase is to bring back the community-aspect of the site. The new configuration will have forums and a social network to offer you different ways of connecting with other DIYers to share ideas, inspiration, support, and how-to stuff. That’ll be online in a couple of weeks. I’m very excited about this because I know firsthand how utterly awesome the DIY community is.

Phase 3 brings new exclusive content to DIYBride in the forms of a monthly epublication, online workshops and seminars, guest crafters/submissions, and some new to-be-announced features. (In addition to our regular content, of course!)

The last phase in the restructuring is the addition of an online store where you may purchase professionally designed templates, hard-to-find supplies, handmade treasures, and other DIY-related goodness.

The coming weeks are going to be insanely busy (I’m writing the 3rd DIY Bride book right now, too, by the way) and I’ll be quieter than normal throughout the transition ‘cos I’ve got stuff to do, yo. I wanted you to be aware of what’s coming and to also ask for your support throughout the process. As the sole proprietor here, I do  99% of the stuff myself so I’m a little overextended and it’s taking me a looooong time to respond to email and calls at the moment. (A big shout out to Meg, who’s been working on SEO stuff for me for months now and to Mr. DIYBride Himself who’s begun lending a hand with some tasks, too!)

All the best,

Khris

The Big Purge

Posted by Khris in DIYBride News

After 7 years of doing this amazing little blog thing, I’ve decided to change how DIYBride.com operates. As part of the restructuring, I’ve removed a buttload of content – as some of you have noticed.

Most of the purged posts were links to resources that no longer exist. Some of the other posts were outdated; they may have contained information that was several years old or info that simply is not relevant to today’s bride. Personal things, notices of site downtime or old site news, and other irrelevant posts were deleted as well. All-in-all nearly 1/2 of the content here was removed because it simply was sucking up space and wasn’t really helpful or meaningful.

If there’s something here that you’ve bookmarked and can no longer find it, it’s likely gone for good. However, there are some things that’ve changed URLs so please do a quick site search before you email me. If there’s  something missing you’d love to have back, shoot me an email and I’ll certainly take it into consideration.

Sarah + Eric

Posted by Khris in Real DIYers

Photographer Rachel Garcia from Brilliant Imagery submitted the charming wedding of Eric and Sarah.

About the couple, Rachel gushes “Eric and Sarah’s wedding was in Faribault, MN off of Circle Lake on May 29th 2010. Eric had the sweetest boyhood charm I have ever seen and Sarah complimented him perfectly with her caring, gentle manner.”

DIY Elements: Nearly everything! The bridesmaid’s purses, the flowers, the wooden signs, the fake wooden mustaches and table linens where all homemade. The dress was made by the bride’s grandmother. And Eric and Sarah spend the day before their wedding making tons of homemade ice cream for all their guests.

Rachel Garcia
702-249-6557
www.brilliantimagery.net
http://brilliantimagery.blogspot.com

Jenny + Jake

Posted by Khris in Real DIYers

Can you believe Jake and Jenny designed this charming and intimate soiree on just $3,500? I love featuring smaller-budget weddings!

Photographer: Amanda Hoffman, FinnRose Photography in Bloomington, Indiana
Couple’s Names: Jake and Jenny Livingston
Wedding date: June 2010
Wedding location: Just outside Nashville Indiana in Brown County State Park
What was DIYed/what made it creative:The flowers and cake were DIYed by the family. A friend of the family made the bride’s dress, the flower girl’s dress, and the groom and best man’s ties. The catering was done by an organic caterer and was one f the best meals I have ever had.

Win Copies of The DIY Bride Books

Posted by Khris in Contests

Hey DIYers,

It feels like giveaway time! I’m giving away a very special prize: a copy of both of my books. That’s right, you can win 40 Fun Projects For Your Ultimate One-of-a-Kind Wedding and The Crafty Countdown in one neat little package this time.

The DIY Bride Books

Here’s what you need to do:

1. Leave a comment to this post (posting comments to other posts is perfectly fine but won’t gain you the opportunity to win the prize).
2. In your comment, tell me what kind of projects you’re planning on or hope to do.
3. Enter by July 30th. On August 01, I’ll pick 2 winners at random.

The fine print:

• I ask that only brides-to-be (and grooms, too) enter the contest, please. Since they’re the ones in the most need of the info & inspiration in the book, I strongly feel they’re the ones who should have the opportunity to win a copy.
• Open to residents of the US, Canada, Australia/NZ, and the UK at this time.
• One entry per person.