2003 Reader Survey: Recently Married DIYers

In 2003, we polled just over 100 recently married couples about their DIY experiences. Their responses yielded some excellent advice and wisdom for anyone contemplating a DIY wedding. Benefits of DIY: • You control the design or concept • You control the quality of product or service you create for yourself • You control the pricing/budget • Each project you make is uniquely yours • You get to excerise your creative talents Negatives of DIY: • It’s not always cheaper than having someone else do it • Creating your own projects can take a long time • DIY may be intimidating if you’re not crafty or are in a creative funk • There’s often a huge time commitment involved • You’ll likely need reliable help to complete projects • You may need to buy a bunch of expensive supplies just to get started • It may be difficult to find inexpensive, quality, or unique supplies Tidbits from our poll: • 57% said they’d go DIY all over again • 66% said they’d scale back their DIY projects if they did it again • The average budget for DIY supplies was $800 • 84% said they went over budget • The average amount of hours spent on DIY projects was 200+ (that’s over 25 8-hour days) • 89% said they underestimated the time needed to complete their projects • 45% said they didn’t have enough help • 55% said they couldn’t find the right supplies • The most popular projects were: – invitations, rsvps, maps – programs – favors & gifts – table cards/seating cards – bouquets & flower arrangements – centerpieces & decor