Shu Hsuan Tu + Siqin Ye

Posted by Khris in Real DIYers

Please thank bride, Shu,  for sharing her beautiful wedding with us!

Bride and Groom: Shu and Siqin
Wedding Date: Date: 05-31-08
Location: Metropolitan Building, Long Island City, NY.
What DIY elements were included: Shu designed, made and decorated everything in the wedding from interior
set up, invitations, name cards, table cards, and the cake. Can we all say DIY Rock Star?

Brooklyn Bride’s Holiday Card Swap

Posted by Khris in Opportunties

I am all about craft swaps this season, so I was particularly delighted when Liene from Blue Orchid Designs posted about Brooklyn Bride’s Holiday Card Swap. What a cool way to connect crafters and brides.

The 10 Cent Tea Light Photo Holder

Posted by Khris in Ceremony & Reception Accessories, DIY Projects & Tutorials

I ran across this great little project from atelier v. {via Photojojo} this morning. The project could be used for seating cards, pictures, and table numbers. The metal bases can even be painted if brushed silver just isn’t your thang.

If you haven’t been to Photojojo yet, rush over there right away. They have great DIY projects that can be used for weddings and an abundance of tips for taking great pics.

2003 Reader Survey: Recently Married DIYers

Posted by Khris in Wedding Planning

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