DYI Wedding

According to statistics, the average cost of a wedding today hovers somewhere around what it would cost to buy a new car or put a good-size down payment on a house (Or even buy a house. The housing market is bad, after all). That in mind, I've been doing absolutely everything I can do in order to save $$ on my upcoming nuptials. Although my crafty-ness veers more toward pencil and sketchpad than hot glue gun and sewing machine, I decided to pick this one up. An Affair to Remember, the third DYI Bride book, contains recipes for several of the typical craft book staples, such as how to make a rope-wrapped vase or how to construct a wall hanging from ribbons. Others (the crape paper flowers) are pretty tacky. Still, I got a couple ideas. Maybe not for stuff I can do myself, but certainly for lower cost (but still cool) alternatives.

One thing I did like about this book was this: Rather than assume the reader is a regular Martha Stewart, it breaks "how-to" part of the crafts down in easy steps even a total clutz like me could follow without botching too severely. Additionally, each craft breaks down the average cost of the materials, letting the reader know exactly how much they're looking to spend (which can then be compared to the cost of the store-bought alternative). This is especially helpful to those of us who are trying to stick to a certain budget. Overall, a cool book. I just might try some of the simpler crafts. And who knows...I just might surprise myself with my craftiness! --AJL