As a bit of a crafter, I’ve been really drawn to the idea of a DIY wedding. I know it’s not always cheaper and it’s not always more environmentally friendly, but it is more unique and more fun on my end, and I think I’m the type of person who can get creative and make it cheap and green.
But I need some kind of inspiration to get into crafty mode, usually. I suffered from a bit of a wedding magazine obsession for a while, but all that inspires you to do is feel like you have to spend more and more money, sometimes on things that other people DIY’d. I mean, I love Etsy as much as the next person, but I have no desire to buy a faceless, clothespin cake topper for a hundred dollars, thank you very much, when I know for a fact that I could spend a whopping $5 on two clothes pins and a hot glue stick to make the exact same thing (I already have the paint and scrap fabric).
Wedding magazines also cost a fair amount of money, and, much like I discovered about Cosmo’s sex tips when I was 19, you quickly realize you’re reading the same crap over and over, and half of it is so unrealistic (or frightening) for real people it might as well be science fiction.
So I’ve been looking instead for inspiration to websites and books, which I check out from my local library (nothing’s cheaper than free!). There are some really good websites out there, my favorites include DIY Bride, Offbeat Bride and Ruffled. ReadyMade, my favorite DIY magazine, even has a Wedding Wednesdays portion on their website. For more traditional ideas there is of course Martha Stewart Weddings (I love her classy alternative to Jello Shots), and of course, one cannot over look Instructables for any kind of DIY project, just search for weddings on their site, and hundreds of projects will pop up.
Books can get a little more tricky. I’ve checked out just about every wedding craft book at the library and looked at every wedding craft book at Barnes and Noble (then requested those books at the library). Most of the wedding craft books out there are super lame. Maybe if you’re planning a super frilly wedding in the 80’s, you’d like these books, but for the most part, there’s nothing to be gleaned from most of them. My favorites so far have been The Paper Bride, DIY Bride, DIY Bride Countdown and The Artful Bride. Martha Stewart’s wedding books are okay, if you’re super traditional (which I am not).
But honestly, I’ve gotten more inspiration from regular craft books, so don’t over look them at the library if you’re looking for DIY ideas. If you’re planning a holiday wedding, holiday craft books are going to give you some great ideas. While I’m not super big on Martha’s wedding stuff, her holiday stuff is awesome. I’ve had a good time with books like AlternaCrafts, Handmade Home and 1001 Ideas for Creative Reuse. There are tons of books out there on crafting cool things out of things you would otherwise throw away, incorporating those kinds of projects into your wedding would be both green and cheap. Seriously, ReadyMade is the best source of ideas for those kinds of projects, I think. Not only does it have a million ideas for recycled DIY projects, but their projects are hip and modern.
Green Cheap Wedding 