I just finished my first carpentry project! I built a 3.5 ft. long planter for a wedding decoration project. Yay, I can't believe I actually managed to make something out of lumber! All by myself! It feels good to realize my ambitions in carpentry at last.
The other day I bought my one and only wedding magazine since getting engaged: the Summer 2009 issue of Martha Stewart Weddings. I was drawn to its special DIY (do-it-yourself) section, and I'm a sucker for all things DIY. Heck, our entire bloody wedding is DIY. Anyway, the magazine also features real weddings, and to my utter surprise one of the brides wore the same dress as mine (except with a slightly different neckline). Cool...I think. Some twisted part of me wishes that the dress I chose is exclusive to me only, but given that I bought it off the rack, I'm sure many other women have worn it for their weddings.
DIY has been the operative theme for our wedding, and I chose to do it this way so that I could make sure that things are done in the most environmentally friendly way. One of the downsides to weddings is the incredible amount of waste that's produced, not just in materials but also in energy. And even the things that we outsourced to others, we chose to work with vendors that are mostly within a 5-mile radius of our house.
But DIY comes at a price, which is that it takes more time. I'm also finding that choosing the ecological option is usually very budget-friendly, but at times it is definitely not. And I've been struggling with the challenge that being "green" may result in your wedding looking sparse when it comes to decor. It's been an interesting learning experience to strike a balance. I think the solution is to be as decorative as you want but try to use as many materials that are either used and/or that can be reused or re-purposed after the wedding.
All in all, I'm very pleased with how I've designed the wedding. Nevertheless, I'm anxious to see how it will all pan out on the actual day and if my vision of the wedding can be realized the way I had hoped.
