From The Straits Times    |

scrapbooking.jpgArt Direction Poon Ken Jee; Photography Vee Chin; Styling Janice Seah & Lily Lee

You might be surprised at what some brides are willing to DIY, considering how time-consuming some projects can be. What you decide to do depends on the detail that’s important to you in your wedding. These are the top DIY categories popular with brides today.

1. WEDDING STATIONERY
This is one of the most popular. Daunting as it may seem, it’s actually easy to manage. Plus, there are plenty of options for things to DIY (and you don’t have to make them all): for instance, save-the-date cards, invitations, favour tags, thank you cards, place cards and so forth.

The challenge in creating your own stationery is in the design – good if you’re design-savvy; get a friend with a design background to help if you’re not, suggests one of our real brides, Heng Poh Bwee, who got married in 2008. “My friend designed a central motif, which I used on all the stationery,” she says. “Besides saving money, it felt great to be able to create my very own stationery. And I got to choose everything personally,” she adds. Materials are also readily available, with craft stores selling a dizzying array.

2. SCRAPBOOKING
Hot among the 20something set, many of whom are brides-to-be, scrapbook albums are one of the more popular things to make. Some brides create one for display at their reception table. Usually, this would be a catalogue of the couple’s relationship. Other brides make one to give to their parents as a tribute and gift.

You don’t have to be a seasoned “scrapper” to create such items; there are plenty of “all-in” kits for scrapbook albums in stores. Each kit contains all the necessary materials, from paper to embellishments, for making an album. Prices for such kits range from $30 to $100, depending on how extensive the work is and what it contains.

3. FLOWERS
Most brides leave this to the professionals if it’s a massive project. But if you want to try, keep it simple – basic bouquets, corsages, and boutonnieres – and you can’t go wrong. Research, via the Internet, on the flowers you want to have, their availability (for example, if the flowers are seasonal or not) and how long they last in our heat and humidity. Get “look” ideas off floral books (Kinokuniya has a wide selection of lovely ones) or off Internet bridal forums.

One problem to expect with flowers is the timing. The arrangements can only be done the day before, so that finished products stay and look fresh. If you have a big fridge at home, store your flowers there first; it helps to keep them fresh.

4. DECOR AND SET-UP
This can be as simple as hanging lanterns off trees for a garden party or as complicated as making floral garlands for your aisle. It depends on each bride’s skill level. What you’ll need is a keen eye for detail and a strong theme to work with. You’ll need to decide on a theme (colour is usually the easiest to work with), then determine the different ways you can show it off.

This article was originally published in Her World Brides Mar – May 2010.