Your Maritime wedding DIYs

Many modern couples have a do-it-yourself element to their weddings to bring a personal touch and save a bit of money.

With the popularity of Pinterest and an abundance of videos on YouTube, it's not hard to find inspiration and instructions. 

Maritimers proudly shared some of their wedding projects with CBC via a couple of Facebook posts and Twitter. 

(Please note that usernames are not necessarily the names of commenters. Some comments have been altered to correct spelling and to conform to CBC style.)

Natalie Radix Prentice of Kensington, P.E.I., made her bouquets from old jewelry and dollar store flowers for her 2012 nuptials in Summerside, P.E.I., she said.  

"All centrepieces were made by hand with shells and sand and broken bits from jewelry. We had a potluck for the meal!" she said. "It's not the money you spend, but who you are spending time with for your wedding." 

Carol Serroul is originally from Cape Breton and said she DIY'ed a lot of her wedding in 1999.

"Aunts made my dress, I made my veil, husband's vest, our bouquets and invitations," she said. 

Just a few personal touches

Ashe Green was married last summer and wanted to add a few personal touches.

"I tried to keep my DIY to a minimum since there's already so much to do," she said. "But I did design my own invitations, table numbers, signage, etc."
 
She printed most of them at home on a laser printer but some were ordered online, including the canvas that listed table seatings.

Melanie Press made her own wedding tiara, she said on Facebook.

"I wanted something unique that no one else had. I also decorated my shoes with the same coloured stones," Press said. 

Made their own bar

Mikey Wasnidge and his bride were married this spring and say they DIY'd everything — the bouquets, floral hoops, archway, backdrop, signs, even the dress! 

"The thing that I am most proud of though is this pallet bar," Wasnidge shared on Facebook. 

Melissa Batchilder invited 15 girls age four to 18 who had all dreamed of being in a wedding to be part of hers.  

"Told them to show up in their fave dress and I would provide flowers I wrapped in tartan. Is that DIY? It was so adorable when we were a bouquet short and all the girls decided to take a few of each bouquet to make an extra!" she said on Facebook. 

Alicia Fraser is making all the decorations for her wedding ceremony and reception this fall, she said via Twitter.

"Shopping online for craft supplies is a must, and don't be afraid to dive deep into the Google and Pinterest searches," Fraser advised. "Six weeks to go and it's crunch time. Don't leave it to the last minute or you'll panic."

'Moss and candles don't mix!'

Ainsley Kendrick and her wife married in 2010 on P.E.I. and DIY'ed much of their wedding including Kendrick's hairpiece, corsages, favours and decor. Kendrick's parents even made the wine for the event. 

"Our centrepieces kinda caught fire, eek! Moss and candles don't mix!" she said.

Micayla Christena was recently married and many elements of her wedding were do-it-yourself, including bouquets, centrepieces, flowers, and cake. 

"My dad and fiancé cut down a tree to make the wood rounds for our centrepieces and cake stand, and our cake was made by my sweet sister-in-law," she said on Facebook. 

Jessica and Mike Fritz were married last summer — Jessica picked P.E.I. wildflowers for her bouquet and tables. The "guest book" was rocks gathered from the shore, which guests could sign. 

"I did DIY to save money and to have it feel like mine. I had so many ideas around the theme (ocean) and everything that grows and lies around. I think we saved hundreds of dollars if not a grand or two," Jessica said. 

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