6 DIY Tips for Planning Weddings on a Budget

Do-it-yourself – or DIY – options can be a great way to optimize your wedding planning budget. If you want to have the perfect wedding with money to spare for the honeymoon, we've got some tips for you!

Most brides don't have unlimited wedding funds, and they have to plan their ceremony, reception, and honeymoon on a strict budget. And sometimes it can be difficult to find that perfect medium where your dreams and your limited financial resources aren't constantly at odds with each other.

Many brides learn how to steal a little from one line in their budget in order to splurge a little in another and you can put this practice to use too. For instance, when you find the perfect dress but it's $250 over your dress budget, you might find that you can make up the difference by saving money on things like flowers or makeup.

6 DIY Tips to Save Money on Your Wedding


Wedding Flowers – Silk flowers can be arranged by a novice because they hold up to the trimming, placing, and arranging it takes to get a bouquet just right. Plus they are cheaper than fresh flowers and can even be sold or donated when you're finished with them. Look for pictures of arrangements you like, and duplicate your favorite styles. However, give yourself plenty of time to work on your arrangements so that your finished product is something you truly love.

Wedding Favors – Look for items to enhance your guest tables that you can craft on your own to save money. We don't mean to brag, but we think our DIY Pinwhirl kits aren't just classy and fun, they are an affordable way to create beautiful favors for your wedding!

Wedding Invitations – You don't have to go through an overpriced printer to have customized invitations. With specialty paper and a home printer you can create your own wedding invitations or save the date cards.

Cupcakes – If you're a bride who likes less conventional wedding desserts, you can try making and decorating your own cupcakes. The cakes freeze well so you can plan ahead, and icing them is much easier than decorating the traditional tiered wedding cake. After some practice, you can decorate like a pro. (Check out some great cupcake recipes and toppers.)

Wedding Makeup – We know not every bride wants to do her own makeup. However, if you're willing to skip on some extra pampering, you can save money by foregoing the cost of a professional makeup artist. Get a free makeover at a cosmetic retailer, buy the necessary items in your colors, and apply it yourself or ask a friend or family member to help you with the application if you're too jittery with nervous energy.

Photomontage – Compile your own photomontage rather than hiring your photographer or videographer to handle the job. With today's technology it's easy to put together a slide show or video on your home PC.

What DIY wedding planning ideas can you think of to help brides save big on their special day?

Do-It-Yourselfer Creations - Circus Themed Party

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Another one of Australian clients was recently kind enough to forward photos of

her DIY Pinwheel Creations - another Circus themed party! Although this time the party was not a children's party but rather a 30th Birthday party. What a fun way to celebrate such a monumental birthday - by acting like a child again. :)

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Sacha purchased our DIY Pinwheel supplies to make these whimsical pinwheel creations.

I really heart all of her eye popping papers - just perfect for the Circus theme.

And the pinwheels were once again propped into buckets filled with candies

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this time Smarties instead of M&Ms. :)

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Our clients are just so clever!

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Anyway, the above photos don't do this party justice.

To view more party details, for more information on where she purchased all of her other supplies, and most importantly - for more festive photos please visit Sacha's blog here.

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If you enjoyed her party as much as I did, please let her know by commenting on her blog.

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Thanks Sacha for forwarding these photos. You are truly one gifted party planner. :)
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Wedding Pinwheels

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Did you get engaged over Christmas or the New Year?

Are you planning a Spring, Summer, or Early Fall Wedding?

Do you want your wedding to stand apart from all of the rest?

Would you like to stray away from traditional bouquets, place cards, and the like while staying under budget?

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Wedding pinwheels are the perfect soluction for fun and flirty weddings! Many pinwheels can double as both centerpieces and party favors. They are available in many sizes including

Mini (4" handles), Small Handheld (5" handles), Handheld (8" handles), Large Handheld (12" handles), Yard (16" handles), and clothespin pinwheels.

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We've sold over 6200 pinwheels in the past year, many of these were designed specifically for weddings. Our pinwheel creations have been featured on Snippet & Ink, 100 Layer Cake, Hostess with the Mostess, The Atlantan Bride and many other sites and publications.

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As well as having over 200 paper designs in stock, since we print our own papers in house, we can design and alter pinwheel papers to coordinate perfectly with your wedding theme and colors.

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Handheld Wedding Pinwheels begin at $2 per pinwheel. Wording, center spinners, place card flags, and ribbon can be added for an additional fee. Our fancier version of pinwheels, Pinwheel Peonies, begin at $3.00 each.

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To view galleries of our previous wedding pinwheels just visit the below links:

http://www.pinwhirls.com/gallery.htm

http://www.pinwhirls.com/pages/clientphotos.htm

http://pinwhirlparties.blogspot.com/search/label/weddings

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As our production calendar books up quickly, contact us today and we'll put together a custom pinwheel order for you.

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On a Budget? We also offer DIY Wedding Pinwheels and Kits at the DIY area of our shop.

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A New Year is Unfolding ...

A New Year is Unfolding

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like a blossom with petals curled tightly

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concealing the beauty within.

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The unfolding year of 2010 is bound to bring many changes to my personal and professional life and I cannot wait to see the beauty unveil.

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In my personal life

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Roger and I will be welcoming a little one (our first)

in early April of 2010.

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In my professional life

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the birth of little baby Dreher this Spring will allow me to stay home to raise him/her and also put more effort into my pinwhirls business. Something I've been wanting to do for over 2 years.

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In the early part of this year I also plan to unveil quite a few exciting new products and product enhancements including

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1. More DIY Pinwheel Kit Options

2. Pinwheels with 'Dressed Up' Handles

3. Another Place Card Flag Option

3. Traditional Wooden Pinwheels

4. Customizable Party Cones

5. More varieties and sizes of Party Hats
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We invite you to 'Follow Us' at the link to the right so you to can keep updated as the petals unfold.

Introducing ...

INTRODUCING

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our Pinwhirl Peonies Pinwheels!

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The newest design in our pinwheel collection.

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They resemble the foil pinwheels we all remember from our childhood

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only less gawdy

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and these babies are way too long in the making.

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It was my original intention to release similar designs about a year ago - late 2008.

I started the design process and into it realized that the actual reproduction

of double pinwheels would be way too time consuming.

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I would either have to charge way too much for these precious pinwheels meaning that very few people would purchase them

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OR

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I would have to practically give them away meanwhile not making a profit after my time invested in tracing my designs and cutting them by hand.

So

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I took several months to think about it

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business got busy with my traditional personalized pinwheels

leaving me no time to ponder

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then business slowed down later this summer into early this fall

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and I finally had the time to investigate more creative options for replicating these pinwheels.

And I ran across some very exciting options which did not involve me having to

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hand trace and hand cut

every ... single ... intricate ... detail ... of these pinwheels.

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What I found means that I can finally offer these lovelies to my customers at reasonable prices.

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They still cost more than my traditional four quadrant pinwheels as double the paper is involved

(plus there was quite a hefty investment in equipment)

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AND

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they are also more complicated and thus more time consuming to assemble

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but they are still more readily affordable to most.

And the Best News Of All

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We now offer

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DIY Pinwheel Peony Kits for these both these newly released pinwheels

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plus our Traditional Pinwhirls.

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These complete kits include instructions, all items needed to assemble pinwheels, and yes even the pre-cut pinwheel heads

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All papers from this link are available

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Anyone with the time and love for crafting can now create our Pinwhirls on a shoe string budget!

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Or, if you are not a crafty crafter, we still offer pre-assembled pinwheels

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to browse all of our current Pinwheel Peonies and traditional Pinwheel offerings just click here.

Do-It-Yourselfer Creations - Carnival Themed Party

There is only one thing I like more than creating my own pinwheels and that is seeing photos of how others, who've purchased my DIY Pinwheel Assembly Guide and DIY Products, have used these items to make pinwheels for their very own parties.

While browsing the web recently I ran across a blog that featured the most fun and festive Carnival Themed Party utilizing pinwheels (my favorite just in case you didn't know)! As it turns out, the pinwheels were assembled by one of my former Australian clients, Prue of GiGi & LuLu. I couldn't wait to contact her and was thrilled when she graciously agreed to allow me to highlight her party on my blog and was even more overjoyed when she forwarded these photos. (I have the best customers!)

Aren't they gorgeous? And in this photo I'm actually talking about the cupcakes and not the pinwheels. You don't see cupcakes like these in the US - or at least not in Indianapolis. They just look so gourmet. :) My almost 17 week pregnant stomach, which craves everything food related these days, now wants one of these so badly. (At only 9:40 am, is is too early for dessert?)

Okay, mind off food, not only do I love the fun and festive papers she's used to create her pinwheel creations, I love every single little detail about her daughter's third birthday party. It's carnival themed perfection.

To view additional details of this party, just visit Pru's blog post here. Also be sure to stop by her blog and leave a comment for sharing her party details. I'm sure others in blog land will be borrowing her ideas for years to come. (I know I will when I throw a little party for my little bean, or beanette, in the future!)

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Thanks Prue! Thanks as well for all of the Australian customers you've sent my way.

Much appreciation ....