We’re starting a bit of a new series this year… or restarting an old series, really. It’s the APW How-To series, and it could be more accurately titled “The lazy girl’s guide to making sh*t.” Because here is my confession: DIY tutorials bore me to tears. To. Tears. I don’t read them, I don’t need those step by step instructions, I don’t care. What I want is a sort of general overview. A way to think through the project, and decide if I want to take it on. An honest idea of how much energy it took, how they approached the project, and how it turned out. That’s all I want, really.
But more specifically I really, really don’t want to lionize the DIY wedding. Because you know what? Sometimes making stuff is fun (when you have enough time). Sometimes making stuff is necessary (when you don’t have extra money). Sometimes making stuff is really not worth it (when you realize you have no idea what you’re doing and it would cost so much less money and emotional energy to just pay someone to make the problem go away… or just not have the d*mn thing at your wedding at the first place). Sometimes making stuff is really rewarding. And sometimes, making stuff is ok if you can delegate it.
So the APW How To series is not about putting DIY weddings on a pedestal. It’s about giving you enough advice to figure out if you want to take on a project, and enough guidance to get started on a project if you decide to take it on. But we won’t be giving you endless step by step instructions. Because they are boring… and not that helpful in the end (at least if you’re a slightly lazy crafter like me).
We’re re-launching the series first thing tomorrow, hooray! If you crafted something (by love or necessity) for your wedding that you’d like to share, email Lauren at Lauren at apracticalwedding dot com with your submission and some pictures. We might tweak it, or make it simpler (better for the lazy among us), but you can bet we’ll be super grateful.
And don’t worry. I’ll be writing some of my own posts too. Like how we made our chuppah, or how we made my dang hair flower. Because lazy-girl making? That’s something I can get behind.
So, in the comments, please throw out your requests for APW How-To Posts (and volunteer to write them if you want to! And, while we’re at it, a cheat sheet of some of the best APW How-To posts:
- How To Make A Wedding Dress
- How To DJ Your Wedding With an iPod
- How To DIY Your Wedding Flowers
- How To Self Cater Your Wedding
(Editors note: Maybe you shouldn’t try all of these projects at once, yes?)
