Before ‘I do,’ DIYers can say ‘I did’

McClatchy newspapers

CHICAGO — A florist wanted $75 for each of eight flower balls that Paige Nero had her heart set on to decorate the aisle for her upcoming wedding. So she’s fashioning them herself for $12 a pop. Throw in 130 invitations she made from scratch, an aisle runner she monogrammed and other labors of love she handcrafted for the ceremony in Utica, and Nero estimates she’s saving as much as $3,000.

“My fiancé thinks I’m a nut,” said Nero, 26, of Tinley Park in the Chicago area. “Then he sees how much money I’m saving and he’s happy.”

At a time when the average spent on weddings in the Chicago area is $33,170, according to a research company that tracks wedding statistics, it’s no wonder couples are saying enough is enough.

For example, The Wedding Report, based in Tucson, Ariz., said couples in a downtown Chicago ZIP code typically spend $27,700 to $83,000. Those in the New Trier Township ZIP code on the North Shore usually pay $37,000 to $111,000.

Momentum expected

The do-it-yourself wedding trend is expected to gain momentum if the economy continues to sour, experts say.

Fueled by the movement to personalize weddings and easy access to resources on the Internet and elsewhere, some couples no longer are willing to pay big bucks for items they can make themselves.

Popular wedding site

Do-it-yourself-weddings.com, a Web site that offers guidance and inspiration for DIY brides, attracts 3,000 to 5,000 visitors a day, said founder Amber Dusick. Traffic to the site, launched more than four years ago, has increased 50 percent in the past year, she said.

“I have heard of some people who have done virtually everything,” Dusick said. “The economy — people wanting to save money — that’s a huge part of it.”

Instead of buying a wedding cake that can easily cost $500, brides have started making cupcakes and displaying them on tiered platters, she said. Favors, too, have become popular DIY projects, especially around the holidays.

Many couples buy wooden ornaments and add the paint themselves. One bride made stained-glass ornaments for her guests.

“She learned how to do stained glass just for this project, which is pretty crazy,” Dusick said. “I think that’s great.”

The Knot, a prominent wedding Web site and magazine, is considering creating a special Web page on the DIY trend, said Rebecca Dolgin, the magazine’s executive editor. But she doubts the economy is pushing the tide as much as the desire for a unique event.

One Knot survey showed that 75 percent of brides worry about the economy but aren’t cutting their spending, she said.

Saving money

However, DIY projects allow couples to save in some areas, Lake County, Ill., bride Karina Jaros said, so they can spend in others without going over budget. According to a Web site run by The Wedding Report, U.S. couples typically spend 50 percent more than they budgeted for their weddings.

By making her own 137 invitations — each one consisting of 18 pieces of paper and two ribbons — Jaros said she saved about $700.

“The point was to get what I wanted but with a price I could live with,” she said.

Even the artistically challenged can pull off some of these projects, said Jaros, who says she practically failed art class in school. The biggest struggle is setting aside enough time.

Jaros, 24, and her matron of honor have spent at least one day each weekend since September crafting invitations, programs, gift card box, chocolate bar favors, aisle runner and welcome baskets for out-of-town guests. And that doesn’t include the one to five hours each day she spent surfing the Internet looking for ideas and instructions.

“I gave myself a year and a half to put this stuff together,” Jaros said. “I would not recommend trying to do this if you’re planning a wedding in six months.”