As summer fades into autumn, so begins another wedding season. I had an autumn-themed October wedding, and getting married on a budget meant a lot of DIY to make the event special and stay within budget. DIY weddings have become very popular. Couples want a celebration that’s unique and deeply personal, a day guests will remember. Whether your wedding is this winter or next spring, you’ve still got time to add a little DIY flair. Betterbooks is dedicated to bringing you the best how-to guides from experts, and the Make Your Wedding edition features 30 DIY projects, plus menus and signature cocktails to add personality to your wedding day.
Keep reading to find out more about this guide to your DIY wedding, with projects for everything from the table decor to the guest book to the party favors.
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Getting Started
Launch the app and the Betterbook concept comes to life with a simple, colorful book cover picturing a decorated wedding table. Right away you see exactly what this app is all about: “Inspiration, Planning, and DIY Projects.” Chairs at the table are adorned with crafty pom poms and signs for the bride and groom. As a first introduction to the concept, it’s a bit underwhelming. It does the job, but the initial experience could use an injection of fun.
Launch the app and discover that Make Your Wedding is modeled after a print book, with a cover and table of contents.
This app follows the standard Betterbook format, and the home screen is a collection of book chapters. As I mentioned in a past review of the Betterbook, Kitchen Knife Skills, modeling the app design so closely after a book may make users more comfortable, but it doesn’t utilize the immersive capabilities of the mobile interface. It seems one dimensional and fails to create a feeling of discovery.
You’ve got to get through a lot of reading before you start DIY-ing, left. Betterbook wants to connect with you to keep you up-to-date on their latest releases.
Tap on a chapter and all the section headings are revealed. The Welcome chapter introduces you to Betterbook’s concept of creating how-to e-books for mobile devices. Initially, it’s a lot of words to read through.
The Betterbooks Way
In their wordy intro to the book, they promise to help you add special touches to make your wedding unique and personal, ease your wedding budget with DIY options and make the whole event a bit more fun. One thing I’ve learned about Betterbook apps is that they always deliver on their promises.
The Welcome section provides an overview in photos of each themed wedding chapter in the app (left), which is much more appealing than the table of contents (right).
Next the Welcome section provides an overview in photos of each themed wedding chapter. See a project that interests you? Tap on the photo to have a closer look. It seems the purpose of this is to showcase the 30 DIY projects offered in the app and build excitement. As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words, and it would be nice to see more of this and less text in the app.
Meet the creative team behind Make Your Wedding: Martha Stewart alums Kristin St. Clair and Amy Nebens.
One thing I really love about Betterbook apps is the transparency: they find qualified experts to teach you cool new skills and they add credibility to the app by giving you a full background on these experts. The crafters behind the app are Kristin St. Clair and Amy Nebens, both Martha Stewart alums (massive credibility points!).
The “Before You DIY” section is a goldmine of tips on project planning and being prepared with the right tools for the job.
As you delve deeper into the app it’s obvious Betterbooks is offering a ton of information – really the ultimate guide to pulling off a DIY wedding. You’ll find a goldmine of tips in the blandly titled “Before You DIY” section. I always say that the most important thing is that an app has good, solid content to be worth the money you’ve spent. Betterbooks over-delivers in the content area, but better design would make this app a whole lot more interactive on a mobile device.
Wedding Themes and Food Menus
The app includes 5 chapters, each representing a different wedding theme: Rustic Elegance, Soft Vintage, Colorful Whimsy, Breezy Beach and Modern Metallic. The chapters begin with the inspiration behind the idea, including a color scheme, textures, photos and tips on how your wedding details can bring the theme to life.
You’ll find inspiration behind the chapter theme, including color scheme and evocative wedding photos. You’ll be inspired to think in new ways with the tips on reinforcing your theme in the wedding details.
You’ll find some really smart ideas on carrying the theme from the tabletops to the wedding party attire to the setting and music. I was surprised to find Betterbooks partnered with Food52 to offer recipes for menu planning, from the hors d’oeuvres to dessert. It’s an intriguing partnership between two apps. The positive: Betterbook users get fun, creative recipes from the creative Food52 community.
Each theme includes a full set of menu ideas, from hors d’oeuvres to dessert, with recipes from the popular Food52 website.
These recipes were created by home cooks and rather than the trusted expert appeal typical of Betterbooks, you’re getting a cool recipe with no guidance on implementing it for your wedding, DIY style. Food52 has done a good job of providing recipes that perfectly fit the themes, like the nature inspired Creamy Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms and Apples Baked in Cider for a Rustic Elegance wedding.
Tap on a recipe and you’re transported to Food52.com, where a community of home cooks shares their creations.
One of the thoughtful details I love most about this app is the Signature Cocktail recipe for each theme. Betterbooks pulls (some of) the drink recipes from one of their other apps, Speakeasy Cocktails. The benefits: you get a fantastic cocktail from an expert mixologist and you can tap ingredients or equipment in the recipe for definitions.
It wouldn’t be a DIY wedding without a signature cocktail, and Betterbooks draws a recipe for each theme from their sister app, Speakeasy Cocktails.
Drink recipes are fun and festive. I especially love the Bee’s Knees for a vintage wedding (a mix of gin, lemon juice and honey) and the Imperial Blueberry Fizz for a colorful summer wedding. It’s too bad there’s not a photo of the actual drink. Throughout the app you’ll find the food menus and signature drinks compliment each theme beautifully.
Get Crafty
Following the Inspiration section of each chapter is a selection of DIY projects to add that personalized touch to your wedding. It would be nice to navigate through the projects by tapping on a picture grid, but instead they make you scroll through each one in order or go back to the chapter menu (more words). On the positive side, there are a ton of great projects to add personality to your wedding and reception.
My favorite foodie DIY project from the app is the Moss-Framed Drinks Menu Chalkboard from Rustic Elegance.
The projects come with a very thorough step-by-step guide. You’ll love the ability to “Pin This,” adding inspiration to your Pinterest board. Each project has a fun little interactive Supplies Guide. All supplies needed are gathered in a single photo, and you can tap the item for more details. Twenty out of the thirty projects have a video demo, and Kristin makes the project seem totally doable. In true Betterbooks style, the app gives you everything you need to succeed.
Conclusion
Make Your Wedding is an excellent source for DIY projects that will add a personal touch to your special day. Whether you’re going to DIY it all the way from the cake to the invitations, or you just want to add some flair to the table decor, you’ll find the right craft project in this app. The Inspiration section of each theme will get your creative juices flowing, thinking about how to weave a theme through all the small details. If you’re a foodie, you’ll love the menus and signature cocktails. Make Your Wedding is the whole package.
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