DIY Trend Continues To Dominate The Wedding Industry

It used to be that the term "do it yourself" (DIY) really only applied to home improvement tasks, when Dads would be out repairing the chimney or painting the garage. Now the DIY trend has emerged everywhere, from decorating to fashion to weddings.
This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. Contributors control their own work and posted freely to our site. If you need to flag this entry as abusive, send us an email.

It used to be that the term "do it yourself" (DIY) really only applied to home improvement tasks, when Dads would be out repairing the chimney or painting the garage. Now the DIY trend has emerged everywhere, from decorating to fashion to weddings. Social media websites and blogs are now offering DIY ideas and tips, and Pinterest has become a notable resource for DIY inspiration. Even universal gift registries have been affected by the DIY trend. In fact, there has been a significant spike in MyRegistry.com customers registering for gifts from Etsy, Home Depot and even Lowes. How did this trend get so popular?

DIY has always been a home improvement option but the practice has been on the rise as a result of the recession. Recently, The Washington Post reported a 30 percent increase in sales of sewing kits at Wal-Mart. This information speaks to the fact that an increasing number of people are now opting to fix their own clothes rather than replace them or pay for the services of a tailor.

Despite the economy, Americans are still willing to spend a significant amount on their weddings. According to CostOfWedding.com, the average American wedding costs roughly $25,631, which is approximately equal to the average student loan debt for a graduating college senior ($23,186) or a down payment on a $125,000 home. While the average cost of a wedding continues to rise, many couples have been looking for creative ways to save on other major life expenses without having to compromise their big day. Whether it is cutting out the event planner or making your own invitations, more and more couples are shifting their focus towards DIY ideas, not only so that they remain on-budget but also to bring a sense of meaning and personalization to the wedding.

Nowadays, crafting, home improvement and fashion blogs like I Spy DIY, provide an abundance of unique tips and ideas, including tutorials. Whether the couple chooses the DIY route is certainly up to them, but wedding blogs, as well as Pinterest, help provide romantic inspiration for everything from handmade centerpieces to vintage wedding veils.

In terms of registries, many couples have been registering for power drills, unfinished furniture and crochet on MyRegistry.com -- gifts that aren't typically sold at your standard department stores. As a result of the increase of DIY gift requests and the booming popularity of Pinterest, MyRegistry.com launched two unique tools that enable Pinterest users to utilize their pins and pinboards to create fully functional gift registries. Our Pinterest Add-On and Mass Import Tool enable our members to turn their Pinterest pins into actual gifts on a registry.

Whether the DIY trend is here to stay or not is really up to the consumer. However, it's a great way to make a vision come to life with a small budget and a little bit of hard work.

Popular in the Community

Close

HuffPost Shopping’s Best Finds

MORE IN LIFE