With the average wedding costing around $20,000, is it any wonder the do-it-yourself movement is gaining popularity among brides-to-be? Smart brides are saving thousands by taking over wedding tasks usually handled by the professionals, from printing invitations to creating their own bouquets.

“Making key elements of your wedding yourself, such as favors, centerpieces and even headpieces, is rewarding on many levels,” says Cheryl Galvez, editor of Pashweddings.com, a Web site that specializes in information and products for do-it-yourselfer brides. “You save money, plus you can really mold the look of your wedding. Making your own favors is one of the easiest ways to save money.”

Here are four of Galvez’s favorite do-it-yourself wedding favor recipes, ranging from the simple to more challenging. Brides can find more ideas for favors and other do-it-yourself wedding projects at www.pashwedings.com.

1. A Perfect Pear

“Pears make delicious wedding favors,” says Galvez. “They are especially festive for holiday weddings.”

You will need:

* Anjou pears
* clear cellophane (or colored wrap for holiday weddings)
* satin ribbon

Wrap each pear in the cellophane. Tie each package with the satin ribbon. For a personalized touch, use ribbon imprinted with your names and/or wedding date.

2. Love is Brewing

You will need:

* small burlap bags
* whole coffee beans
* hang tags or labels

Fill burlap bags with coffee beans. Pull the drawstrings, then tuck them into the bag. Wrap each bag with a rustic-colored smooth satin-faced ribbon. Dangle a decorative hang tag printed with your wedding date from the front of the bag, or stick on a seal imprinted with the words “Love is Brewing.”

3. Lucky in Love

You will need:

* your state’s $1 scratch-off lottery ticket
* glassine envelopes (remember to measure to ensure the tickets will fit in the bags)
* labels
* pennies minted in your wedding year

Slip a lottery ticket and one penny into a glassine envelope. Seal the flap with double-sided tape. Place a label on the front with your personalized clever saying such as “Lucky in Love,” “Wishing you riches from the new Mr. and Mrs,” or “Hope our luck rubs off on you.”

4. Fanning the Flames of Love

You will need:

* a small hand-held palm fan
* one 8 1/2 by 11 sheet of patterned vellum paper
* one 8 1/2 by 11 sheet of solid paper in a coordinating color
* scissors
* glue dots or glue strips (do not use regular glue or tape)
* computer with printer
* 1 1/2-inch wide colored double-faced satin ribbon

Cut a glue strip to the width of the ribbon and affix one end of the ribbon to the neck of the fan. Wrap the ribbon around the length of the fan’s handle. Adhere the other end of the ribbon to the bottom back of the handle. For a clean look, make sure the ribbon’s end is out of sight at the back of the fan.

Design your ceremony program using your personal computer. Print it directly onto the decorative vellum paper (available at local arts and crafts supply stores). Overlay the vellum on top of the solid color paper – having the solid color beneath makes the vellum easier to read. Cut around the program in a decorative pattern to that more of the solid color paper shows beneath the vellum. Affix the vellum to the solid paper using a glue strip at the top and another at the bottom. Then use two glue strips to adhere the double-layered program to the fan. Glue dots or glue strips adhere well to the natural palm of the fan.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

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The Music of LoveA Pashweddings.com member contributed an idea for a CD favor of music from your wedding, complete with a personalized CD cover. To make the favor, you burn CDs with music from your wedding or songs that are meaningful to you. Then you slip each into a personalized CD cover.

You will need:

* a paperboard CD case (available at Blissweddings.com)
* ribbon
* embossing ink
* embossing powder
* embossing heat gun
* vellum paper

Decorate the front cover to your taste. The bride who created this favor desgined a logo with the couple’s names, wedding date and wedding location, then had a stamp made so she could stamp the logo onto the wedding covers in sparkle embossing powder.

For the left inside panel, use your computer to make a label that reads “Compact Disc Inside,” then list the songs on the same CD. For a polished effect, use the same font as on the front cover. Affix the label to the inside cover. Punch two holes into the side binding and grommet the holes for a finished look.

Use vellum to create the inside program and punch holes in the program to match those in the CD cover. Using the ribbon, secure the program to the CD cover. For the right inside panel, you can use vellum to add a personal note, a prayer or a poem that’s meaningful to you. The bride who created this favor chose to include a thank you note and enhanced the page by hand-stamping her fiance’s last initial in faux wax at the top of the page.

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