Probably the most useful wedding magazine on the market!

Having planned my wedding for the last 10 or so months, I have given at least a cursory look to almost every wedding magazine I could find on the supermarket shelves. For the most part, each magazine was filled with advertisements for expensive wedding gowns, jewelry and accessories. Rarely did I find an article that was useful in any of my planning activities; I found that I was spending more on buying each copy of the magazine than I was getting out of the issue. Martha Stewart weddings, however, has been one that has always stood out.

Honestly, MSW has its share of ritzy wedding gowns and jewelry too, but it has articles peppered all over the 400-500 pages which are actually helpful. She gives LOTS of money-saving advice and it doesn't come with complicated instructions. My wedding is for the most part DIY so I have found much inspiration for my outdoor wedding from her magazine.

I would recommend paying the subscription fee rather than buying off the stands since the latter works out to be quite expensive. I have all the 2003-2005 issues and the projects were very relevant. I find that her articles and projects from the last 90's and early 00's are sometimes are a little out-of-fashion. The last couple of years, fresh flowers have been the biggest thing in weddings so reading about (and making) gum paste flowers or other artificial decorations wasn't as relevant. I definitely like the more current issues in this regard.

Some things I have incorporated into my wedding from MSW:
1. Outdoor ceremony wreath using silk flowers
2. Silk flower pomanders hung on hook planters
3. How to fold napkins neatly while incorporating the guest name card
4. Ceremony programs in the shape of hand-held fans so my guests can fan themselves in the June heat
5. Simple cake design with fresh flowers (although I love MSW fondant cakes, they were simply too expensive to buy from the local bakery)
.. and many more ideas!

The projects with silk flowers were relatively easy to do but getting the materials wasn't always that convenient. Making a wreath with a 22" form is easy, but regular crafts shops do not carry foam rounds bigger than 12" or 14". I had to shop online and have a smaller retailer ship it out to me.

If you are looking into making appetizers, cakes and/or getting ideas for reception entrees, MSW is a good choice. She has amazing color photos of well-presented food in a separate story and each recipe appears in great detail at the end of the magazine: ingredients, procedure, storage techniques, its all there in the back. A word of caution: although her recipes look simple, getting the fresh ingredients may not always be possible. I did a few trial runs at home with substituted ingredients and they weren't the tastiest fare around. If you're a good cook in general, try the recipes.

For the average person going through a given issue of MSW, there are a lot more "easy" projects than that I would classify as hard or difficult. I am the least crafty and creative person in the world; if I could make use of MSW in ways big and small, so can any other DIY bride who is serious about doing some of the wedding planning on her own and ultimately saving a lot of money!