With the popularity of wedding blogs and Pinterest, cookie cutter weddings have been replaced by unique, creative, DIY extravaganzas. 

Planning a wedding doesn't always mean having to shell out $10,000 for a venue to host your nearest and dearest. Sometimes the best weddings are the ones close to home — literally.

Wedding blogs can be a great source of inspiration for everyday design. It’s not often you’re given a pretty serious budget to execute your biggest décor fantasies and entertain your friends. The results can be a great design test lab of sorts, resulting in some pretty amazing ideas to steal for the everyday.

Creative, DIY-style weddings have really exploded in the past few years. The weddings featured on blogs and in magazines have so many handmade, quirky details you might wonder if there's some sort of "Best DIY" prize in the offing. But if you ignore the competitive vibe and just focus on things that you love, there are great ideas to be found for your own celebration. 

Nothing beats live music at a wedding ceremony and reception, but sometimes it's just not an economic reality. A professional DJ is a good alternative, but they can also be expensive. I think you see where I’m going with this. I’m about to tell you that you might be a candidate for a do-it-yourself iPod/laptop DJ’ed wedding. And if you are, the dance floor will be packed all night by following these tips...

I wrestled with whether or not to do actual, tangible invitations for Lu's party, or save the paper and do an Evite or use Facebook. In the end, my love of making happy little things won out. 

Whether you're planning a wedding this summer or just want a pretty new accessory, check out this 5-minute DIY on how to make these blooming boutonnieres out of paper flowers. 

I may not be currently planning a wedding, but this beautiful book arch built for a wedding celebration has this bibliophile heart skipping a beat. What do you think?