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This week we brought you Do It Yourself (DIY) weddings. One of the great things about doing it yourself is the money you can save. And who else knows what you want better than you do? Here are the things we found for you:

Standard unity candles, which are often little more than just a plain white pillar, usually sell for $30 or more. It's not like this is the most expensive part of your wedding, but it is a huge markup nonetheless, especially for an item that you can make yourself, and have a lot of fun doing so.

I first tried candle making at a workshop at a resort where I was vacationing. The class was fun and educational, cost me $20, and I walked away with five candles of my own design -- I'd selected the color, the shape, and the scent of each.

Candle making is not difficult or time consuming, but it is a complicated process. You can find instructions and supplies online, but if you've never tried it before, we recommend starting with a class. Call around to local craft stores and see if any of them offer candle classes, or know where one is available.

This is a very simple, yet striking cake topper. Not your traditional bride and groom, nor even a monograph, these delectable crystals hang suspended and glittering over your cake, catching the eye as they catch the light.

These drops are sold in a set of nine. You can place them all in the top layer, as shown in the picture, or you could set them at varying levels on a tiered cake.

They would also be very simple to make. A light to moderate gauge of wire, a pair of wire cutters and needle-nose pliers, and a handful of crystals in your choice of colors and sizes, and a reasonably steady hand, and you could have a set of these made in less than half an hour. Stunning!

If you're interested in more information on the crystal cake toppers shown, contact SavvySneaks.com.

For the uber-casual wedding (or even for the bride whose feet have given way under the strain of those luscious silver stappy confections with the six-inch heels -- what were you THINKING?), we have here the ultimate in bridal comfort: sneakers.

Yes, bridal sneakers, also called runners. You can purchase your own pair any number of places. The pair in the picture, which are bridal tennis shoes, came from Savvy Sneaks, and at just under $45, they're not going to break the bank. Savvy Sneaks, as it happens, provides a good range of embellishment options, and will dress up a pair for you to your specifications. If you're a creative bride with an itch to make every aspect of the wedding yours, however, you might want to dress up your own pair.

Buy a comfy pair of white sneakers or tennis shoes, or if you already have a pair in good repair, just clean them up a bit! Replace the laces with pretty ribbon, and with your handy hot-melt glue gun -- because every DIY bride has a hot-melt glue gun -- dress them up a bit with teeny fabric flowers, crystals, beads, sequins, ribbons, whatever embellishment suits your style!

If you'd like to create one-of-a-kind glasses for the two of you -- either wine glasses, champagne flutes, or even just simple water goblet -- it can be a simple project to take on. Some glass paint and conditioner, a brush or two, and the glass. If you're not the best artist in the world, a few hearts or just some swirls can create a very attractive effect. Remember, for an elegant effect, less is very often more, particularly on glass, where you can see the design from both sides, and it can easily get looking too busy.

If you have a little more talent as a painter, you might want to get more adventurous. Check out the gallery for inspiration!

You read our post about the floating candle centerpieces, and you really want to make them for your reception. Thing is, you want something unusual, let's say, oh ... unicorn candles! Yes, unicorn candles to go with your fairy-tale theme. Sadly, you just can't find them anywhere.

There might be a solution. Instead of hunting in candle stores, try cooking supply stores. If you can find a cookie-cutter in the shape you're after, you're all set, because you can actually make candles from cookie cutters. You'll need the cutter, of course, some modelling clay, wicks and wax. If you're adding scent or color, you'll need those, too.

For complete how-to details, head over to All Free Crafts and follow the instructions. As long as you're appropriately careful when working with hot wax, you can easily create one-of-a-kind candles for those centerpieces!

We love DIYBride around here! There are always such great ideas, things you see and know that's just what you were wanting for your wedding, or things you see which inspire other ideas, perfect for your day.

Which is why, when we found instructions for making these super-sweet, super-easy treat baskets, we just had to try them out! When she made hers, Khris used some funky scrapbook paper. Ours are made from pale blue card stock. Two different approaches yielding two quite different looks -- but both take only minutes to make! Check out Khris's post to see her basket and instructions, and then check out gallery below to see our very own step-by-step construction of this very simple favor.

An obvious place for a kitchen-savvy bride (or groom!) to save a chunk of wedding money is on the cake. The DIY version is going to be substantially less expensive than one made by a professional. Of course, you have to be pretty confident that yours will look as good -- or maybe you're of the mindset that a cake should look like a cake, not a piece of edible sculpture or avant-garde architecture.

Whatever your approach, you'll have to start with cake batter. Will you make your own (the famous "scratch cake"), or will you use a mix? This is completely a matter of personal taste, of course. Various factors to consider are health or allergy issues, consistency of mix, how long it takes to make, how long it will last, cost, ingredients, etc.

In the end, though, your decision will probably be a sentimental one. You'll choose the scratch cake recipe that grandma always made for you, or your fiancé's father's favorite flavor of cake mix. Whichever you choose, so long as it tastes good, you know your guests will be happy!

The ever-helpful folks over at DIYBride have declared July to be "Multi-media Month". This week's post deals with online wedding planning, all those lovely sites which offer budget trackers, checklists, guest list and RSVP trackers, pages for vendors and music and dress sizes and ... everything you need to plan your wedding, really.

If you're a binder bride or a spreadsheet bride, that's fine. But if you'd love to use online tools, but have simply been overwhelmed by the sheer range of choice out there, check out the Online Planning Tools post. A range of sites were evaluated using a number of factors: ease of use, selection of tools, overall design and presentation, and reputation/reliability.

Love the simple sophistication of a French manicure but hate those high salon prices? Here are some tips to help you DIY a French manicure – and it's not as painstaking as you might think. Always start by removing any polish that's already on your nails. It's just not good to layer upon layer, and you don't want old color showing through. Soak your nails in warm water (add a mild cleanser or your favorite scent if you wish) and head for the cuticle stick to push your cuticles back. Then shape your nails with a file. Now, you're ready for color with one of these cool French manicure options. The Sally Hansen French manicure pen takes a little practice (especially for whichever hand isn't used to wielding a pen) but so much easier than those little brushes. For best results, lay the hand you're painting flat on the counter. Anchor the other hand by putting your pinky on the counter (this prevents little wiggles). Now make a slow straight line along the top of each nail. Or, try the Incoco Dry Nail Applique kit. These work more like little stickers you put on the tip of each nail. It's got great reviews for ease of use and longevity. Once you've got the tips done, apply the top color and a clear top coat (then tell your sweetie he has to do the dishes!). To make sure your manicure lasts, re-apply top coat each evening, if possible.

The flower dilemma: you really want to have pretty flowers at your wedding but, with the current economic downswing, are desperate to cut costs. How do you do it without compromising on style?

Here's one solution. Make them yourself from paper.

We love these flower kits from Paper Source. They have a large and varied range to choose from and all of them are seriously good. From vintage flowers to funky-retro to bright and cheerful to pastel and pretty, they have it all. The kits are very reasonably priced, around $14 for about 12 or 14 flowers. Included in the kits are pre-cut flower shapes, leaf-shapes, floral wire, floral tape and, of course, instructions on how to assemble the flowers. (Kit contents vary according to designs).

You can make flowers for boutonnieres, bouquets, napkin rings and gift decorations and it should save you a bundle, as well as being really fun and whimsical.

If you're planning an informal or beach wedding, a floral anklet might be just the whimsical touch you're looking for. Luckily for you, they're extremely easy to make!

You can find full instructions to create a simple anklet at Elegance in Bloom. You can choose beads and flowers in the colors that best suit your wedding. You could opt to make your own paper flowers, of course, for greater variety, or, for the string-them-together simplicity of fabric flowers. Look beyond the craft stores for supplies. If you purchase a branch of artificial fuchsia, for example, you'll have several dozen little blossoms you could use, generally for less than it would cost to purchase them individually.

via: Wedcraft

If you love the hazelnut goodness of Ferrero Rocher chocolate, you'll love this quirky wedding craft idea.

With a two-inch styrofoam ball as the base, and five Ferroro Rochers as the main ingrediant, you use toothpicks, glue, popsicle sticks to hold it together, then fill out and embellish with ribbons, lace, and greenery. When you're done, you've created this sweet (and tasty!) nosegay. For full instructions, check out Wedcraft.com.

You might want to give your flower girl something else, though: We suspect this particular posy wouldn't make it all the way down the aisle!

via: Wedcraft

Creating your own wedding invitations is nowhere near as difficult and time-consuming as it used to be in the days before computers, digital photography, and photo-handling software. With just a little time and imagination, you can create stunning wedding invitations, at a fraction of the cost of professionally produced cards. No, you can't do letterpress on your computer, but if saving money is on your agenda, letterpress is probably out of the question, anyway.

If you'd like a little helpful guidance, there are many sites which provide art, text, and suggestions. One such site is Wedding Invitation Ideas, which provides you with over thirty different invitations, each with instructions for putting it together. You have to sign up to the site to receive their down-loadable templates, but if you're not interested in doing that, there are many good ideas here. See how vellum and ribbon add instant elegance, or how card toppers can be used to create texture and depth, or metallic confetti for a little sparkle!

You've found the perfect pair of white satin shoes, exactly the style you want for your wedding ... only you really, really loathe white shoes. What you were hoping for was something off-white, something darker, a little more vintage in appearance. You're trying to be practical here, though: if you can't find the perfect shade of shoe, you can compromise with the perfect style.

What if we were to tell you that you don't have to compromise? What if the perfect, vintage-white satin tone was just waiting for your clever hands -- and was no further away than the coffee cup at your elbow?

If you have a pair of dye-able satin shoes, all you need is a sponge and a cup of strong coffee, and those shoes are yours. For more information check out this post on the DiYNetwork.