DVD Review: Martha Stewarts New Wedding DVDS

The Queen of Domesticity, Martha Stewart, has just released the best of ten years of wedding ideas from her television show on two different DVD packages. Are they a good thing?

Even if you're not the extremely detail-oriented Martha Stewart type, and have no plans to create your own centerpieces, bake your own wedding cake, or carry around an obscenely organized idea book, you can have a lot of fun watching Martha Stewart make gorgeous creations for a wide variety of weddings on "Martha's Complete Weddings." This four-disc set compiles the best of 10 seasons of Martha's television show, and is intended to help any bride make her wedding distinctive. While this isn't a complete step-by-step wedding planning guide, it is full of tips and ideas that you can use for your wedding – I already have plans to show my fiancé a gorgeous wedding cake and some of the stationery details. Whether you spring for the four-disc set for $59.98 or the edited-down "best of" single disc for $19.98, you'll be sure to come away inspired to add some elegant and personal touches to your wedding.

Highlights include demonstration of 14 different bouquets and many centerpieces, a guide to finding the right wedding gown silhouette for you, mind-blowing hand-painted invitations, and in-depth looks at five very special weddings.

Some of these details are only for the very rich – one can only imagine what a handpainted set of invitations, save-the-date cards, menus, and escort cards would cost for each guest. Yet, while my wedding budget won't allow for a Vera Wang dress or a Sylvia Weinstock cake, I did appreciate the opportunity to see what a visit to each of their studios was like. And there are some budget ideas such as inexpensive yet personalized wedding favors, and practical tips like caring for and cleaning your engagement ring. One thing to watch out for - the outside advertises "printable materials" which I had assumed to be templates and patterns like the ones often included in "Martha Stewart Living"; instead they are text documents reviewing some of the projects, and often include sources for the materials you've seen on the videos.

My main complaint with these DVDs is that it's not clear who they are intended for. While the cover says "easy-to-follow demonstrations, tips, and techniques" this home-baker will tell you that the "simple" flowers and fondant covering they show you take hours and hours of practice to get right, and may require you to consult a more detailed guide, while the technique for creating custom envelope-liners can be easily mastered in a few minutes. I suppose one could say they are for anyone who loves weddings; someone who will get vicarious thrills out of seeing Darcy Miller's lavish wedding at the Four Seasons restaurant, and might even be inspired to learn how to make those perfect gum-paste flowers after seeing these clips. Or perhaps they are for someone who has been a fan of her show, has already achieved a certain skill-level, and wants to be motivated to learn more. All I know is that I had intended to sit down for only short while to skim the content; instead I found myself watching almost every segment in one sitting.

I hope that the brides and grooms who buy these DVD's won't take them as a mandate to be obsessed about every little detail, or an obligation to spend a fortune on their wedding, but rather a way to spend an enjoyable couple of days, getting advice from the queen of entertaining and domesticity herself.

Best for: detail oriented people, those who get joy out of watching beautiful weddings, those looking for inspiration

Not so good for: Those on a tight budget, those who are laid back about wedding details

Martha's Complete Weddings, Warner Home Video, Suggested Retail Price $59.98 Compare Prices
Martha's Wedding Ideas, Warner Home Video, Suggested Retail Price $19.98 Compare Prices