Every little girl grows up dreaming about her wedding day: the perfect dress, the perfect venue, the perfect everything. But I ain’t a little girl, although I am planning my nuptials and have quickly found that the wedding world is a strange place. You enter it for 18 months or so, immerse yourself in seating charts, floral arrangements and vendor quotes, then hope you never have to do it again.
As someone planning a 2027 wedding, I’ve learned that the costs add up alarmingly fast as you flick through bridal magazines and endlessly doomscroll on Pinterest in search of inspiration.
Being a creative person, I’ve decided to take a DIY approach to wedding planning. Any chance to save money, add a personal touch and be a little more environmentally conscious is a win in my books.
Enter, the Cricut Explore 5 — the vinyl cutting machine of every DIY diva’s dreams.
Long before my boyfriend became my fiancé, I knew a Cricut would be part of our wedding-planning toolkit. From personalised wine glasses and seating charts to welcome signs and wedding party gifts, it’s the go-to machine for creating custom touches without the hefty price tag.
So, when I got my hands on the Cricut Explore 5 Essential Bundle and the Cricut EasyPress Mini, I wanted to see if they really lived up to the hype.
Here’s how it went…
Getting started
We wanted to try out all the wedding DIY projects we’ve seen on socials because, honestly, we want to do everything. But while the ideas look amazing online, many of them require a significant time investment. Our plan was to test them first and work out which projects are genuinely worth tackling ourselves and which are better left off the to-do list.
To get started, I picked up a selection of materials so I could experiment with different vinyls and make sure we’re choosing the right options before investing in larger quantities. Inside the box, you’ll find a helpful starter kit of accessories that allows you to test the machine and its various features before committing to any larger purchases.
When researching the Explore range, I found the Explore 4 and Explore 5 have very similar features. However, one of the biggest draw cards of the Explore 5 is its size. It’s much more compact than the 4, which is amazing because when we get into the mass production of our wedding DIY elements, we need to ensure storage and space are at the forefront of our minds.
Testing the product
After a quick Kmart run, we fired up the Cricut and got straight into the action.
Setting up Cricut Design Space was surprisingly easy. We scanned the QR code, followed the prompts, and were creating within minutes. After a little trial and error (and one minor tantrum), we were weeding vinyl like pros.
To test the machine, we used Cricut Smart Vinyl Permanent Vinyl and Smart Iron-On Heat Transfer Vinyl on wine glasses, ribbons, clothing and hats. The matless range made the process incredibly simple, though using a cutting mat definitely came with a steeper learning curve.
First up were personalised wine glasses. When I picture our wedding, I’ve always imagined celebrating with a glass that says “Just Married”, so we made this a reality using the Cricut. Honestly, this one was the most timely task ‘cos we had to use transfer paper, but it was an easy application. To make it extra fun, we played around with personalised ribbons. I thought this would be a cute and fun way to replace a name card.
Each step is fairly quick, but doing it for 100+ guests would be rather time-consuming. Thankfully, our wedding isn’t until next year.
We then moved on to a larger sign as a test run for our seating chart and welcome sign. As a graphic designer and costume maker, I know the importance of measuring twice, so getting the scale right was a priority. For this trial, we used the sample heat transfer vinyl included in the Essential Bundle, which measures 33cm x 24cm, and were able to make it work.
While researching the Explore 5, I discovered one of its biggest advantages: the matless design allows materials to be fed directly into the machine, with continuous cuts up to 3.6 metres long. That means we can create signage at almost any size we need for the wedding, which is extremely exciting.
Now, please don’t judge me, but I love personalised merch. Once you have a vinyl cutting machine, the possibilities feel endless. We tested a cap, satin sleep mask and T-shirt to see how the vinyl performed across different materials.
The trickiest part was finding the right heat setting to avoid damaging the products, so always do a heat test in an inconspicuous area first. Thankfully, Design Space makes things easy, with templates that guide you through the process step by step.
We also tried using the cutting mat and, as a Cricut novice, I found it the most challenging part. With practice, I think I will become more confident, and it should become a lot easier.
I had a small amount of white sticker vinyl, so we cut out our wedding monogram and made a cute hanger for the wedding day.
More fun features
The Essential Bundle comes with the tools and materials needed to make up to 65 projects and can cut more than 100 materials, including cardstock, vinyl, iron-on and bonded fabric. From thank-you cards and custom T-shirts to gift boxes and labels, the possibilities are pretty endless.
I also picked up the Cricut EasyPress Mini, which makes heat-transfer projects easier, although you can use a regular iron as long as you avoid the steam setting.
Alongside the machine, Cricut Design Space offers an optional subscription that provides access to templates, images and an artist program that pays creators when their designs are used. If subscriptions aren’t your thing, individual designs can also be purchased as needed.
Final verdict
Now, for the part you’ve all been waiting for: is a Cricut Explore 5 the Assistant that every DIY bride needs? The answer is: I do!
Overall, I was very impressed with how user-friendly it all was. My fiancé and I picked up the software and weeding very quickly, which I wasn’t surprised by, but I was happily surprised with how easy it was. The biggest strength was the speed of this machine, it cut very quickly and smoothly and I didn’t have to change any setting to get the perfect cut.
The biggest challenge was getting the right paper setting and vinyl size, but that’s largely on me. I deliberately skipped the tutorials because I wanted to see how intuitive the software was, and honestly, it was very easy to navigate. Like any new skill, though, it takes practice. We definitely made mistakes and wasted materials along the way, so I’d recommend starting with smaller sheets before committing to full rolls of vinyl.
As for the money side, when we began planning the budget, it started getting tighter ‘cos the wedding tax was added, like $16,000 quoted for a photographer and videographer. Yep, I was as shocked as you are. My jaw hit the floor so hard, the pressure could’ve turned it into a diamond.
The Cricut Explore 5 Essential Bundle (RRP $449) is available at Spotlight, Officeworks and Harvey Norman, which gives you enough vinyl to practice with, plus other materials to trial all the wedding DIY trends. We also got Cricut EasyPress Mini Zen Blue (RRP $129) ‘cos we didn’t want to use an everyday iron as it affects the application. That’s already a total of $578, but we don’t have to pay for designer fees or institution fees, so that’s a win!
To my brides and grooms out there: if you’re wanting a fun way to stay connected with your partner during the whole wedding planning process and save money along the way, this is an amazing way to do so. The DIY projects, the wins, the mistakes and even the occasional meltdown all become part of the story. After all, the goal isn’t just a beautiful wedding day, it’s making sure you enjoy the journey getting there, too.
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