The Do-It-Yourself Ethos of ‘I Do’

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Michael Endelman’s parents couldn’t quite recall their wedding canopy; a cursory look at wedding photos illuminated a beige cloth adorned with “some kind of greenery” and daisies. Like most standard-issue chupahs, it was pretty — and unremarkable.

But when Endelman, 27, marries later this month in Marin County, Calif., he’ll stand beneath an eye-popping quilt made of stitched-together squares lovingly decorated by 24 close friends and relatives with puffy paint, quotes from the Song of Songs and even a retooled image of Bob Dylan’s “Freewheelin’” album.

“Most people would kind of throw a tallis up there and never think about it again,” said Endelman, a journalist who resides in Manhattan. “It’s a nice way to personalize it and get the guests involved in the wedding in some way — more than just people showing up.”