DIY Wedding Do’s and Don’ts

Finding ways to personalize your wedding has been a big trend in recent years.  We love clicking through Pinterest as much as you but before you dive into a DIY wedding, avoid the day-of regrets by following our do’s and don’ts:

Do:  Follow the general rule that if your DIY project can be completed way in advance of your wedding day, give it a go, otherwise let a professional handle it. 

Invitations:

Hand-crafted invitations are a great way to send a personalized “first impression” to guests of what they might expect at your wedding.  Stroll the aisles of your local craft store and you will see the endless crafting possibilities.  Scroll through Pinterest for even more great ideas then enlist the help of other crafty friends and family to help.  A search through Etsy will turn up many crafters that can custom make items for you such as stamps, embossers, etc.  While this DIY option may end up costing more for materials than the traditional route of ordering printed stationary, the value of personalization and time crafting with friends and family may be worth it to you!

Reception Cards (Place, Escort, Table, Menu):

While shopping for materials to customize your invitations, why not pick up supplies to also do place cards, escort cards, table number cards, and menus?  These items can be made many weeks before the ceremony and are a fantastic way to keep the personalized theme going!  Get your crafty friend to help you come up with a creative way to display the cards at the reception.  Keep in mind that if you do not have a planner, someone will need to be assigned the task of delivering and setting up the cards at the venue early.  This person should not be in your wedding party… they will be too busy to be working on setup items.

Ceremony Signage:

Creating personalized signage for your ceremony can mean anything from road signs directing guests where to turn or park, to personalized banners, Mr. & Mrs. chair designations, directions to head to the terrace for cocktails, the labeling of the gift and favor tables, and of course the iconic “Just Married” on the back of the get-away vehicle.  Remember to assign the task of putting them up before the ceremony to someone not in your wedding party if you have not hired a planner.

Goody Bags, Bridal Party Gifts, and Favors

Welcome out of town guests with personalized gift bags that make their stay more comfortable.  Things like water bottles, granola bars, gum, Band-Aids, lip balm, and a local magazine are traveler-friendly items to give and will be much appreciated.  Thank your bridal party with special gifts lovingly made or customized by you to let them know how much their love and support means to you.  The trend for favors continues to be items that are personal and practical.  Consider crafting items with local materials and wrap them in a pretty bag or small box personalized in your wedding colors for a lovely presentation.  Check out our blog on this!

Don’t: Underestimate how busy you will be the weeks before your wedding… as in hectic, crazy, juggling out-of-town guest arrivals, full of last-minute appointments, fittings, hair & nail appointments, rehearsals, packing for the honeymoon, and much more. Do not make the mistake of thinking you will have time to arrange flowers, bake or cook anything for the reception, or help set-up the venue décor the night before without feeling overwhelmed, stressed, and anxious. We have interviewed many local wedding professionals and the consensus is that there are just some things better left to the professionals.

Flowers

Maybe you have dabbled in arranging flowers for you table or saw some cute arrangements on Pinterest that looked simple to make and thought this would be a great way to cut the budget.  The reality is that creating all of the arrangements in a wedding and ceremony is a lot more complicated than you think.  Not only are the flowers perishable, meaning they must be arranged within days of your wedding, it can take quite a bit of time and space to build, store, transport to the venue, then add final touches to the arrangements.  Even if your mother or best friend has offered to do this for you, consider what experience you want them to have at your wedding… that of a vendor, or better yet, as the mother-of-the-bride or maid-of-honor?  Check out our blog interview with Uptown Blossoms for more information.

Planning

Hiring a planner is not an admission of being disorganized.  Even if you are the most organized of personalities, having a point-person on the day of your wedding (listen closely here) that IS NOT YOU, can make or break how well you enjoy your own wedding.  The main goal of your coordinator is to give you a wonderful wedding day experience, free of stress!  Having a professional to run your wedding is often the difference between a polished event with great flow for both you and your guests and a disorganized event that tends to ramble and feels a bit chaotic.

Catering

Yes, we know catering is often one of the largest slices of the budget.  The temptation here to try to potluck or ask family to BBQ to keep costs down.  There are so many dangers here we hardly know where to begin!   To boil it down: unless your family is already in the catering business, they may not know how to accurately estimate the amount of food, the preparation time, and frankly, how to serve all of your guests in a reasonable amount of time.  You also need to decide if you want your guests to be vendors (which they will be if they are cooking and serving) or if you would like them to be able to enjoy the festivities as guests.  If budget is a concern, share that with your cater and together you can come up with something that works (i.e. heavy appetizers and cocktails instead of a sit-down dinner).

Your Hair and Makeup

You will remember from our blog How to Rock a Courthouse Wedding that I made this “Don’t” by not having my hair and makeup done professionally.  Trust us ladies when we say that this is totally worth it.  Let a professional that you trust pamper and make you feel as beautiful as a princess on this special day.  There aren’t many occasions like this in our life.  Take advantage of their expertise in giving you that perfect up-do and photo-ready makeup.  You will not regret this!

Wedding Cake

Remember the part in the movie “Pretty Woman” when she walks back in to confront the saleswoman in the high end shop that refused to help her?  That line applies here too.  Decide not to have a professional create and deliver your wedding cake… “Big mistake.  Huge!”  Learn more by reading our blog interview with Anita of Midnight Sun Cakery.

Photography

Oh my, we could go on and on about this topic!  Instead, check out our blog post on Choosing Your Wedding Photographer and 5 Reasons Why Every Couple Needs An Album.

We hope we have given you much to consider and frankly, helped you avoid some heartache down the road!  Every bride should feel like a princess on her wedding day and sometimes that means delegating in some areas so that you can be crafty in others!

Happy Planning,

Sharon and Laura

Visit our Pinterest site for more creative ideas or schedule a consultation with us to help create you special day.