What to Know About Planning Your D.I.Y. Wedding

The do it yourself movement – from home repairs to sewing to gardening – started in earnest in the 1970s. It embodies the ideas of independence, creativity and the joy of using your own hands to make something. My mom made Easter coats and dresses for her three daughters and was known to make candles (kind of dangerous) and the ceramic Christmas tree that is now considered “retro.”

The wedding DIY trend is going strong. While it not only reflects a desire to reduce the costs of the average $27,000 wedding, it is part of a movement to personalize weddings so they don’t have that cookie cutter look. You know, the “traditional” wedding, the “rustic” wedding, etc.

Here are a few things you should know before planning a DIY wedding:

• Begin with knowing some basic information: your budget and number of guests, keeping in mind that lowering the number of guests is the most effective way to lower the bottom line.
• If possible, avoid using family and friends for your wedding: it can only end badly. Remember that saying about not going into business with family? This holds true with weddings too. Your cousin should not be your photographer. Not ever.
• The best DIY wedding projects are ones that can be done ahead of time. No bride wants to be scrambling around the day of….trust us on this one. It might sound like a good idea a year before, but it is too stressful for the weekend of your big day. Any kind of glue and wedding weekends do not go together.
• Some areas where DIY works really well: invitations and paper projects; favors; centerpieces without live flowers, dance lessons via You Tube, and dried flower arrangements.

• Areas that do not lend themselves well to DIY: photography, videography, lighting, flower arrangements, food for large numbers of people, event planning and music (in some cases).
• Ask yourself some basic questions. Who is going to haul the stuff you are making to the reception site? Who is going to haul it away afterwards when everyone is tired? Some venues allow pickup the next day, but not all of them do. Do you want Mom and Dad to haul stuff in their wedding attire?
• Some Pinterest ideas we love: ribbons on chairs and backdrops; silverware wrapped in doilies and twine, and a chalkboard program to save on paper invitations.
• DIY signage is a great way to personalize your wedding. Some possibilities: banners, flags, just married signs and backdrops. Online templates are plentiful and easy to accomplish. Chalkboard signage is also popular and chic, especially if you know someone with great handwriting or calligraphy skills.
• Some DIY favors that we love: fortune cookies, homemade bath salts, a wedding cd created by the couple, almonds, lip balm, scrabble magnets, luggage tags and s’more kits. The world of s’mores has expanded greatly since they were roasted around a campfire!
• Just saw a clever guest book that wasn’t a book at all. Attendees signed a painted world globe – how clever.