Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Day 2--DIY

Now before I rope you completely into this 31 Days of Wedding Planning, I should let you know something. My wedding was nothing like the Father of the Bride, everything paid for, everything the biggest and best kind of wedding. My wedding (by choice) was a DIY wedding. I wanted it simple, I wanted to have a hand in everything, and I wanted to not spend a ton of my parent's money. If you want to go the all-catered, all-inclusive, all-out wedding that is great! But this blog probably isn't for you then. My tips and advice will be based on my own experience. I am providing these tips to hopefully alleviate some stress, quest for ideas, and time as you plan your own DIY wedding. (I am also doing this to help me remember how planning my wedding went so that I can help my girlfriends and someday daughters).

Why you would want to go the DIY route
~It is personal. Doing your wedding yourself really allows you to make it just how you want it to fit you and your fiance. This day is about you and you are the best person to know how it should be and how to make it happen that way. It is a great feeling to show up at your wedding and see how great everything looks and know that you (and probably a few helpers) created everything! This day is supposed to be your special day. If you are the one who made all the invitations, decorations, and selected all the songs yourself, you will enjoy the day so much more because you can take pride in your the fruits of your labor. Plus, then you have and own everything after the wedding that can be used for home decor or helping someone else with their wedding.

~It is fun. While making 200+ invitations can get tedious, overall, doing your wedding yourself is fun because you get to see it transform from ideas on Pinterest to supplies all over your house to a gorgeous venue on the big day!

~It can save you money. Making your own invitations, decorations, etc. is definitely cheaper than paying someone else to. If you are on a tight budget or want a low-cost wedding, then DIY would probably be a great option for you. Even if you can't do everything yourself (I didn't), taking on some of the big areas can help you save a lot. I will also provide tips for how I chose vendors that were cheap and as close to DIY as I could get without truly doing it myself (like the cake for example).

Why you would NOT want to go the DIY route
~Though this is called Do-It-Yourself, you honestly can't do everything. In order to do a DIY wedding then, you will either have to make some choices to have someone else do something or to NOT do something at all.

~It is a lot of work. If you are in school or working a full time job or something else that does not give you the time to do all the research, calling, deciding, and crafting yourself, then this may not be the best route to save you time/stress/money.


Looking back, I am so glad I had a DIY wedding. Yes there were times of frustration, stress, and tears, but overall, I enjoyed it, had fun, and absolutely LOVED my wedding.

Not to brag at all, but just to let you know that DIY weddings can turn out really great...we received several compliments from guests that our wedding was one of the best they had been to. Some thought it was put on by a professional. I felt so blessed by these comments. I tell you just so that you realize with dedication, organization, good planning, and great family and friends to help, you too can pull off an excellent DIY wedding! Keep reading every day for more tips and advice on how to do just that.

1 comment:

  1. I loved watching and participating in taking your vision and ideas and 'pins' to reality. <3

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