What Parts of a Wedding Can You DIY?
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Coordinating a wedding can seem like a daunting task. In addition to planning efforts feeling like a full-time job, the cost of each element of your big day can be discouraging. So many parts of your ceremony and reception are expensive regardless of how well you research, plan, and budget. DIY efforts can save you money. However, they can also go south pretty quickly. The best intentions when it comes to do-it-yourself wedding projects can easily turn in to stressful planning, overwhelming deadlines, unexpected expenses, and low-quality outcomes. Let’s discuss what can easily be done yourself versus what you’re better off outsourcing to professionals.
Save-the-Dates and Invitations
This is the easiest one to DIY. There are so many websites that offer design and printing services that have hundreds of pre-made templates. Log in, design what you like, and get a sample delivered for less than $10.00. Make a cheap magnet for a save-the-date notice. Get the invitations printed in bulk on nice cardstock and have these shipped to your home months before you need to send them out. Buy a low-cost printer and create custom printed envelopes for each addressee. Pop a stamp on them when you’re ready to send them out and head down to the post office. It’s that simple and you don’t need to pay a premium for someone to do this for you.
Sending online invitations is also becoming more common. They allow you to know that someone received the invitation and lets you provide helpful information to your guests leading up to the ceremony, as well. This method is also extremely affordable.
Wedding Attire
We don’t anticipate that you’re considering sewing your own wedding dress, so we’ll keep this section brief. There is no reason to purchase your dress or bridal party gowns from a wedding retailer. Shop online, go to the mall, buy a prom dress on markdown after the season, or rent a dress. There are so many ways to purchase a formal, white or cream gown without paying an arbitrary “bridal” markup. Purchase a $200 dress and pay a small fee to get the dress tailored. There are many talented freelancers who can provide this service at an affordable rate. Have a university in your area? Students - especially those getting their master’s degrees - studying costume design are very talented and are looking for work to build their portfolios.
Florals
Real wedding flowers are complicated. So many websites offer DIY wedding floral packages and they make it look super easy. You’ll read outstanding reviews of people singing the praises of the service saying how simple and fun it was. Then you realize these are people with 15 friends willing to stay up until 2am the night before the wedding to put together flower arrangements and bouquets. Their living room and kitchen have been wall-to-wall buckets of water for the last three days trying to keep the blooms fresh. Not to mention they had to purchase these buckets, floral foam, wire, tape, zip ties, shears, wire cutter, and vases, racking up an extra $500+ in expenses. Who transports these flower arrangements to the reception and ceremony? Who strikes (industry term for “tear down”) all this stuff at the end of the night? It's just not a realistic project for every couple unless they have a super hands-on army of friends and family willing to help out. You also run the risk of the florals arriving late, because real blooms are sent within a very tight window to ensure they arrive only a few days before your ceremony date. Late arrivals aside, what happens if they get delivered to the wrong address? Stolen off your porch? Part of the order didn’t ship on time? The blooms arrive damaged? They shipped the wrong colors?
So what can you do instead of hiring a traditional florist? One option is using silk blooms. If there isn’t a faux floral designer like Blooming Savvy in your area, consider renting pre-made arrangements online or make some DIY arrangements yourself. With artificial flowers and greenery, you aren’t up against the time crunch and chaos that we previously mentioned. You can put these arrangements together three months before the ceremony and keep them in a box in the garage. Work on one arrangement per night while you watch TV. Practice and try different styles with the florals to get the arrangement just right. You don’t have to worry about breaking a delicate stem or the petals falling off. It’s much easier and less stressful. Read our other articles, “The Case for Faux Florals” and “How Much Do Couples Typically Spend on Wedding Flowers?” for more information on where to buy and mistakes to avoid when it comes to silk flowers. We’ve compiled some of our favorite Amazon floral products here.
Another option is to limit florals to a few smaller arrangements and supplement the decor with more affordable items. Use candles to make a beautiful table centerpiece or altar decor that is budget-friendly. Here’s a link to a safer, flameless option.
Drinks and Food
We don’t recommend cooking your own food for your wedding. Let a professional company handle this portion of your reception. You run the risk of improper food handling and guests could get seriously ill. Restaurants, catering companies, and event venues hold the proper health department certificates and insurance policies to mitigate risk like this. Most wedding venues will require that you use their catering services. If you don’t like the “all-inclusive wedding package” type place that includes food and alcohol, seek out a more generic event venue that will allow you to hire an outside catering company. Plated food requires serving and bussing staff. Reduce the amount of help needed by opting for buffet style meals. This also allows people to eat what they want and reduces food waste and hungry guests. Get a local restaurant to cater or use a major chain to really save some money. Hire a couple food trucks to come out and pay for a set number of items. Hire some bartenders from a reputable service provider and bulk purchase your own alcohol and mixers.
Whatever you do, just verify that the catering company or a freelance bartender holds a business license, proper compliance certificates, and insurance. Getting sued by your venue or even a guest for wedding mishaps is a real thing. Make sure you understand your risks and look into wedding insurance policies for yourself, as well. We go into more detail about this in our book.
Wedding Planning
Don’t let the prospect of planning a wedding make you feel overwhelmed. You have access to the internet and an Excel spreadsheet. That’s all you need to get started. Make a list, set a budget, pick a date, and get researching. There are so many resources out there to help you decide when it’s the right time to book a particular service for your wedding, what a vendor contract should include, or how much things should cost. Every reputable service provider will have a website or social media profile to connect with them directly. Gone are the days of wedding planners having exclusive access to vendors. However, planners are great if you’re not interested in doing the research and heavy lifting of planning everything on your own. Read our other article, “Will a Wedding Planner Save You Money?”.
Now, on the day of your wedding, you need some professional help. Day of coordinators are an available service, and this gives you someone to help you wrangle all the moving parts on your wedding day. Someone has to sign for the catering, the furniture delivery and pickup, the florist, etc. There is a lot of admin work happening on the day of and you don’t want to be the sole point of contact. If you have a family member who’s a project manager and wants to take on this role and miss half of the festivities, ok then. If you don’t, you may want to consider a day of coordinator to help you out.
Keep To Your Budget
Remember - if you can’t afford it, you can’t afford it. Set your budget and stick to it. Don’t let people pressure you into things you don’t want or can’t splurge on. It’s one day of your life and going into unmanageable debt for a party is not a smart way to begin a marriage. You’re having a wedding to get married, not just to have a wedding.
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Disclosure: Blooming Savvy (Forever Botanic LLC) may receive a commission or share of sales from products purchased using the links provided on this website and / or our social media profiles. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.