Warning: 5 Things You Should Never DIY for Your Wedding

Your sweetheart finally asked you. You are engaged- Woohoo!! Now it’s time to roll up your sleeves and get to work- after all, planning the most incredible, stunning, perfect wedding ever will take some sweat! You flip through your wedding binder and your Pinterest board, look at allllll the pretty things! You get super excited, but then it suddenly hits you: How on earth should you ever be able to pay for all of this? Fast forward, you and your big love decide to throw an incredible DIY-wedding!! Advantages: fun, cost-saving, AND you will get allllll the credits! – Decision made!
Here is the part where I have to intervene and tell you: stop.right.there! DIY weddings ARE awesome, they ARE fun, they ARE cheaper BUT and that’s crucial, they can be a nightmare! So how can you DIY and still have the most incredible wedding ever?

The key to a fabulous DIY wedding is to leave those five things to experts!

[Related: Why Hiring a Day-Of Coordinator Will Save Your Sanity]

Flowers

Worst-case scenario

Picture this: your wedding is in three days. Your wedding colors are dusty blue with peach accents. Two days before your wedding, the doorbell rings, the flowers are here. Again, like so many times during the wedding planning, you get super excited, open the door, and… the flowers are pink! Just imagine the incredible stress that you put yourself in if that does happen, not to mention the extra money you have to spend to solve this problem!

Solution

Reach out to local floral schools or florists that are new in business. They may be able to provide simple, inexpensive arrangements in exchange for getting a foot in the door of the industry.

Cake

Worst-case scenario

Your sweet aunt has offered to bake you a small two-tier buttercream cake as her wedding gift. You are so thankful, after all, you know your aunt’s cakes are always the first ones to sell out during church functions. But guess what happens? Your aunt catches the flu, just two days before your wedding, and there is no way she can bake!

Solution

If you are tight on money, order a simple cake from a local grocery or bakery and only decorate it yourself!

Music

Worst-case scenario

The dancefloor is empty, you hear crickets. I know what you are thinking: “This won’t happen because I have the most impressive party playlist on my iPod!” And I agree with you on that BUT what if your iPod breaks? Or the speakers? Or what if your music doesn’t resonate with your wedding guests? Do you have a backup plan??

Solution

If you need to save money, hire a DJ instead of a band. Usually, they cost significantly less. Think about hiring someone new to the DJ business, as they are eager to play at weddings. Often even for half the price, you would need to pay someone who has been in business for years!

Dress

Worst-case scenario

Your wedding dress looks picture perfect. You spent hours designing it, ordering the right fabrics, and sewing. But it was worth it- the dress is everything you imagined it to be! But guess what? You still have 1 million other things on your wedding to-do list! No time for recreation, pampering or spending time with your loved ones. Just more wedding-related chores that urgently need to get done!

[Related: 10 Easy Tips How to Prepare for Your Wedding Dress Shopping]

Solution

Hire a sewist! Design your dress, buy it at a second-hand shop or buy the unique vintage dress that you saw at your favorite thrift store. But no matter what you do, let a professional seamstress sew and alter your dress for you!

Photographer

Worst case scenario

You asked your cousin to take your wedding photos. Because, lucky you, your cousin is a semi-professional photographer who takes gorgeous, subtle, soul-searching portraits documenting everyday life! BUT oh no, a week after the wedding, you look through the 1000 pictures he took, and while your guests look incredibly appealing, YOUR portraits are the worst, the group picture a disaster, and there are NO pictures of the decoration!

Solution

Hire a professional wedding photographer, at least for your wedding portraits and the group pictures! If a friend or a relative takes all other photos, prepare a wedding photography checklist for them and make sure you discuss it thoroughly before the wedding.

Whew, I know that’s a lot to consider! But the bottom line is this, it is YOUR wedding day, and you deserve the best!! So think twice before you decide against a wedding professional as you might cut costs at the wrong end!

If you like to find out how I can help you plan your wedding, get in touch with me to set up a complimentary consultation! I look forward to seeing if we are a perfect match!

Love, Michaela

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• Why Hiring a Day-Of Coordinator Will Save Your Sanity
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