A lot of trends have recently emerged on the wedding scene, and one of the most popular one is probably planning a DIY wedding, where the name speaks for itself. A do-it-yourself wedding is one where brides and grooms and their families work together to put up a wedding by themselves, and most of the work is executed without any professional help.
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The wedding industry is such that it has created a business out of planning weddings, which allows brides to choose from packages such as “country club package” or “beach resort package” and the like, where you pay the planner, and they basically do everything for you.
Suggested read: 7 essential things to know before hiring a wedding planner
Although this sounds like a great alternative where you don’t have to take the trouble to do everything yourself, you lose a lot of the autonomy of having the wedding of your dreams and getting to do things your way, because of which, more and more brides have ditched the package deal idea and become do-it-yourself wedding planners. To be honest, initially, you might feel like planning your own wedding was the worst idea ever, but when you finally walk down the aisle and see your plans unfold in the most beautiful manner possible, every single thing will be worth it.
Here are 15 things you need to know before planning a DIY wedding.
1. A DIY wedding is expensive
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The reason you planned a do-it-yourself wedding in the first place was to save the average cost of spending $30,000 on a professional who would do all the hard work for you. With a professional, all you have to do is pay for the food that you will be serving your guests. But when you go the DIY way, you also have to hire the cutlery and the tables and the chairs and their covers as well, making it an expensive affair nonetheless, although you do manage to save some. Word of advice: it would do you good if you placed a honeymoon fund jar at your wedding. You can also save by cutting down on your guest list.
2. Your friends and family are the worst people to ask for help
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This might come as a little surprise, but it is nonetheless an advice you should take into consideration very seriously. Your friends and family are the first people you would think of approaching when you have decided on a do-it-yourself wedding, but the problem with that is they are very close and too emotionally involved in the whole deal to give you any constructive opinion. Also, you might have trouble getting your ideas across because it would be tough to reject the ideas they suggest. In this case, it is best to fly solo.
3. You have to let your creative juices flow
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Planning a wedding yourself means that you have to pull out all the stops when it comes to creativity, so that you can make your wedding look just like you had imagined, or even better, without having to spend a million dollars. The whole point of a do-it-yourself wedding is that you have to do most of the things yourself instead of buying them or hiring people to do it for you. If, after a couple of days, you feel like you have run out of creative ideas, then Pinterest and other websites are going to be your saving grace.
4. Hiring your vendors after careful consideration
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Since you are not hiring a professional planner, you are also denying yourself of all the contacts that they might have, which means you have to hire all the vendors yourself. The main thing that you have to remember is that before you hire, you have to cross-check and go through as many reviews as possible, because a bad vendor can ruin your entire wedding, whether it is the band or the caterer.
5. It is important to be well-equipped
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There are certain things that you need to keep with you at all times when you are planning your own wedding. For example, you need to keep all your bills and receipts in a binder, and be equipped with all your plans, which are comprehensively written down in one place, because you never know when you might need to refer to them. Also, keep an account of things on some online forum like Google Docs or even an Excel sheet.
6. You need to plan your DIY wedding well before time
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There is no question of keeping things for the last minute in case of a do-it-yourself wedding, especially because you can’t really run around taking care of things on the day of your wedding, or even a few days before, can you? It is best if you start planning a year earlier, so that the idea of a do-it-yourself wedding doesn’t become a real-life nightmare.
7. Know what to DIY
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When you are planning a do-it-yourself wedding, you have to make sure you make the most of your creative side and DIY all things that you possibly can. Some of the things you can work with include wedding favors like packets of S’mores and bath salts and succulents and music CDs with your wedding playlist. You can also DIY all paper items like invites, save the date cards, and thank you notes.
Suggested read: 15 questions to ask a wedding planner before hiring them
8. …and what not to DIY
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Just like there are some things that you have to DIY, there are some things you really shouldn’t. You might think taking care of things like flowers and your wedding cake and the food for your guests is easy as pie, but they actually aren’t. Unless you are very sure about doing these things yourself, it is best if you hire someone professional.
9. You have to know when to draw the line
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When you are planning your own wedding, it is very easy to get carried away and go on spending while constantly under the impression that you are well within budget. However, you have to tread carefully and keep careful track of your expenditure, so as to not end up spending more than what you would have on a professional planner.
10. You probably will, but must try not to, forget about the opinion of the groom
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Before you plan a wedding yourself, you should know that you will most definitely get carried away by the possibilities, which will also make you forget all about the opinion of the bridegroom. Use this opportunity to make your ceremony a harmonious blend of both your tastes and inclusions, so that your groom doesn’t feel like a stranger at his own wedding.
11. At multiple points in time, you will feel like giving up
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After you have spent days and all of your hours and all of your patience behind planning this wedding, you are bound to feel like giving up. However, it is during times like these that you have to keep true to yourself and find ways to remain positive, so that you don’t give up midway.
12. You must prepare for a disaster beforehand
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A wedding is never an easy thing to pull off, neither is it very easy to plan, because of which you have to make sure that you are prepared to handle all forms of disasters. It does well to keep a disaster kit with you at all times, because after all, if something goes wrong at your wedding, it is you who will have to do something to manage it.
13. Making and planning the stuff by yourself is not enough
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A do-it-yourself wedding does literally mean that you have to do it all yourself. After all, when you have taken on the responsibility of planning the whole thing, you are bound to have a lot on your plate. This is why you need to designate certain responsibilities to certain people, so that they can execute your orders before, during, and after the ceremony. These people may include hired people, vendors, or even your bridal party or groomsmen.
14. It is important to say no, even when it is difficult
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Your friends and your family will always be there to help, and they will even come forward and offer their help when you don’t need it. However, you have to know when to say no to them and keep things under your control to the maximum extent. Otherwise, your wedding might turn out looking completely different from what you had imagined.
Suggested read: 10 best wedding planning apps to help you plan your dream wedding
15. You have to remember to have fun, even when you feel like giving up
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At the end of the day, you have to remember that you get to plan the wedding of your dreams. Before you plan your do-it-yourself wedding, you should know that no matter how difficult the process is, what you will get to see in front of you on your Big Day will totally be worth all the effort, because you get to live your dream on your own terms.
A DIY wedding is basically, as much as you make of it, and although there are going to be obstacles and challenges that you have to deal with on the way, there is nothing more satisfying than being a part of a wedding which is completely your doing.
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