DIY Weddings – The Crafty Post

It should go without saying that “Do-It-Yourself” and weddings go hand in hand. Weddings are generally thought of as a woman’s domain and I know scores of women that just love a crafty project. I, myself, have been known to tackle such a project. In general, I wouldn’t say that I’m a “crafty” person. I would probably have to search for a while to find my glue gun. However, I will definitely jump into an involved project if a – I can’t find what I want or b – I know exactly how I want it and it would be best if I just did it myself (my long suffering husband can attest to this).

I was thinking about my various projects (wedding related and otherwise) as I flipped through my current copy of Martha Stewart Weddings. This issue is dubbed their “DIY Issue”. I consider Martha Stewart the be all, end all of DIY and crafty genius. So, I was loving the issue. After a while, though, I got to thinking about how you can take DIY too far. As much as I love personal touches, I just want to explain where DIY needs to stop and someone else needs to take over. Not that Martha’s projects are too much at all. It’s just that many people can get caught up in the DIY spirit and really take on too much. I have spent some time thinking about it and the following items are my Rules for DIY.

1. Hands on projects must end before the wedding day. Whatever items you decide that you will be constructing for the wedding, be sure that they can be/are finished before the day of the wedding. For example, that means that I don’t agree with or suggest that you, or anyone who is emotionally attached to the wedding, try to take on your own floral arranging. Most flowers will need to be dealt with the day of the wedding. You don’t need to worry about anything other than making sure you enjoy your family and friends as much as possible on your wedding day. Not the flowers. So, what items would be eligible under this rule? Invitations, favors, custom decor pieces. Anything that isn’t perishable. My favorite DIY item is invitations. They have to be done and in the mail at least 6 weeks before the wedding. While invitations can be stressful, at least that stress isn’t adding to the wedding day its self. Your wedding director will be able to help you set out all the pre-made centerpieces, guest book, etc.

2. Anything that has legal stipulations that comes with it should not be considered DIY. Food, alcohol, sometimes transportation should be left to the professionals. Please. Self catering is the worst thing I have ever heard of. It will not help your budget if anyone gets sick and then sues you. Or, if you are careless with your bar. Weddings don’t need to have police visits.

3. Second-degree DIY. This what I call it when you have talented family or friends who you can call upon for various wedding duties. And usually, these are budget friendly. Our favorite, right? I am all about working the “friends discount” system. But, be careful what you ask for. Getting anyone that you are really close with to do wedding day activities (food, photos, directing, etc.) can mean several things. First, those friends/family won’t get to enjoy your wedding. They are working. No fun. Second, what happens when something goes wrong with one of those items? Now, you are dealing with someone you are close with and not just a hired vendor. It makes things very confusing. Personal story: I love it when my friends and family get married. Not only am I just over-the-moon excited for them, but I want to be as available as possible for them. I would handle it all for them if they wanted me too. But, when my best friends got married and asked me and my husband to be in the wedding, I knew that it would be a little difficult for me to serve as wedding director. I do have a team that could have stepped in when I was otherwise preoccupied. But, Joanna didn’t ask me to do this. Instead, she hired another group of directors to help her with her wedding day. And guess what? I had the best time ever at a wedding. My husband and I got to celebrate our friends’ wedding like everyone else. Of course, during the planning, I was available as her consultant. But, that day was strictly about our friends and being happy with them. It was the nicest thing ever.

Just to make plain that I am not anti-DIY, here is a list of things that were DIY at my own wedding: all printing (The envelope liner photo is from an old Martha Stewart. I did that exact same collage-type liner for my invitations), favors and dress. Yep. My mother (seamstress extraordinaire) made my dress. It was the best part about my whole wedding. We spent hours designing it (inspiration from a Carolina Herrera gown) and I am still in love with it – 7 years later.

So, have a good time making your wedding as personal as possible. Just keep these tips in mind to keep you from being too stressed out come wedding day.

XOXO – Julie