Keen creative? Love a bit of arts and crafts? If you’re planning on doing some DIY for your wedding – I’m here to help. Today, I am going to talk you through my top 5 tips when planning a DIY wedding (as well as a bit of visual inspo, of course!).
A DIY wedding is perfect for someone who loves the little handmade details and taking the time to craft something from scratch. A handy way to find out if that’s you – do you venture down the rabbit hole of DIY Youtube videos to master a new craft? Do you have lots of time on your hands and a long lead time until your wedding date?
If you answered yes to all the above questions, then consider doing a DIY wedding – or even incorporating a couple of DIY elements into your day! (Don’t worry – if that’s not you, then I suggest you put down the hot glue gun, step away from the sequins, and book in the professionals to do the tricky stuff!).
Right – still with me? Keep reading for my five top tips on doing a DIY wedding – and trust me when I say I know what I’m talking about. After 300 weddings I’ve seen everything there is to see in the way of DIY wedding days!
1. Be picky
If you are a creative type like me, you are probably also a control freak (also like me)! And, quite often, that means you’ll want to do everything – and I mean everything. But (and bear with me here), let’s be realistic. A wedding is a lot of work, even when you’re not taking on some of the DIY elements yourself. My first tip here is to pick the top few things you want to do yourself, and utilise the skills you already have. If you love sewing, choose to make your own bridesmaids’ dresses. Maybe you have a flair for flower arrangements – then take onboard the task of crafting your own bouquet. If you have a graphic designer’s eye and enjoy drawing, put together the invitations, placeholders and menu.
By being selective with what tasks you take onboard, you’ll reduce the stress that comes with it. At the end of the day, you’ll be getting married to the love of your life, and enjoying the company of your friends and family – so if you need to give in and hire professionals to help you out, do it (that’s what they do best!).
2. Be willing to delegate
Okay, so you have the perfect bridesmaids’ dresses in your mind – but you just can’t find them in the shop. And to make matters worse, you haven’t touched a sewing machine since school, and don’t have the confidence to make them yourself. BUT – it just so happens that one of your besties is a whizz on the sewing machine and has offered to help.
Tip number two – take them up on their offer! That’s what friends are for, and they really do love being able to help you out in a special way for your day.
3. Know your skill level
None of us is an expert in everything – and that’s okay! If you know what you want your invitations to look like but you’ve never used graphic design software before, or you have a dream cake in mind but can’t bake – book those pros! I know I’ve said it before, but it’s true. Learning a brand new skill can take years to master, and right before your wedding is not always the best time to add that amount of stress.
If you’re keen to learn a new craft for your DIY wedding, keep it simple and use your existing skill set. Instead of making a dress from scratch, put your skills into the styling and accessories.
4.Be okay with walking away
Maybe it was all going so well, but then something just didn’t go to plan. You have three choices. One – accept it in its imperfect state and just go with it. Two – start again and potentially end up in a never-ending loop of never being happy. Three – accept defeat and walk away.
This last one can be the hardest, especially with DIY projects, but when planning a wedding you only have a limited amount of time and so often it’s the only option. Sometimes we have a vision in our heads, and no matter how much we try we can’t match it (trust me – I’ve been there, a lot). Knowing when to accept defeat and walk away is one of the biggest lessons I have ever learnt, and it’s a skill that will come in handy when planning a DIY wedding.
5.Have fun!
This is probably the most important tip I have when planning any kind of DIY wedding project. Ask yourself: ‘is this going to be something I enjoy doing and can have fun with?’
If the answer is no – don’t do it. Weddings are supposed to be fun and making yourself miserable trying to do something you are hating is no way to spend your time!
For you crafty people out there, I hope you’ve found these tips handy – and now that I have the tips and tricks out of the way, it’s time for me to share the images from a truly memorable wedding I photographed! Amazing artist and super crafty Jacinta married David a wee while ago, but I still can’t get over the amazing handmade details from their wedding day. I was so excited to capture their day for them, knowing there would be a million dreamy details to capture, and that her wedding dress would be as unique as her – and the day didn’t disappoint. Not only did she make her own wedding dress (!!), she also whipped up her lovely bridesmaids’ dresses, jewelry, flowers and her stunning hand beaded veil. Keep scrolling to see all the goodness….
As always you can click here to check out my Facebook page, and here to find out more about my wedding photography.
