Creative Wedding Ideas - To DIY or Not to DIY?

By and far, the biggest wedding trend of the last few years has been the do-it-yourself wedding craze. With the recession making resourcefulness cool again, not to mention the rise of crafty inspiration sites like Pinterest, brides are making their own invitations, favors, bouquets and more. But is there such a thing as too much DIY?

Planning a wedding is stressful enough, even with help. A few handmade touches here and there are great, but remember - your wedding day is all about you and your spouse-to-be, and plenty of friends, family members and qualified wedding vendors are more than willing to lend a hand! Here’s a quick guide to what you should and shouldn’t attempt to DIY for your wedding.

The Food - Don’t DIY, for the most part. Your wedding reception meal, drinks and desserts are a ton of work to prepare and serve. This is way too big a responsibility for you or anyone in your wedding party or family to shoulder. However, you can still add personal touches by providing a customizeddrinkrecipe for the bartender to serve as your official “wedding cocktail,” or by setting up a “candybar” near the dessert table with candies whose wrappers match your wedding colors (a big hit with kids and adults alike!).

The Decorations - DIY can be fun, but only if you or someone else involved in the wedding is especially crafty. If your friends and family have an artsy streak, assembling favors and other decorations together can be a fun bridal shower or night-before activity. Hit up Pinterestfor ideas before heading out to Cappel’s or Fabricate for supplies. A great florist, like Fassler or SayIDo, can also help suggest decorations that will coordinate well with your flowers and colors.

The Flowers – DIY mix.  The bridal and bridesmaids’ bouquets will be front and center at your wedding, especially in the photos.  Wedding bouquets are like living sculptures, and are deceptively difficult to create if you are not skilled in this art form.  It’s best to invest a little of your wedding budget in these important components of your wedding ensemble, and let your own DIY creativity shine in tastefully placed wedding flowers and fabulous centerpieces for your reception.  Jazz up the accessories with tea light candles, colorful glass beads, mirrors, or other easy to find accents.

The Hair and Makeup - DIY with caution. If you know someone who’s an amazing hair or makeup artist and is willing to donate his/her time, great! Just keep in mind that your and your bridesmaids’ hair and faces will be major features of your photographs, so you want everyone to look their best. Also remember that when you DIY, you have to provide all your own supplies, so in the end, doing your own hair and makeup maynotsaveyoumoney. If “free” isn’t an option, you can ask your makeup artist friend or acquaintance for a reduced rate.  Going to the salon rather than having the makeup and hair stylists coming to you will also save you some green.  As the bride, you can opt to get the professional makeup for yourself and have your bridesmaids do their own makeup.  Decided not to go this one alone? We recommend great Cincinnati hair and makeup professionals like Brideface, Folchi Make-Up and Jennifer Nally or Mitchells Salon.

The Photography - Absolutely DON’T DIY! When the day is finally over, your wedding photos and videos will be the only way to relive the memories. In 20 or 50 years, you probably won’t regret whether each decoration was just perfect, but you WILL regret hiring an inexperienced photography student, intern or “your friend’s nephew who has an SLR” to do your wedding photos! Invest in quality - contactImagesbyDanielMichaeltoday to book your Cincinnati wedding photography, and trust that you’ll have amazing photos to cherish for years to come.

The DJ – DIY no-no!  Without the right mix of music and a “Master of Ceremonies,” your reception will fall flat and people might duck out early.  You don’t want to remember your big day as a yawn-fest.  Depending on what is included, a good DJ service will be worth the $600 - $1000 investment to keep the house rockin’, people on the dance floor, and most importantly, pace the evening.  Important milestones such as the first dance, mother/son, father/daughter, and bouquet toss should not be left to your little cousin Mikey who thinks he’s a DJ because he likes to go clubbing or has played at a few bars.  A quality DJ service will discuss all elements of your reception and music in advance, be aware of your musical tastes, and have an encyclopedic knowledge of popular music and how to mix it up that will appeal to wedding guests of all ages.  Lastly, if you book your wedding reception on a Friday or Sunday rather than the ever popular Saturday, you can save some significant loot.

The key to doing DIY right is to know where and when you can DIY and still have the wedding of your dreams.  If you are attempting to DIY in an area that you really have no skill, you will be disappointed and this can lead to frustration and regret.  Discuss your options with family and friends, but in the end, only make the decisions that feel right.  Tight wedding budgets are a reality for most couples getting married, and strategic thinking should allow you to cut corners on things that may not mean as much to you, to permit you to invest more of your money on the aspects that do.