Bride-to-be Erin makes a great point in her entry… that DIY’ing your wedding doesn’t automatically make it cheaper! You have to do your homework and make smart decisions when choosing what aspects you are going to DIY. I love that she had touched upon this and shared her experience when she was thinking about making her own chair cover ties, as I’m sure many brides have experienced something similar. I also give Erin a lot of credit for planning a wedding in 6 months, an arduous feat by itself, plus she’s DIY’ing… you go Erin! Thanks so much for sharing your great ideas and advice! Good Luck, five months to go!
My name is Erin, and I’m in the thick of wedding planning. In less than five months I’ll be walking down the aisle, but I just started this wedding planning journey about three weeks ago. Needless to say, I’m in the midst of a short engagement, and it’s keeping me on my toes! Shortly before my engagement, I was laid off from my job. I do not have financial support from my parents and have always known I would have to fund my wedding celebration. However, all of the money I’ve been saving for my wedding is now going toward basic living expenses, so I’m doing my darndest to cut wedding expenses. It was always my vision to incorporate many DIY projects because I enjoy being crafty. I’ve also always envisioned doing my homework and cutting needless expenses through spending more time to research and find alternatives to the expensive wedding “must haves.” Not having a job right now makes me more determined to make things fit a small budget.
It is easy for me to think that doing things on my own automatically makes it cheaper. That’s not necessarily the case. It seems to be more about doing your research, comparing prices of what a vendor charges as opposed to the cost of buying raw materials. For instance, I thought I might make my own chair cover ties for the reception hall, but when I considered the cost of fabric and then finding a purpose for 150 chair ties after the reception, I decided it made more sense to rent them. Instead, I’m putting my crafty energy into creating centerpieces, all of the flower arrangements for the ceremony and reception, a kids activity area for the reception, baking dessert for our guests, and designing my invitations.
I’d advise other brides to be assertive about your opinions and work hard to find EXACTLY what you’re looking for. I did not hire a wedding planner, but that means I take the brunt of negative feedback. There is no buffer, and there’s often no one for me to bounce an idea off of. Whether it’s your mom pushing you to choose a certain unattractive wedding dress or a vendor talking you into a bigger DJ package than you want, let them know that you are in charge and will make decisions based on what you think is best. Another piece of advice- make sure you keep plugged in with your fiancé. Don’t lose your emotional connection with them because you do need his support even if he doesn’t care about the details. Every day is a new adventure for me, and while some of them aren’t fun, I am doing my best to focus on the end result… a celebration of our new life together.
Danielle K. Gonzalez
Danielle's sense of style and seeing trending wedding changes helps her guide Blooms By The Box customers with their wedding flower selections.
