The 6 Essential Tips For DIY Wedding Planning

So, despite what you’ve no doubt repeatedly heard by now, and in spite of all the well meaning advice that you’ve received from concerned friends, doubtful family members and other judgemental eyes, you’ve decided to tackle the momentous task of wedding planning all by yourselves. The break in paragraph is to let the weight of that sink in. And now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, let us congratulate you on your mettle and drive. You are an ambitious person, and you’re not going to let the flaws of lesser mortals stand in the way of your capabilities to plan your wedding. To DIY your wedding planning, the first thing you’ll need to acknowledge is that some work will have to be delegated, and is indeed better left to professionals. We’ll get into that. Why we advise restraint is the fact that once you get into the zone of DIY, it can almost resemble a high. Buzzing on endorphins, adrenaline and whole other cocktails of chemicals that your body runs on, you are likely to act out of sheer excitement. And then go overblown by burning yourself out by doing EVERYTHING. So, let us consider this first. Why are you doing the planning for your wedding by yourselves? Do you want to indelibly stamp your brand of taste and self on to the occasion, or are you acting out of the sole consideration of saving money along the way? Here, let us say that DIY wedding planning is not always cheaper. So always choose wisely so that you can avoid an overload of DIY-ing. Let’s take a look at our wedding planning checklist and see the things you can do.

1. Invitations And Programs

Image Courtesy: Propledesign

If you are handy in the area of graphic design, and can draw anything that can be clearly distinguished as being something, then you can probably take a hit at doing the invitations and other cards related parts of your wedding. Invites to the wedding and the engagement, marriage schedule programs, reception seating cards as well as placement holders; all of these can be done in fine fashion by yourselves. A word to the wise, move with caution here. The first thing you need to do before rolling out your bombastic design is to get an idea of the pricing of printing and paper. But at the end, you will have a truly beautiful and above all personal invitation. The simple cost of paper has increased almost exponentially over the years; and you can consider doing all the printing at home, but then we don’t think your home printer is going to be happy at the idea of churning out several hundred wedding invites at a go. Consider leasing out some of the printing, to save you some effort. If you have access to a paper or art materials store in your vicinity, then visit them for figuring out your options. You can get card stock paper, which might not meet the fanciness of some of the options available at professional printers, but then you have the potential of a blank slate before you, it is up to you to make of it what you will. Avoid oversized and needlessly fancy envelopes, as they become a pain to mail. And always make a sample proof piece before committing to the whole of the printing, especially if you are involving outside resources.

2. Wedding And Ceremony Decor

Image: Dhanika choksi Photography

Something that is near and dear to most people’s hearts, almost everyone shares a love for decorating their own spaces. And why would you need someone else to do it for you, especially when most of these so-called professionals almost always do tacky jobs. If you feel that you and a few trusty minions can handle the relatively simple task, then there is no need to shell out serious money for somebody else’s idea of good taste. If your venue is already pretty enough on its own, as most wedding venues are, then all it needs is that personal touch. You can always go for the traditional route of employing floral centrepieces, but then you should take into account that flowers are an expensive prospect, even if bought at wholesale prices. Consider buying locally grown flowers instead of going for them more fancy types; forget orchids. Also, it takes a lot of effort to make even one centrepiece, so you should definitely enlist or bribe some help for this part. Put some hanging vases into the picture, add to the elegance. Alternatively, you could go for a non-floral centrepiece and not only save a lot of money but also effort. Go bold and explore your likes; perhaps you can even stack some old books with a tasteful ribbon tied around them, maybe with a nice aromatic candle on top? You can even glue some paper or tissue flowers to some nice clean twigs and artfully place them in a simple glass vase, or even a tumbler. Additionally, you could also just go with all sorts of candles sequestered over available surfaces; though considering the weather that most of us enjoy through the year, we would advise you to go this route only in the winter.

3. Bridal Accessories And Makeup

Image: Devang Singh Photography

The sad fact of it is that the tag of bridal in front of anything just adds almost double if not triple the price. When you’re looking for that perfect veil and those sublime hair accessories to accentuate the choice you’ve made for your hairstyle on the day, you will find that they can be ridiculously expensive, ludicrously so. A little square of otherwise unspectacular netting shouldn’t have to cost that much. We know that sometimes it is hard not to fall in love with some particular piece of clothing or accessory, but then if you can manage to get your creativity sparking, then who knows what heights those juices can get you to. Making your own accessories is a simple matter; all it takes is a onetime investment in a few essential tools that will service you above and beyond your wedding day. With millions of helpful tutorials on the net, almost any question to any problem that you could encounter will be solved with consummate ease. Customising and adding to existing jewellery is not a difficult proposition. You know that gorgeous bracelet that would look perfect on your wrist, but just has too many digits on the price tag for you to be comfortable with? You can make a beguiling knock-off with some odds and ends and a little bit of hot glue and a dash of inspiration. As far as your makeup goes, the only factor that really calls in the professionals is the time period that the makeup needs to successfully stay on. If your makeup can be handled by yourself and the aid of a friend or two, in the privacy of your own hotel room or home, then what is the need for an appointment or booking with a professional makeup artist? Just take into consideration that it needs to stay on for hours and still look good, at least with the occasional touch up. Grab the basics – powder, foundation, blush, eye shadow and lipstick. Put on enough to best accentuate your features. Or if you’re fine with your natural beauty and complexion, then put on just enough to tastefully highlight your face. IF you’re worried about how you’ll end up looking in the photos, then you can always do a trial run with a few friends and the photographer to see if you need to do anything else. Now, let’s look at what you shouldn’t do.

1. The Wedding Cake And The Catering

Image: The Cheesecake Project Phototgraphy

As good as you are in the kitchen, no matter how much an avatar of Tarla Dalal you may be, the wedding cake and the cooking for the wedding are aspects of the wedding that you SHOULDN’T do. Always hire professionals to handle both these things, since once you inadvertently stumble into disaster – and you will – it’s hard to climb back out of the continually deepening pit you’ll find yourself in. In addition to handling preparations for ALL the guests you have, and you know a few that are professional buffet hunters, you’ll also have to keep in mind that you have to transport all the aforementioned food to your venue. Trust us, a splattered wedding cake in the backseat of your car is a deplorably pathetic sight, and will leave you impotently infuriated and running the risk of that vein above your eye of bursting from the sheer throb of anxiety.

2. The Wedding Photography

Image: Dhanika Choksi-Photography

You will never regret the amount of money you will spend on hiring the services of a good photographer to capture the precious moments of your wedding. No matter how good you or your partner is behind the lens of a camera, you might be slightly busy on your wedding day. And despite having friends who are known to be good innovative photographers, unless they do it for a living, you should always give the job to someone who earns their bread and butter through their work. Years later, you will want to look back at these moments and smile in fond remembrance; you do not want to be wondering why this part of a picture is out of focus, and be eternally frustrated about a wandering elbow that photobombed the otherwise perfect shot.

3. The Wedding Day Coordination And The Playlist

Image: Devang Singh Photography

Yes, you’ve managed every single bit of your wedding so far with aplomb and ease that makes you shine with the divine light of accomplishment. But do you really want to be working on your wedding day? Do you want to be wondering where exactly the food is, and if that course will come before another? Or whether or not the car that will transport that ailing grandmother of yours has picked up the venerable old dowager yet? You should be able to relax and enjoy yourself as the day unfolds itself. Employing a coordinator who knows their business for your special day might make the difference between warm nostalgia and drowning out the memories in a dingy bar somewhere. This includes the choices for the music, especially at your sangeets. While you may have a brilliant taste in music, and we’re sure you do, your choices might not always be what will get the collective vibe to get off its backside and shake it a little bit. Instead of having a static premade playlist, employ a good DJ who can read the mood and adjust the pace, tone and beat as is needed.