March 27, 2017
DIY wedding projects are all over Pinterest. And it’s really easy to get carried away when you are planning your wedding with all the pretty things. But let me tell you a little secret. Most of the DIY wedding projects you see on Pinterest were created by a professional. They are photographed beautifully. And the person who made them was working with the correct supplies, they knew what they were doing, and they were only making one! So today, I’m going to give you a more than a few pointers that I know will help you and in the long run leave you with beautiful hand-made heirlooms that may even be passed on to the next generation.
I have to confess, I had a lot of DIY going on at my wedding. And it made things a little bit craaaaaazy. But you know what, in the end they are some of my favorite and the most personalized details from our day. I am artsy. There’s no doubt this stuff comes easily to me, because I’m trained as a graphic designer. That, in turn, made it even easier to execute many of my ideas. But, I actually recommend against DIY’ing to most of my couples. In the end it will probably not save you money. And it will cost you a lot in terms of time and stress!
Finally, it doesn’t matter how totally gorgeous your DIY project ends up, if in the end, all you remember is how badly you wanted to throw it out the window while making it. S, if you are considering DIY’ing any projects for your big day, read on, girlfriend, ‘cause I have some serious considerations for you!
Next up, is one of my favorite weddings this year which included a DIY cake stand and a DIY guest book. Here’s the thing. The groom who made the cake stand already had all the tools and knowledge to build the cake stand. And he was an avid model builder. So making the guestbook sailboat (their guests signed the sails, was relatively easy for him. While it didn’t happen quickly, he was able to build a unique guestbook that will become a cherished heirloom.
Don’t try to learn something new. Seriously, the learning curve should never be underestimated. Even trying multiple products to find out which pen is the perfect one for writing on a particular surface can cost you time, multiple trips to the craft store, waste money, and leave you feelin’ the DIY burn out (this is not really a real thing, but it should be). Finally, you will save yourself a ton of frustration and a mess.
If you really think about this, it makes tons of sense. If everyone who knows you knows that you have the most gorgeous handwriting ever, then DIY some signage or design yourself a return address stamp to use on your stationary. Don’t go and try to DIY you florals is you’ve never worked with florals before. Finally, if you are considering DIY’ing your florals, read about my own wedding regrets here (Spoiler Alert: One of them was DIY’ing my centerpieces!)
I DIY’d my place cards using origami. And, they were totally OMG. But at the end of the night, I cringed when I saw how many were getting thrown out after being left behind. If that doesn’t bother you that’s fine. But consider this when you are looking at Pinterest. If you are not good at origami, or you pick something that’s really complicated, and you have 250 guests coming to your wedding… that’s a lot of time to invest in something that people may not even keep.
Especially since you won’t have such a pressing deadline. Richie and I received some amazing cards at our wedding. Some of my favorite were hand made. There’s no way you can throw these out! I wanted to create a special keepsake for us to look at all the cards each year on our anniversary. So, I decided to turn them into a small book.
So, are you trying to figure out how to DIY your wedding? Sis you just realized it’s all makin’ you a little crazy?!? Contact me here! I’d love to talk you and find out how I can help you plan the wedding of your dream with all the beautiful details you are loving!
Thank you to the photographers who allow us to use their images on our site:
Ashley Mac Photographs, Heather Palecek Photography, Idalia Photography, Jessica Erb Photography, Susan Elizabeth Photography, Delaney Dobson Photography, Ann Coen Photography, Lovesick Inc., K Hulett Photography & Melanie Cassie Photography
BWE | 825 Devon Street | Forked River, New Jersey 08731
(973) 477-1392 | jeanne@bogathevents.com
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