While we love a handmade touch at weddings (and we’ve seen couples get fabulously creative for their RiverCrest wedding!), going the DIY route isn’t always the best choice. So although you want to make sure your wedding day feels personal, you also don’t want to drive yourself crazy with extra work. Trust us: It might seem like a great idea to handcraft 300 paper flowers for your chuppah, but once you’re in the thick of wedding planning, that cute little project can quickly turn into an all-consuming nightmare. So how to know the difference between achievable DIYs and tasks to leave to the pros? Keep reading for our been-there-done-that tips, so you can get a handmade touch without losing your head.
First, play to your strengths and skillsets. Don’t give yourself DIY tasks that will be difficult for you to complete. For instance, leave the fancy calligraphy and cake-baking to the pros, unless you’re already super-skilled in this. It will cause you less stress and the finished product will look more professional. Win-win.
Keep in mind your planning timeline. DIY tasks are best when they can be done ahead of time. Steer clear of any day-of (or week-of) jobs, like flower arranging or, gulp, catering. Instead, tackle to-dos that can be ticked off well in advance, like save-the-dates, custom hotel bags, table numbers, invitation design, or non-edible wedding favors.
Think of DIY tasks for which you can enlist help. If you really have your heart set on those paper flowers for your ceremony backdrop (or those handmade favors), start as early as you can, and ask for help. A DIY wedding task can actually be a fun way to get your loved ones together. (Handcrafting 100 wedding favors is a lot more fun when you’re doing it with your girlfriends over a glass of wine.)
Be honest with yourself. Like really honest. Do you love making things? Are you generally pretty laidback? Are you normally a crafty person? While a quick spin on Pinterest might tempt you into thinking you want to DIY it all (and it most likely will!), don’t get in over your head. If you’ve never particularly been into crafty things before you started wedding planning, chances are you probably haven’t morphed into Martha Stewart overnight. So take it slow, don’t bite off more than you can chew, and don’t aim for perfection. (And maybe have the number of a professional wedding planner ready … just in case you need a backup option.)
Comments are closed.