Buy vs DIY- Wedding Edition
Yesterday marked two years as a kept woman and two years since the most amazing day of our lives. I am happy to say that I’ve officially changed my name on every document aside from my passport, and looking forward to many more years as a Collins. In honor of our anniversary, I thought I’d take a look back on my most favorite day and share what we decided to buy vs DIY for our wedding day.
Whether you decide to hire a wedding planner or not, there are some easy things you can choose to do on your own to save money on labor and jacked up retail prices. A good rule of thumb; I’d book your date at least one year in advance to allow yourself enough time to plan out DIY projects along with the rest of your planning tasks.
1. Charger Plates: Charger plates are typically a lost cost when it comes to planning. The mark up price to rent them is crazy. You’re looking at $5 a plate for a basic charger, so if you’re invite list is over 100, you’re looking at $500 for plates your guests will just stare at. Don’t fret. Charger plates are one of the easier items to DIY. For our wedding, I made rope chargers and decoupage lace glass chargers. I cut the cost in half if not more by doing my own. And you can always sell them to another bride after your wedding. Another great idea would be to use stained or distressed wood boards or better yet, keep it modern and natural and have no chargers!
2. Ceremony backdrop: This can also set you back quite a bit if you’re paying a planner to outsource the work, and then pay your florist to adorn. We made our own copper arch with strung laced embroidery hoops. I had my florist simply decorate with greenery to tie it into the rest of our florals. The embroidery hoops can be found at any craft store, like Michael’s, and at around $10 for 12hoops, you can create a beautifully bohemian backdrop that looks elegant and chic. It could cost hundreds if not thousands of dollars to rent a backdrop and adorn with florals. In our case, we saved about $1,000 going this route.
3. Signage: Another unforeseen cost that your wedding planner would take care of. Signs for your gift table, wedding hashtag, welcome sign, specialty drinks, etc. add up quickly. I found some great inexpensive downloadable templates on Etsy, printed them out, then put them in gold frames from Target or Home Goods. I paid about $4-$5 per print. Some you can buy the template and customize on your own, so you could create as many signs as you want for a $5 download.
4. Centerpieces: When you go to your florist they’ll ask you if you want them to purchase the vessels for your centerpieces. This is another easy way to cut the cost corner and have a fun DIY project to work on. I opted to provide the florist with wooden flower boxes and long wood planks that I made myself, along with several antique creamers and bottles. Wood is super cheap, so to me it’s worth the extra worth to save the money. You just buy the stain you desire, whip out your electric saw and nails, and get to work! If you aren’t the wood crafting type, you can always find some great flower boxes and antique bottles and vases from antique stores or flea markets. This is a major cost savings for you, not to mention, you can give away the arrangements to guests at the end of the night.
Aside from the typical buy items, like Dress, Tux, Catering, Open Bar, Photographer, etc. there are a few extra items we decided not to DIY and realized quickly that convenience and piece of mind was worth the cost in our minds.
1. Flowers: there are some brides courageous enough to DIY their own flowers, however, although bold, it can be severely anxiety inducing. Because the flowers need to be fresh, you’ll have a lot of work to do the few days before your wedding when you should be taking in all the beautiful moments leading up to your big day. In this case, I say pay for the convenience and enjoy the week stress free…well sort of.
2. Invitations: I was lucky to have a friend just starting her stationary and invitation business, so she helped me out quite a bit. While invitations can cost you, there are some great inexpensive versions out there. I love online sites like Minted that have several options for every theme at different price points. If you’re not an expert in paper, I say leave it to the paper professionals on this one.
3. Tables and Chairs: This is a must, especially if your venue doesn’t provide them for you. There are plenty of party rentals out there you can work with, so even though you have to pay for the rentals ($9-$10 per chair and $50-$75 per chair), you’ll have plenty of options to choose from. I rented mine from New England Country Rentals. They had some great antique options at fair price points.
I know as someone aspiring to be in the planning and design business, sharing this insight could potentially hurt me, but I started on this journey as a bride first and foremost, so if I can bestow some advice in the choices I made, and encourage more creativity in the world, then I’m okay with it. Happy planning loves!
Credits: Photography- Ashley Largesse, Flowers- Cymbidium Floral, Invitations- Keynote Paper Studio, Place cards- Wilde Paper
If you’d like to work with me on creating pieces for your own special day, I’d love to here from you. Email me at info@thecollectiveunion.com.