Should I have a DIY wedding?

Four things to consider when deciding whether or not to go DIY.

As with everything in life, DIY weddings come with pros and cons. Some couples may know immediately that this type of wedding is not for them, and will opt for an all-inclusive venue and/or a wedding coordinator to bring all the details together. For others, DIY weddings might be something to consider for many different reasons. This post is a tool to help you decide if a DIY wedding is right for you. We hope it’s helpful!

Photo by Cottonbro Studios

1. Will a DIY wedding help me to achieve my budget?

Budget is one of the biggest reasons why a couple may choose a DIY wedding. Couples on a tight budget may begin the hunt for a wedding venue and realise that standard venue hire and per head costs are way beyond what they were hoping to spend for their day.

Having a DIY wedding gives you more flexibility with the things that you spend and don’t spend money on. It enables you to be savvy in some areas and to reduce labour costs by putting in the time and effort to do some tasks yourself, rather than hire someone else to do it.

However, DIY weddings are not always the cheapest option. If you are wanting a traditional sit-down reception with all the bells and whistles of a formal wedding, just because you are spending money gradually over time on decorations, table settings, bump-in catering, etc. doesn’t mean that it won’t all add up in the end. Many DIY couples find that when they calculate it all afterwards, their cost of going DIY ends up close to (or sometimes over!) what an all-inclusive venue and coordinator quoted them in the first place… and they’ve carried far more stress along the way.

If you are hoping to save some dollars by going DIY, you may need to find ways to eliminate the more expensive elements of the wedding, such as a formal sit-down reception. We’ve done a blog post on this previously - you can read some alternative reception ideas that may help you reduce your spending here.

Photo by Tina Miroshnichenko

2. Do I have the time and headspace to organise and execute a DIY wedding?

DIY literally means “do it yourself” - instead of paying for someone else’s labour, skills and service, you choose to be the one to make it happen, from start to finish. Time is money, and if you’d prefer not to pay for someone else’s time, you’ll need to make sure that you have time to do it yourself! 

There are two types of “time” I think it’s worth considering: time in the months prior to the wedding, and time in the 24 hours before the big day.

Time in the lead-up:

In the months leading up to your DIY wedding day, you are going to spend many hours researching, liaising with and booking vendors, making decorations, organising runsheets, problem-solving, and coordinating many moving parts. On the day, you will be a bride or groom, not an event coordinator, so you will need to make sure that your vision is clearly articulated and communicated to everyone who will be involved in making it happen so that you can enjoy the day itself.

As someone who organised a DIY wedding myself, I can say from experience that your wedding will take up a lot of your brain space, creative energy and spare time in the months leading up to the big day. Assess the season of life you are in - do you see yourself as having plenty of free time, headspace and energy to make this happen? Or does it feel like a painfully growing to do list on top of your already chaotic life schedule?

Photo by Christin Hume

Time in the day/s before:

Another thing to consider is what you want to be doing in the 24 hours before your wedding day. For a true DIY wedding, it is likely that you and your lucky bridal party and family members will spend hours setting up furniture, table settings and decorations for both your ceremony and reception in the day/s before your day. It involves a lot of lifting, carrying and moving. There may be things that will go wrong and you may have to do some last minute problem solving! While some brides may find it fun to be a part of making their creative vision come to life, others may find this stressful and a cause for anxiety. Consider what you may need in the hours before one of the biggest days of your life, and whether you want to hand over the reins to someone else to carry the load so that you can enjoy your day.

There are some ways to make the final set-up as stress-free as possible. Some coordinators offer services for set up, on the day coordination and pack up. While you may enjoy the process of organising your wedding in the months beforehand, you might like to pass over the final set up and labour to someone else so that you can relax and make the most of the eve of your big day.

Photo by Noelle Rebekah

3. Do I have the skills and tools for a DIY wedding?

The reason we pay people for their services is because they have skills (often through experience) and tools to accomplish their job.

As a wedding stationer, I use specialised programs to create my designs and have a studio of equipment that enables me to print thick cardstock at high speed, and slice large piles of this same cardstock according to precise measurements. I have done plenty of test prints to ensure that margins, formatting and sizing is lined up well. (I can usually tell when I see DIY stationery - designs are not central or text is often too close to the edge because people haven’t factored in and measured appropriate margins). And when it comes to printing, that 15 year old behind the counter at Officeworks will not care about your final product as much as a professional stationer! People pay for our professional service because, quite simply, they do not have the skills, tools and ability to produce these products to the high standard and with the level of efficiency that we do. I can imagine it is similar for other vendors too.

A thing to consider is how far you want to go with your DIY wedding according to the skills and tools you have. Some couples may be happy to be their own “wedding coordinator”, organising and liaising with vendors but ultimately out-sourcing the final labour to them. Others may be creative and skilled people who really do find joy in creating the final product themselves. There is something special about looking around and seeing details of your day with your own fingerprints all over it. 

The great thing about going DIY means that you can pick and choose the areas of your wedding organisation and execution that you feel most comfortable and most excited about doing yourself. For the areas that you may feel are a bit “out of your league”, feel free to outsource to a vendor to get it done.

Photo by Annie Spratt

4. Do I have people around me who can help carry the load?

I grew up in a church, and each week for years we have been putting on a Friday night program for highschool aged students. This means that there are many people in my circle who know the basics of how to put on an event, from creating runsheets, to MCing, to organising tech equipment. There was no way that I could do this all by myself (and on the day, it would be physically impossible to!) so I asked for assistance from organisational and skilled people who could help me pull this event off together. 

A couple may be creative, skilled, and have an abundance of time on their hands to organise their DIY wedding, but there comes a point where they will have to hand things over to someone else so that they can focus on being the bride and groom on the day. Consider who in your world may be able to help carry some of the load. If your circle is limited, you may like to utilise vendors to help you execute your creative vision.

And for all those who help you pull together parts of your day… don’t forget to thank them! While we may be able to get cheap labour out of friends and family, nothing taints a day more than exhausted and stressed loved ones who can’t wait for the day to be over. I’ve seen many DIY weddings cause burn-out for those involved by couples who ask too much of their closest people leading up to the day. Throughout the DIY journey, your relationship with your family and friends is more important than that extravagant floral display you found on Pinterest… and it will last much longer, too!

So there you have it - some things to consider when weighing up whether or not you should do a DIY wedding. As someone who has done it myself, I can say that it took a lot of time and effort, and there are definitely things I would do differently next time. But in the end, it is such a beautiful privilege to create your own special day and see it come to life with all of your favourite people enjoying the details that you dreamed up and pulled together. For those putting together a DIY wedding - good luck and all the best in creating the celebration of your dreams. I hope it is a most special day for you! 

Much love,

Laura xo