Planning a DIY wedding allows you to have complete control over every single aspect of your celebration, from food service to decor and everything in between. But let’s be honest – tackling your wedding planning DIY-style is a pretty massive task for any couple!
While a DIY wedding has many benefits (like the potential to save money, handpick your suppliers and create your dream day without restrictions), it can also lead to some serious stress without the right knowledge.
Planning a DIY wedding might not be a walk in the park, but we can certainly make it a little easier for you! Check out these 7 practical planning tips every couple should know for a seamless DIY wedding below.
Get Organised Early
Good organisation is key to avoid stress and overwhelm as a DIY bride. Remember, planning a wedding from scratch means you’ll be responsible for juggling all of the things!
Before you dive head-first into your wedding planning, take a moment to get some “project management” systems in place to simplify the process. Start by creating a master to-do list in one easily accessible place, like a digital wedding planner. Then, map out a wedding planning timeline with deadlines for each task, so you’ll always know exactly what needs to be done and when.
Pro tip: Don’t procrastinate on your planning! Set yourself some easily achievable tasks each week, and aim to have everything ticked off at least 3 weeks before the day.
Save Time (and Money) with Minimal Suppliers
Planning a DIY wedding means you’ll be responsible for researching and communicating with all of your suppliers. And trust us, the time spent on wedding admin can quickly add up!
One way to streamline this process is to minimise the number of different suppliers involved. For example, find a hire company that can provide furniture AND catering equipment, or a lighting supplier that can also handle your microphones and AV, instead of sourcing each element separately. Not only will this save on admin time, but also delivery and pickup costs, too.
Think About the Practicalities
If your DIY wedding is taking place on a private property or other “blank canvas” location, don’t forget to think about the practicalities. Remember, you’re essentially building your wedding from the ground up, so you’ll need to consider things like generators, portable toilets, bins and other amenities that you would usually find at an all-inclusive venue.
Pro tip: These requirements might not be obvious at the very beginning of your planning process, so be sure to delegate a portion of your budget to cover these miscellaneous costs that might pop up along the way.
Create a Cohesive Vision Board
As a DIY bride, it can be all too easy to get caught up in the smaller details of wedding planning while overlooking the bigger picture. Keep everything on track by creating a dedicated vision board at the very beginning of the planning process. A cohesive vision board will help you make quick styling decisions and ensure the end result is everything you’ve imagined.
Pro tip: Use resources like Pinterest, wedding blogs and Instagram to collate and cull inspiration for the day (but don’t forget to put your own personal twist on things, too!).
Delegate (but Don’t Dictate)
Delegating tasks will be essential for your sanity when planning a DIY wedding – but there’s a fine line between delegating and dictating!
Your loved ones will likely be more than happy to help out, but that doesn’t mean you should demand your Aunty Beryl take care of the catering. Instead, delegate small, simple errands that can be easily achieved before the day, and don’t forget to give your helpers a shout-out during your wedding speech. Check out 10 wedding tasks you can (and should!) delegate here for some inspiration.
Consider a Partial Wedding Planner
While you guys might be 100% confident in the planning and organisation of your day, that doesn’t mean you can’t outsource a little bit of help to the experts! In fact, most wedding planners will offer “partial” planning packages and on-the-day coordination services for DIY couples just like you.
Make a list of any planning-related tasks you’d like to outsource. For example, creating a run sheet, setting up and packing down, or simply tying up any loose ends before the day. Chances are, you’ll be able to find a wedding planner that can tailor a package or one-on-one consultation to suit your needs.
Do Your Research
Remember, you’re not the first couple to plan a wedding DIY-style. These days, you can find plenty of helpful resources, articles and how-to guides for all things wedding planning online – so take advantage of them!
Here are just a few to get you started:
Planning the perfect DIY wedding might seem overwhelming at first, but we reckon it’s totally achievable with the right mindset, good organisation and some helpful tools by your side.
Good luck – you’ve got this!
