The DIY wedding concept is super trendy right now. Being able to create everything myself... sounds so fun! But what exactly does being a DIY Bride entail? It’s a pretty broad term and there are many myths that go along with it, so I am here to share my experience as a DIY Bride to hopefully help anyone considering this route for their wedding.
DIY, as many people know, stands for “do it yourself.” People love to make DIY presents, Christmas decorations, and household items. But everyone does it for different reasons. Here is a list of just a few
Save money- sometimes making something yourself can cost less than store bought items
Bonding time- lots of people use DIY activities as a way to spend time with family and friends.
Recycling- some people love to take something old and turn it in to something new.
Now as far as weddings go, a DIY wedding can be considered as such by simply having homemade décor or favors. Others look at it more as you are quite literally as doing everything yourself. This is where any version of the “DIY Bride” come in.
A DIY bride is someone who is planning her whole wedding on her own. No hired wedding coordinators, other than usually a Day-Of Wedding Coordinator (Let San Diego Life Events handle that for you so you can actually enjoy your hard work and your special day!)
Lots of people do this with the idea that they may save money. I, myself, am one of those people. When I got engaged I thought, “Oh this can’t be that hard. There’s no need for me to pay someone to do this for me.” HAH! What a joke. I can't believe I actually thought that. I learned that hiring the right coordinator can help you save money in the long run, because of their relationships with vendors in the industry... wish I knew this from the beginning!
While there are perks to doing all the planning yourself, there are a few more drawbacks I encountered while being a DIY bride. For one thing, there are a lot more decisions to make than most people realize. There were a lot of things I didn’t think of until people would ask me about them. Things like, “How many tiers does my cake need to have?” “When do I send out invitations?” or “Open or cash bar?” Now these may seem like obvious items to think about, but I promise, some aren’t. I was just excited to be getting married! I figured I had my colors picked and my bridesmaids, so all I need was a venue and food. Boy was I wrong! If I would have gotten a professional wedding coordinator, these are things I could have been warned about earlier on.
Also, being a DIY bride is SO MUCH MORE STRESSFUL than hiring a Wedding Coordinator. Not only do you have to think of every little detail on your own, when more than likely this is your first wedding, you also have to all the calling, booking, and budgeting. Personally, I didn’t know where to start when we first got engaged. I didn’t know if I should wait to look at venues, if I should wait to go dress shopping, when I should book a photographer, none of it. I got it all done, thankfully, but I was playing a guessing game up until I decided to contact a professional.
Ultimately, as a DIY bride, I recommend hiring a wedding coordinator. Planning my own wedding has taught me a lot, but it’s been exhausting. San Diego Life Events is a great go-to place for your wedding planner! Their coordinators can help your wedding planning run much more smoothly than doing it all on your own.
Blog post by Guest Blogger Chey Christy, exclusively for San Diego Life Events
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