DIY nuptials are the hottest trend to hit our shores over the last 18 months. And we can’t get enough of couples creating bespoke and quirky ideas to make their special day truly unique. The key to having a successful DIY affair is to play to your strengths and leave everything else to the professionals. Avoid a major wedding day disaster – these are the 5 things you should NEVER DIY for your wedding.
Your Flowers
We are all for creating homemade centre pieces for your wedding flowers. But that’s where it ends for us. When organsing your bridal bouquet; stick to the experts. No matter how much you prepare, your floral fantasy will never match your vision when put into practice. Fresh blooms are perishable and choosing to make your own bouquets and buttonholes will mean a last minute dash to arrange them hours before the ceremony. And lets face it, the morning of your special day will be hectic enough already.
Your Dress
Wedding dress shopping can be a super stressful event – and that’s only fitting on the dresses. If you take one thing from this blog, do not attempt to make your own wedding gown. Even if you are a seasoned seamstress, you will have enough to worry about in the lead up to your special day. If you must have a bespoke design, choose a highly-recommended dress-maker who specializes in weddings.
Otherwise, heed our advice and buy it off the rack. A close friend of mine opted to have her bridesmaids dresses made by a relative. Big mistake. A severe lack of communication and three weeks before her big day, the bride realised her DIY dresses were the victim of a last minute sewing machine job. Her bridesmaids walked up the aisle in cheap, shoddy-looking dresses. And they were horrific.
The Music
Unless you’re a dab hand on the decks, maybe give this one a skip. There’s nothing quite as unimpressive as arriving to a beautiful ballroom only to be met with a teeny tiny iPod plugged into a dock. No matter what light effects you use or how much you convince yourself it will be grand on the night, you just can’t beat the atmosphere of a live band to kick start your evening.
Your Hair
Big beautiful hair will look stunning in your photographs, giving you that extra boost of confidence as the pre-wedding nerves set in. The weeks prior to your big day is not the time to begin experimenting with your tresses. Stick to your usual hairdresser and discuss how far in advance you should touch up your colour. Avoid dying your hair with DIY home kits as this could spell a major beauty disaster leaving you forking out more cash to try and fix the problem.
The Clean Up
With the rise of rustic barn weddings and exclusive venue hire, many couples forget to factor in the clean up. Most country houses offer packages allowing the couple and a selection of their guests to stop over for the wedding weekend. This is a great option to spend some quality time with your closest relatives and keep the party going after your nuptials. However, the last thing you will want to do while nursing a massive hangover is to tidy up after all the celebrating. Make sure you double-check your wedding contract to see if the clean up is included in the venue hire. If not, source a professional cleaning company to do the job for you. Of, course this will be an additional expense to your budget but ultimately it will be worth every penny.
Image Credits: Ruffled; Brides; Project Wedding; Van City Bride.
