So you want to DIY your wedding? Lessons learned from bride

Dec 29

So you want to DIY your wedding? Sounds fun, right? Let’s get to the truth about what works and what doesn’t. Keep in mind, not all DIY projects save you money (if that’s your reason for doing it). The time to create, the stress of staying organized, the cleaning/packing after the wedding…it all adds up. Think about this; it’s the most important day of your life, right? Why would you want to overwork yourself & not fully enjoy it? Trust me…I did this too. My poor mother was the responsible person since I also didn't hire a planner (big fail!). But don’t take it from me. Enjoy these lessons from one of our magnificent brides…

Written & shared with permission by Amanda Roe

10/1/2022 - I GRADUATED!!!

I’d love to share a few lessons learned (especially for budget/DIY brides).

I’ll also post another separate review for our vendors (spoiler - some were *amazing* and some were tragically horrible).

Lessons learned:

1. Purchase wedding cancellation insurance if you are doing ANY semblance of DIY/piecing together vendors from different companies. This was hands down the best decision we could have made and was incredibly valuable when not one, but TWO vendors ghosted us. They reimbursed us not just for lost deposits, but also for the additional cost to hire replacement vendors. We went through EwedInsurance

2. If you are piecing together budget vendors rather than going through a fully in-house venue that supplies everything - don’t book the vendors too early or too late unless they are very well established with TONS of reviews dating back a few years. Especially with the current economic downturn, there were a lot of companies we talked with who went out of business between when we were searching and our wedding date. This is especially true for the smaller vendors, unfortunately.

3. Don’t trust every review you see on Yelp or the Knot. There are a TON of fake/purchased reviews. Look at how many reviews the reviewers have left. If they’ve only posted that one review, it’s probably a fake account. Read every single negative review and take it seriously.

4. Piecing together vendors isn’t always cheaper than choosing a fully in-house venue. The cost of labor services is much higher than you’d think.

5. Choose a venue that is naturally beautiful, you won’t have to spend as much on decor. Also, find one that supplies tables and chairs and handles the setup/breakdown. The labor cost for event setup is thousands of dollars.

6. Don’t ask for opinions from anyone other than your significant other. Not the parents, not your best friend, not your aunt sally. It is not their day - it is yours. Do whatever you want without guilt or feeling the need to fulfill their suggestions/demands. Asking their opinion will only make you second guess your choices, causing confusion.

7. Start looking for a dress early (at least 9 months prior), and don’t discount the idea of a rented or used dress. I got my dress for 50% off through a used site (usedweddingdresses.com) and it was in like new condition. There are other similar sites like Stillwhite.com, and a good number of consignment and rental dress shops in the Bay Area.

8. You need a day of coordinator at the very least. Seriously. Even if you’re on a tight budget, make it work if at all humanly possible.

9. Rent the linens, don’t buy them. Washing them when they’re new to get the production chemicals and wrinkles out sucks, and washing them after the event sucks. And transporting them to/from the venue sucks. My aunt (who works in the industry) tried to warn me of this, but I didn’t listen. She was right. On that note - I’ll be posting a ton of (clean) linens and silverware for sale soon

10. Save tons of money by DIYing your save the dates, invites, and thank you cards. I bought templates on Etsy and printed them at home, through Costco photo, and Walgreens photo.

11. Save your money for bigger details. No one is going to notice the tiny decor items.

12. Recruit a friend to be your officiant. It’s free to become one online.

13. Costco Business Center in Hayward sells chafing dishes and silverware for cheaper than you can rent them. But again, it takes time/effort/staff to clean them before and after the wedding.

14. Reconsider doing your own florals. It takes a lot longer than you think to process/trim the flowers and build the arrangements. If you insist, you can find them cheaper at the wholesale SF Flower Market. Best to buy them around Wednesday for a Saturday wedding and buy the flowers with closed buds. Change the water daily (super important) and keep it away from sunlight and in a cool location. You can also buy premade arrangements through Costco that are very affordable. Keep in mind you’ll need to figure out a way to transport them (and the vases) to the venue. The SF flower market also has a shop that sells all kinds of vases, it’s across the street from the main market building, in the little strip parking lot area.