Hey there Friend,

This week I thought I’d devote this blog to my top ten DIY Wedding Planning tips. If you’ve been following me on Instagram of Facebook over the past month, you would have seen some DIY wedding tips being posted every few days. These were my top ten tips that I believe would help a DIY bride get the most out of her engagement and wedding day. Here is where I lay out all ten for you and go a little more in depth. Here we go!

1 of 10

Before you start setting anything in motion, take some time to create a vision board. This can be done in so many ways, but make sure you do what works best for you. If you’re a digital person you can use Pinterest, Canva or any kind of “collage” creator that you can either print or save to your phone. If you're a little more crafty, get a big cork board and get gluing! Either way, make sure you include things like color swatches, textures, images of themes, concepts, flowers and any other elements that inspire you! Share this with your fiance, maid-of-honor, mom, sister or whoever is helping you plan your wedding. Use this as a reference when making any purchases or decisions for your wedding.

2 of 10

This is one of the top ten things I think every bride should do as soon as they get engaged. Use a wedding-ONLY email address when planning your wedding. Create an email address that you and your fiance can share and use exclusively for wedding planning communications with your vendors. This will help you stay organized, keep your wedding planning life and every-day life separate, and you won’t have to unsubscribe from a bunch of wedding emails months after you get back from your honeymoon. TRUST ME!

3 of 10

ALWAYS! This is just one of the wedding planning mistakes that I’ve learned from over the years. I’ve heard/experienced so many sad stories of brides who didn’t get all of the photos from their photographer “friends” because they didn’t do this! I don’t care if it’s your co-worker, cousin or old college roommate. No matter what service they’re providing, get your agreement in writing and have both parties sign. It doesn’t have to be formal, just make sure it’s clear and concise. This will help keep you and your “Friendor” accountable and clear on expectations. You’ll thank me for this later.

4 of 10

As a DIY Bride, one of your top priorities is keeping your wedding plans within budget. You’d be amazed at what perfectly good things people get rid of after their own weddings. Check out your local thrift or consignment stores for things like candles, baskets, frames, vases, and containers. If you’re really crafty, you can always re-purpose items, paint and modify them to make them fit your wedding theme and style. I have about 2 dozen LED candles (u know, those flickery ones that also feel like real wax!) that I’ve collected from goodwills in my area! Just check them out before you head over the craft stores or shopping online.

5 of 10

When you’re a DIY Bride it can seem like all of your free time is being devoted to wedding planning and creating projects. You’ll find yourself feeling tired, burnt out and out of control at times. This isn’t how you want to spend your engagement, is it? The simple solution is to ask for help!

Do you need to stuff and address 150 invitations? Call your best friend over! Need to put together a bunch of favors? Get your mom involved. This will give you quality time to spend with those your love and, more often than not, they’ll feel so honored to help and you! You’ll also be a lot more relaxed . . . especially if you add a bottle of wine into the mix!

6 of 10

It may be tempting to try to DIY everything yourself or hire a bunch of “friendors” to save money on your wedding. Although this can be a good idea in some areas, it might not be in others. Make sure to use your strengths and leave the rest to a professional. If you’re the crafting queen, then, by all means, DIY your favors, programs, place cards and decor. But, if you can’t keep a flower alive to save your life please don’t try to make your own bouquets! If your photos are important to you and you want a specific style, invest in the pro, not in your cousin who just bought a really nice camera and has taken some photography lessons. I’ve also mentioned this as one of the wedding planning mistakes that I’ve learned from. Remember, you get what you pay for!

7 of 10

When planning your wedding decor, look for ways to re-purpose items in your different wedding spaces. Make a plan to re-purpose flowers, backdrops, furniture, signs, statement pieces, and other decor. If you have two beautiful altarpieces for your ceremony, plan to have them transferred to the entrance of your reception space if possible. If you plan to have a candle-lit ceremony, have those candles used on guest tables for your reception afterward. There are so many little things you can re purpose to help you save money and resources!

8 of 10

Here’s a fun tip for you! As a DIY bride, you’re always looking to learn something new especially when it comes to crafting. Why not learn a new skill that can be used to create elements for your wedding! Want to make your own fancy place cards? Learn calligraphy! Do you dream of designing and building your own bouquet or floral arrangements? Take a floral workshop! If you want to incorporate some glam furniture into your wedding, learn to reupholster or re-finish old thrift store furniture. All it takes is a quick google-search or just watching and following along to some YouTube videos. There are so many resources out there!

9 of 10

As a DIY Bride, you WILL get burnt out at some point. Don’t forget to stop and smell the roses and take time for your self! Do yoga, get a massage, go for hikes, or do whatever makes you happy that has nothing to do with wedding planning. Even better, go on a girls trip or take a weekend away with your fiance WITHOUT discussing wedding plans. You’ll feel fresher and have a clearer head space when you get back to planning mode. This will help you out so much in the long run!

10 of 10

This tip is last but DEFINITELY not least. In fact, this is my BIGGEST piece of advice for you. If you truly want to enjoy your wedding day, then make sure to invest apart of your budget to hire a professional! There are many reasons why you should hire a day-of coordinator, but the main reason is that you’ll have peace-of-mind knowing your vision is being executed while you’re enjoying your new hubby, family, and friends! As a DIY Bride myself, this is really the only things I regret not doing, and I am here to save you from that regret. You can take a look at my Day-Of Wedding Planning Package looks like to get an idea of what’s included when you do decide to hire a Day-of Coordinator of your own.

Well, I hope you’ll take these tips to heart and follow my advice. Let me know if there are any other tips you think I’ve missed, I’d love your input!

Happy Planning!

Your Wedding Planning BFF