Who is the "DIY Bride"?
Hello friend! So, I feel like I've been going on and on about being the DIY Bride's best friend but have never truly explained who the DIY Bride really is. Heck, I realized I never actually wrote it down on paper or listed out the characteristics of that "DIY Bride". She was just this little friend floating around in my head . . . sometimes that little voice that speaks to me (but that might just be part of my crazy).
The opportunity and need to do this appeared a couple months ago, when I decided to buckle down and finally get my business plan down on paper. I think this was my fourth attempt at writing out a business plan, but I finally did it! I was so overwhelmed looking at formal business plans, but I realized that with my specific business, it didn't have to be formal, so I decide to make it like any document that reflects my brand: clean, simple to understand . . . and pretty of course.
Sorry, I went off on a tangent, so here's the point: part of my business plan included describing my ideal client, and I want to share this with you today. The "DIY Bride" can take on many different shapes and forms, but they all tend to share these 5 qualities:
1. She Plans Her Own Wedding: Weather out of necessity or desire, the DIY bride is on a mission to plan her own wedding (along with her fiance). There area many reasons a Bride might plan her own wedding. Maybe she's creative and organized and has been drawing up hypothetical plans since she could remember and is excited to plan her own wedding. Maybe she's a Type A person who knows what she wants and is determined to make it happen. Maybe she rather not invest in a full-service wedding planner and put that money toward a honeymoon or another area in her wedding. She just might not have the funds available to invest in a full-service wedding planner, which is more often the case and there's nothing wrong with that. Either way, this bride is on a mission to plan her wedding! ***side note: Don't ignore that part in the parenthesis: any Bride should strive to include her fiance in all parts of the wedding planning process. Not many of them care about the little details like what kind of flowers are in your bouquet or if you wear a veil ,or not (I was so upset that my - then - fiance didn't care if I had a veil, but men will be men). Remember, it's their wedding too, and you'll find that they have opinions and their own desires. . . . But that's a whole other blog.
2. She is Budget-Conscious: The DIY Bride doesn’t usually have an extravagant budget and understands that money is a precious resource. One of her main goals is to save money where she can and invest where it counts. This kind of fits in with the first point I made. The DIY Bride either doesn't have the money to invest or wants to invest the money she'd spend on a full service planner in an other area of her wedding. More often than not, sticking to a wedding budget is one of the DIY Bride's biggest priorities, which is probably why she chose to plan her own wedding in the first place.
3. She has a Do-it-Yourself Mentality: The DIY bride doesn’t necessarily have to be “crafty” but she’s not afraid to get her hands dirty with do-it-yourself projects. She is also willing to take on the tasks that a wedding planner would typically do and knows she can communicate with vendors and stay organized. DUH, right? Well, I feel like many people will see "DIY" and think arts&crafts. Many of my brides don't have a crafty bone in her body, but will outsource the crafty things to friends or vendors. The Do-It-Yourself mentality just means that she's willing to do the job of wedding planner herself. She knows she can get on the phone and call vendors, get online and order invitations, and stay organized. She's also willing to LEARN how to do some of the "crafty" things like build her own backdrop, design and print her own place cards or put together wedding favors (just to name a few).
4. She Values Personal Relationships: It’s important to the DIY Bride that her relationship with her friends, family, and Groom grow stronger (rather than suffer) through the wedding planning process. She wants to get the most out of her engagement experience and also wants to enjoy the time she has with her family and friends all celebrating in one place!This is one of the main reasons I love working with DIY Brides - they're pretty much the opposite of a Bridezilla. I don't know how any of those ladies' friends or family members. . . or fiances stuck around after all of that (though, I'm sure they were paid to act extra crazy, but still. . . ). The DIY Bride understands that after the wedding is planned and the big day comes and goes, she still has those special people in her life. She actually looks forward to how planning a wedding can bring those relationships closer and that they can make great memories! Which brings me to the last quality . . .
5. She Understands She Needs Help: The DIY Bride knows she can’t do it all alone. She understands that it takes a professional to handle the tasks that she cannot. She knows there’s value in delegating and outsourcing, because It’ll allow her to enjoy her engagement and big day to the fullest.
This is why the DIY Bride reaches out to me. She knows that she is capable of planning her wedding or already put in the hard work, but knows that there comes a point where a pro should take over, especially if she doesn't want to become crazy stressed on the stressful last month of planning and big day. She understands that there are also areas of wedding planning that her skills just don't reach and knows that a pro will do a much better job.
If you're reading this blog, you probably already had the inclination that you might be a DIY Bride, and you most likely see yourself represented somewhere in this list. If I hit the nail on the head for you and you feel that this describes you to a "T", I know we could hit-it-off! Check out my services to see how I cater to Bride's like you and feel free to contact me! I'd love to connect with you!
Happy Planning!
Your Wedding Planning BFF