DIY Destination Bride- HOW?!

magnoliabeauty

Hi brides! Are any of you destination brides hoping to DIY some of your wedding decor? If so, how are you going about shipping? To the hotel, your planner, bringing along? Or is it less expensive to rent everything? 

THANKS!

Knottie1436288025

I did a lot of DIY.  But do know that you are going to have to sacrafice a bit.  My plan to do all the decorating was a bit ambitious.  I had a lot of small glass vintage/antique vases and jars for my tables that I had to carefully pack and ship.  I also shipped tablecloths, placemats, cake accessories and other odds and ends.  I shipped all the vases directly to my florist about 1 mo ahead of time.  And I shipped everything else to the venue who agreed to hold the boxes for 2 weeks prior.  I am so glad I had all the personal touches that I picked out, but the shipping was very expensive.  I found that Fed-Ex took better care of my packages on the way down.  But NOT the way back.  A lot of my glass got broken, so I would be aware that the NOLA shipping offices don't care.  I wish I had done USPS on the way back.

As for cost.  My linens were still a lot cheaper to buy/ship than rent.  Overall I think I spent less buying and shipping. 

nolabride2015

I've posted like 3-4 posts recommending them, but talk to Down Annie Lane as your planners - they have an amazing inventory, are open to DIYing, you can ship things directly to them and they'll have them ready for your wedding - and they really work with brides on a budget, their prices are beyond reasonable (I was not sure if we had the budget for a wedding planner and I'm so glad we went with them).