Need DIY ideas

travelgirl9210 · September 2014

Hey everybody I am planning my wedding for March 2015. The colors are going to be pink and orange. I have a very limited budget so I plan to do almost everything on my own. The only problem I have right now is I don't know where to start. Can someone help me figure it out?? I feel like there is a lot to do and I don't know where to start or even when to start. My fiance wants to wait until 2 months before the wedding to start planning. Is that to late??

CMGragain · September 2014

DIY isn't necessarily cheaper. What time of day is your wedding? What kind of reception are you planning? The worst wedding I ever saw was a DIY where the MOG missed the ceremony because she was too busy preparing for the reception!

Here is how you plan a wedding:

1. Decide exactly how much money you can spend on your wedding. This is your budget.
2. Write down your guest list. Be prepared to make some cuts if necessary.
3. If you are Catholic, see your priest immediately to find out what you need to do to be married in the Catholic church.
4. Decide what time of day you can have your wedding and reception. Dinner receptions cost twice what brunch receptions cost, so if you have a very limited budget, plan for a different time of day. Cake and punch in the afternoon is very cheap, and perfectly proper!
5. NOW you can look at venues. Do not consider any venue that does not meet requirements 1 - 4, no matter how romantic they seem.

chibiyui · September 2014

travelgirl9210 said:

Hey everybody I am planning my wedding for March 2015. The colors are going to be pink and orange. I have a very limited budget so I plan to do almost everything on my own. The only problem I have right now is I don't know where to start. Can someone help me figure it out?? I feel like there is a lot to do and I don't know where to start or even when to start. My fiance wants to wait until 2 months before the wedding to start planning. Is that to late??

You should start planning now. @CMGragain has great advice, figure out your budget, how many guests, so that way you know how much per person you can spend on food/drink. And, people prefer good food and minimal decor over okay food and lots of decor.

Good luck and happy planning!

AddieCake · September 2014

It is doable, but I wouldn't deliberately wait until 2 months out to begin planning.

MollyandD · September 2014

I agree with going DIY for floral stuff. I got more than enough flowers in bulk from Sam's. I paid just under $200 for 300 roses. Looking back, I should have done 150 for $100. I had plenty for a very full bouquet for myself, gorgeous bouquets for my six bridesmaids, as well as small arrangements for our moms and grandmas. I also made boutonnieres for the men using it he flowers and some floral tape and pens from Hobby Lobby. There were plenty of roses left to use as additional decorations at the chapel, and a ton left at my house when it was all done.

One florist wanted $150 for my bouquet alone, $600 for everyone, not including any flowers for decoration.

MollyandD · September 2014

feignducky · October 2014

Idea generation: pour a drink of choice, and surf Pinterest and see what speaks to you. Or google "orange and pink wedding" and hit the image search.After you've spent time looking at ideas narrow it down.

Orange deco: keep eyes open after Halloween and/or thanksgiving for generic orange items on clearance (baskets, paper, washi tape, ribbon, etc) you like for dressing up stuff.

You can google the location name + wedding for ideas to dress up a place.

Look at what you can provide before selecting a location. If you use a community center/church instead of a park, they'll likely have chairs and tables available to use so you pay for a few more decorations to dress up the place. The park can come pretty but no chairs and tables.

More random overthinking/advice from a night owl:

You can find offers for printing a variety of cards/photos. There's posts in the budget forums on ways to get the most of those.

Shop your house and see what you have multiples of to use for centerpieces or wouldn't mind using. We're doing steampunk/vintage decorations, my to be In-laws offered a lot of their home decoration/accessories to be dressed up differently Dress up items you get from the dollar store (matchy matchy) or from goodwill (more eclectic).

You can relocate ceremony deco to the reception to have it decorate two places with one purchase. Aisle deco can be moved to centerpieces. Place yours and bridesmaids bouquets in vases for decorating areas like the gift table, head table at reception.

Wait on floral decisions to see what budget you have. Today you could save interesting glass bottles as possible vases. When the time comes there are sites that some have wedding-in-a-box-kits you can order fresh flowers from for similar prices to fake.

Invitations DIY advice: Research (there's an invitation forum here for that) templates for wording invitations. There are free fonts you can download. Stamp monogram kits are easy to find to create a logo. Paper punches/stamps can add a unique detail to an invitation. Note: the simpler the the card/design, the less steps it is to make. Some pre-made kits can have a fancy border that'll be difficult to center/format. You'll have waste, you can't use. Instead print onto blank colored cardstock and cut it down. Cardstock can be easier to buy in bulk, plus the scraps can be repurposed. Thank you cards are a dime a dozen don't bother DIY'ing a card you can buy for 5-10 cents.

nicolie1125 · October 2014

We're trying to DIY as much as we possibly can as well and I'm a little lost myself!! Great tips on here ladies!

Lately though I have been looking at Craigslist and getting things that other brides are trying to sell from their own weddings. So far I've gotten a few chalk boards and a ton of mason jars that we are using as centerpieces for dirt cheap! Always be careful when using craigslist though!!

novella1186 · October 2014

Martha Stewart's website has some great DIY ideas. HOWEVER. The cost of supplies for some of her DIYs is just stupid, so be wary of that.

2 months is not enough time to plan a wedding, especially if you're making stuff. I'm only making a few things for my wedding and I work full-time (and just finished grad school) so it has taken me about 7 months to work on some things and I'm still not done. Give yourself as much time as possible. The PPs have given you some awesome advice.

[Deleted User] · October 2014

Don't wait to get started! I plan on saving money on all of my reception deco. For centerpieces I have been saving wine bottles and recruiting all of my friends to save their's as well. Our colors are gray and yellow so I plan on spray painting them and covering others in twine. We are keeping everything incredible simple. Save-on-crafts.com have really great deals on DIY supplies, just be careful with the shipping. Keep an eye on your local paper/online for coupons for your local craft stores.

mrsk616 · November 2014

do not wait. 2 months is not enough time. my cousin did this and they are freaking out already looking for rsvps when we still have a week to rsvp.

climbingsingle · November 2014

Pinterest is great for getting DIY ideas.

Do not wait for 2 months before to plan! You'll make yourself crazy. Get as much done as you can now.

ohannabelle · November 2014

sallieisgettingmarried said:

I Found this amazing Pinterest board that has tons of awesome tips and how to DIY EVERYTHING!
It is really awesome to have so much in one spot because I was getting overwhelmed searching pinterest lol http://www.pinterest.com/howtodiywedding/

FFS. You've made 4 posts, and every one is a link to your Pinterest page. Stop page-whoring.

[Deleted User] · November 2014

The earlier you start the more time you have to shop around to try to get the best deals possible. The more money you save the better. Start with your vendors and make sure you have those all booked (photo, DJ, ceremony/reception venues, officiant). See how much your venue will provide in regards to decorations. Once you have the big things done then it's time to start working on your invites & decorations. With the colors you are looking for you may be able to find silk flowers on summer clearance at craft stores right now if you feel ok with making your own bouquest. Keep in mind they don't have to be big & fancy. There is a lot to be said for keeping things simple.

Need DIY ideas

Re: Need DIY ideas

Choose Another Board

Search Boards