Listen. Everyone wants to save a bit of money on their wedding these days. DIY projects are a great way to do just that — when they are executed properly. We have worked alongside many brides who have made their own seating charts, or favors for the wedding day among other aspects of the day and as much as we love a good creative project DIY — there’s still some things you should entrust to the pros.
Wedding DIY Don’ts.
1.) Your Photos.
This cannot be stressed enough, and we aren’t just being biased here (okay, maybe a little?).
There’s a long list of reasons why DIYing a photographer just isn’t the best choice for your wedding, but for now we’ll keep it simple.
Far too many couples have hired a cousin or friend to take some casual photos at their wedding in an effort to save costs, only to be disappointed later on. You may think that quality photos won’t matter to you, but years from now, looking back on your photos they do make a big difference.
We’ve heard it time and time again.
“I’ve got a friend who’s just starting out and they take great shots!”, and while that might be true – things go wrong on wedding days, and the unexpected can happen. We know that no one wants to think about something bad happening on what’s supposed to be your best day ever, but let’s face facts. Things happen. A professional knows how to navigate the ups and downs of wedding days, and handle situations that a friend might not. (Let’s not even go there if something were to go wrong on the wedding day, and now you’re in a tight spot with your friend!) This is a day you’ll want to remember for the rest of your life. These memories are some of the most precious, and though a friend, or an uncle with a camera might save you money in the long run (unless they are a professional!) it will never quite be what a seasoned wedding photographer can produce.
Shooting photos is just the beginning of what we do!
2. Your cake.
Yes, it may sound easy enough to ask a friend or, have yourself buy a few boxes of cake mix and whip something up at home. But, we’ve seen so many things go terribly wrong with diy cakes. Flavoring isn’t right. It’s delivered too early and MELTS. Or, It’s misproportioned, and it’s too heavy for a table and the table breaks — (YES… it has happened!)
If it’s not a cake that you would be proud to present to family and friends, have in your photos, and eat, it’s best to leave the baking to the professionals. (Plus, this would just be one extra thing that you would need to do right before your wedding when you should be relaxing).
On the hunt for a cake artist? Here’s a few we recommend!
Creme De La Cocoa
Sweet Weddings
4 tier Butter Cream Frosted Cake from Creme De La Cocoa at The White Room, St Augustine
3. Your hair and makeup.
Unless you have an in-depth knowledge of makeup and hairstyles and could be mistaken for a pro, it’s recommended that you hire a professional to assist you. Wedding makeup artists and hair stylists know how to make your hair and makeup last the entire day, (which is something you definitely want, especially in Florida weather!).
A great hair and make up team will make sure everyone is taken care of, and ready on-time for photos on the day of. It’s one less thing you have to worry about! Just sit back and enjoy your glass of champagne and let the pros do the work! This is your wedding day and you should be pampered and taken care of.
Need a great makeup artist? Here’s a few we love!
The Glam Studio
Nic Studios
Studio Bride
4. Your catering.
Catering for a wedding is far more stressful and time- consuming than you can imagine! Even if you had to rope in friends and family members, it could still end up causing you more stress than saving money is worth. Could you imagine a worst case scenario? Running out food? Forgetting utensils? The list goes on and on.
Professional caterers know exactly what goes into preparing food for large groups of people and how to store and transport the food safely too. Not to mention many places will set up and break down the food stations – thus relieving you or family members the added stress of having to worry about cleaning up!
Yummy Food? We got you!
The Perfect Pear
Mojos
Mai Oui
The Empowered Kitchen, Gourmet Grilled Cheese Food Truck, Fernandina Beach, Florida
5. Your music.
It may sound simple enough to just put all of your music on an iPhone and play it through a bluetooth speaker but, so many times its anything but simple. Ceremonies start late because the person in charge can’t unlock the brides phone (yikes!), or they don’t know which song was the right one to play. Faulty connections, long awkward pauses — the list goes on for miles.
There’s something so amazing about having a professional DJ or musician assist you with your music for the day, (especially when it comes to laying out the timeline of your reception!). Great DJs have invested time into being knowledgeable on how to mix music, and can usually provide more than just music (up-lights, fog machines, cold sparklers!) to get your party going.
That being said, a great DJ knows how to read the room. If a crowd isn’t dancing, a great DJ will check in with you to see if they can throw some other tunes in the mix to get people to their feet. (And no, not playing line dance songs back to back!)
Want a DJ who will keep the party going? Here’s some of our favorites!
Party Solutions Entertainment
Y? Entertainment
Sky Events Unlimited
DJ Kevin Santos of Party Solutions Entertainment bringing the party to the dance floor.
Like we said earlier – we really do love a good DIY! When deciding on what wedding DIY projects you want to tackle (if any!), we encourage you to really think about everything that goes into successfully completing that specific task before you decide to take it on yourself. Save yourself some stress in the long run – trust me! It’ll be worth it in the end!
+ COMMENTS
add a comment