To Do... Or Not To Do (by yourself)

The subject of budget weddings always brings up the important topic of DIY (do-it-yourself).  Part of the fun (and frustration) of having a lower budget wedding is that it usually involves a lot creativity and hands-on projects.  So, what should you do yourself and what should you leave to the professionals?  Well, you will get different answers from different people, which is what I'm hoping to get from this post.  I'll go ahead and share my opinion and I welcome anyone in agreement or disagreement to post your comments...

When I got married a year and a half ago, I decided to do the following things myself.  I'll tell you what went well and what I wished I had turned over to the pros.

Makeup- This really depends on your comfort level.  I really liked doing my own makeup because I was always horrified when I got my makeup done for prom/ homecoming, etc.  I looked like a completely different person!  I just got some really pretty colors and practiced a few times to make sure I knew what I wanted.  I couldn't have been happier with the way it turned out.

Favors- I made my own mix cds, which sounds like a really great idea in theory... but I could have saved myself hours of hard work and headache by ordering something equally as inexpensive like candies or seedling packets or personalized matchbooks.  I wouldn't recommend doing favors yourself unless you have lots of helping hands or a really small number of guests.

Flowers- I absolutely loved making my own bouquets and centerpieces with the help of my wedding party and family.  Keyword: HELP.  I would never have done it alone.  I ordered the flowers I liked (3 different kinds- don't get too ambitious) to be delivered to the house a few days ahead of time and kept them in coolers with water.  Then, I had a bridesmaid/ family luncheon where we enjoyed some lunch and drinks and put everything together.  It was so much fun and they turned out great!

Things I considered but I'm glad I didn't...

Invitations- I have enough trouble trying to get a Word Document formatted correctly.  I can just envision myself ripping my hair out when invitations come out of the printer with words trailing off the page

Music- I can definitely see why people would opt to put together a playlist on their ipod and plugging it into some speakers, but I would make sure you have a friend em-cee for the fun announcements that a DJ would make (like introducing the wedding party and cutting the cake)

Hair- I always worried that letting someone else do my hair would end in disaster.  They might think that something looks really pretty while my eyes start welling up with tears.  But even worse than that would be me trying to deal with the pressure of making my own hair look gorgeous with everything else going on that morning.  Go get a practice run with the stylist and make sure you get exactly what you want (and take pictures!)

Do you have any advice or comments on what you should leave to the pros??  Please share!

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DIY Centerpiece from guest blogger Judy Yublosky

Tall Wedding Balloon Centerpieces For Do-It-Yourself Brides

A bride has to be very budget conscious in these trying economic times. Someone who is crafty and able to do-it-herself has an advantage. Likewise if she has close friends or family who can lend a hand.

Judy Yublosky, president of A-BnC Parties and More, Inc. says many brides come to her through her Web site. Most seek to save money through the do it yourself route. They long for simple yet elegant centerpieces they can make themselves.

A tall balloon centerpiece is an ideal answer for many. Although elegant enough for any wedding, it avoids breaking the wedding budget. A tall flexible tube in the centerpiece's center elevates the balloons. It is light and flexible and makes for easy construction and transport.



Balloons cover the base and are added to the crown. They easily match the wedding décor since they come in so many colors, as does the tulle. Real or artificial flowers may be added for additional highlight decoration. All balloons are inflated with air which allows pre-preparation.

The tube raises the crown height of the centerpiece so it does not obstruct the guests' views at the reception table. This arrangement allows conversations across the table and provides an elegant and festive party experience.

                                                      * * * * *

Judy Yublosky combines over 18 years of professional experience and a life-long practical approach to her party planning efforts. Her specialties include wedding and rehearsal planning and coordinating, Bar and Bat Mitzvah party celebrations, as well as corporate and other personal celebrations and events. Judy works with do-it-yourselfers and brides on a budget.. Her company, A-BnC Parties and More, Inc. provides customers with one stop shopping and a variety of party products including invitations and decorations as well as other services. Do it yourself centerpiece kits and supplies, as well as free instructional videos, are seen at her Do It Yourself website. Free party planning guides and checklists are also available. Her blog features many ideas and information for brides and party planners on a budget.

Budget Wedding Flower Fix- October

This quick how-to video will walk you through an easy fall-themed wedding centerpiece that costs less than $20. Enjoy!

Wedding DIY Do’s and Don’ts

There are so many aspects of a wedding that can be done yourself, while still looking great and without getting stressed. Often times, you’ll enjoy making things for your wedding and take a certain sense of pride in giving your day that personal touch.

However, there are certain things about your day that should be handled by a professional. One reason is to keep your stress level down-- in some situations, you won’t even save that much money by doing things yourself. Another reason is that some services require a certain level of expertise-- you might think that some of these things are easier than they really are.

This list will take you through different wedding categories and how you can best utilize your own versus professional services for your big day.

Wedding DIY Do’s:

Makeup

You do your makeup a certain way every day because that is the way that you like to look. I’ve always found that a makeup artist who doesn’t know me makes me look like a completely different person. It’s either way too dark or I just don’t like the colors on me. I’ve always been happier doing my own makeup—when I get it professionally done, I usually end up wiping it off and fixing it myself anyway.

Save the Dates

Save the dates are a really fun way to get creative and let your personality shine through. There are a ton of options that can be printed online very quickly and easily, including magnets, postcards, photos, etc. You can also feed cardstock through your own printer and design them your own way.

Gifts/ favors

Gifts to your parents, each other, and wedding party should be personal. If you enjoy art, you might consider painting wine glasses or a picture frame with a nice photo in it. If you are beach people, you might fill a nice jar with sand and shells, etc. Think about what people appreciate about you and try to incorporate that into your gifts and favors. Favors can be as simple as buying bulk candies and scooping them into little sachet bags. If you are both really into music, you might want to make wedding mix cds to give out as favors. The sky is the limit!

Flowers

In season flowers can be picked up from local farmers markets for very reasonable prices. You can make your own bouquets and centerpieces that will look beautiful! All you need is flowers, some greenery, florist tape and ribbon. While you hold the flowers together, someone else tapes them together. You may want to consider ordering boutonnieres or nixing them altogether because they’re a little more complicated, but there are a ton of step-by-step tutorials on the internet if you’re feeling ambitious. Centerpieces are especially fun to make because you can get creative with things like lemon wedges, sand, shells, sea glass and many other accents.

Music

It is always nice to have a DJ or band to not only handle the music for your reception, but also to announce the various events. However, if you are on a tight budget, you could make a playlist on your iPod ahead of time (one that will last several hours) and ask an outgoing family friend to “em-cee” the events (announcing the wedding party, tossing the bouquet, cutting the cake, sending tables up to the buffet, etc). You can rent speakers and a microphone for less than $300 for the weekend, which is significantly less than a DJ or band would cost.

Video

Videography is a service that many couples choose to forego altogether. Many people are more concerned with photography. Wedding videos can be expensive if you choose to have the footage edited. If you just want to see snippets of the entire day, you could ask a family member or friend who has a video camera to try to record the big parts of the day so you will have something look back on besides pictures.

Wedding DIY Don’ts

Catering

A lot of people who have been involved in the restaurant or catering business have a hard time handing the work off to someone else when they know they could do it themselves for half the price. This is your day—you should not be worried about the timing and temperature of food for 100+ people. It’s simply too big of a task to take on without sacrificing the precious time that will fly by on your wedding day.

Cake

Baking a birthday cake is simply not the same as the mastery involved in creating a wedding cake. The design itself is just one aspect of it. When baking a cake for a large number of people, there is a lot of structural work. Think of a wedding cake as a piece of construction- if the building is not put together properly, it will surely topple over or collapse. If you wouldn’t try to build your own house, don’t try to make your own wedding cake.

Invitations

Printing your own invitations sounds like a great idea but it can be a nightmare of a headache. Things go wrong with formatting and you will become stressed out very quickly. You can easily find invitations (with response card, envelopes, etc) for less than $3 per invitation online. It’s worth the extra $2 per invite to have someone take care of it for you. This is one area that you should save yourself the hassle.

Photography

You might have several friends who enjoy photography as a hobby and are great at it. However, I would strongly consider their ability to shoot all types of settings before asking them to take your wedding pictures. These are pictures that you will want to look back on for the rest of your life. You want them to be perfect! Your friend might have an incredible talent for shooting nature and scenery, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they know how to capture a wedding. Just make sure you look at several portfolios and are happy with what you see.

Hair

Unless you are wearing your hair very simply (all down or just a bobby pin or something like that), you should really consider getting your hair professionally done. You don’t want to get frustrated if you aren’t able to get it the way you like and the last thing you want to do on your wedding day is become stressed out. It’s also a really nice relaxing way to be pampered on your big day.

Of course, if you are on a really tight budget, you can find ways to make these situations work on your own—but if it’s simply a matter of prioritizing where you spend your money, I recommend following the outline above. I’ve listed both the do’s and don’ts in order of what I think are most important. So, the top of the Do’s list are the easiest things to make DIY projects. The top of the Don’ts list are the things that I would say absolutely do not do yourself.

As you progress down the lists, it’s a judgment call. I hope this helps as you begin your wedding planning. It is a fun process that can be as laid back or stressful as you make it, so try to think about what you enjoy, what is most important to you and work around the rest. Enjoy your day!

Cheap Wedding Flowers that Dazzle

Wedding flowers & décor are one of the easiest ways to save on your wedding without anyone noticing. The price of flowers these days- especially when you add the word “wedding”- can go through the roof in a blink. Once factoring in all centerpieces, bouquets, boutonnieres, ceremony arrangements, buffet table arrangements, pew pieces, and accents, you’re easily looking at $1,500. What if you could spend under $500 on your flowers, knowing it would still look fabulous?

Here are some do-it-yourself flower ideas that will help you save a lot of money on your wedding flowers:

Centerpiece: $10 each

2 stalks gladiolus

Gladioluses are beautiful, tall, majestic flowers that come in a variety of colors. They are about $4 per bunch (8 stalks) at your local grocery store. This will be able to cover 4 tables for $4 ($1 per table)!

3 Lemons

Cut the lemons into ¼ inch slices and then cut them in half (like half moons). Lemons are about 60 cents a piece.

Vase

Buy 8 inch tall, 3-4 inch diameter circular vases from a craft store or online discount store. You should be able to get these vases for $4 each.

Mirror

Buy circular mirrors from a craft store or online discount store. You should be able to get these for $1 each.

Rose Petals

Buy silk rose petals to sprinkle around the centerpiece from a craft store or online discount store. Think about whether you want to get yellow to accent the lemons or the color of the flowers. You should be able to get 500 silk petals for $8 (you will only need about 20 petals per table).

Directions

Buy the flowers no sooner than 2 days before the wedding. Assemble the centerpieces the day before the wedding. Each centerpiece will only take 5-10 minutes to put together. If you are covering 15 tables, you’re looking at 2 ½ hours max for one person. Enlist the help of family and friends and get it done in an hour!

Snip the gladiolus stalks to the appropriate length for the centerpiece vase. Rubber band 2 gladiolus stalks together with a green rubber band (to match the stalk/ stem), so that the flowers are facing outward. Put them in the vase. Fill the vase around the flowers with lemons to hold the flowers in the center. Fill the vase with water. Put the centerpiece on top of the circular mirror, which will reflect the colors nicely and make the centerpiece appear to expand outward. Sprinkle the rose petals around the centerpiece.

If you have 15 tables, you’re looking at $150 total.

*If you have about $5 extra dollars per centerpiece, go ahead and add 3 votive candles in glass holders as accents around the centerpiece with the rose petals.

Ceremony and buffet table arrangements: $35 each

Buy large 24” tall glass vases with footing (around $30 each online), fill each with 8 gladioluses (around $4 per arrangement). Gladioluses come with palm like grasses that you can use as an accent. Either wrap the palms around the perimeter of the vase horizontally or manipulate them so that they are sticking out with the gladioluses. With all of the palms from the centerpieces that you won’t be using, you’ll have plenty to work with. If you are using 2 ceremony arrangements and 2 buffet table pieces, you’re looking at around $140.

Bridesmaid Bouquets: $18 each (max)

3 camellias, 3 daisies, 6 cornflowers, palms from gladiolus as accents (can bend them over to be upside down tear drop shapes). Wrap in florist tape and ribbon. One person hold the bouquet together, the other person wrap in tape and ribbon.

You can add a few flowers to the maid of honor’s bouquet to make it stand out or make her flowers a different color.

*Both of these flowers are available in some color in each season- not always available in all colors. These are cheap but beautiful types of flowers.

Have a bridesmaid luncheon the day before the wedding and include bouquet making/ centerpiece assembly. Each bridesmaid will assemble her own bouquet while you are assembling your bridal bouquet (with help from a couple other people). It may sound like you’re asking for a chore from them, but it’s actually quite fun-- I did this for my own wedding.

Total time: 30-45 minutes per bouquet

If you have 4 bridesmaids, you’re looking at about $75 total.

Bridal Bouquet: $35 (max)

3 large lilies (or other favorite flower), 5 camellias, 8 cornflowers, palms and/or other greenery for accents. Similar assembly as above. Don’t forget to cut the stamen out of the lilies- they will stain your dress!

You will most likely have to buy a bouquet of lilies- you probably won’t be able to just get 2 stems. Use the rest of these lilies to accent your cake and buffet table.

Boutonnieres: $5 each

Wrap a camellia and accent foliage (can be a piece of palm from gladiolus) in green florist tape and push a straight pin through it. Wiring may or may not be necessary, depending on sturdiness.

Follow detailed instructions on

http://howtoweddingflowers.blogspot.com/2009/07/how-to-make-boutonniere.html

If you have 4 groomsmen, you’re looking at about $20 total.

Pew Pieces: $4 each

Use large tulle bows instead of flowers. You can stick leftover flowers in the bows if you wish. If you have 4 reserved rows and you want to put 2 on the back 2 rows for decoration, you’re looking at about $25 total.

Visit www.budgetwiseweddingmd.com/tricks.html for more wedding saving tips and tricks.