7 essential tips for creating a beautiful DIY wedding

If you're a creative butterfly, like me, there's no doubt there'll be just a few handmade touches to your big day. A quick browse on Pinterest will give you a ton of ideas for ways you can save money and for cute (and more importantly, easy!) ideas for anything from invites, to brooch bouquets. Rather than give you more ideas (don't get me wrong - I'm happy to!), I'm going to leave that to Pinterest today and instead focus on how you can create a beautiful DIY wedding, whatever your budget!

Speaking of budgets...

Is a DIY wedding really cheaper?

Well it can be! It all depends on the vision you have and the skills you have to pull it together. If you want to create a wedding that's pin-worthy, it's going to take some time and attention to detail, which is great if you have the patience :) I'll be honest, I didn't appreciate how much time it would take to make a set of invitations, RSVP cards, etc. I went merrily on my way, bought the stuff, had a good idea and then realised I'd have to replicate it 50 times. And then even more than that for the evening. Not cool. It started out fun and then I found myself dreading seeing the crisp white card. I didn't realise how precious my time was at the time. Moral of the story? Hiring someone to make the invitations for me would have saved me a lot of hassle. I wouldn't have spent a fortune on materials that I didn't need and we probably would have saved a little money and a lot of sanity. 

Hence today's blog post; don't make the same mistakes I did!

Know your limitations

This is sooo important. It's all well and good to think "I can pull all this together" but let me tell you, those casual, carefree pictures on Pinterest and Instagram don't come together easy! If you enjoy doing something, like flower arranging or making bunting, then you should absolutely do it! But, if you're not great with a sewing machine or haven't got a clue about which flowers are in season, save yourself the stress and see if any of your friends or family can take on the task or find a professional within your budget. Delegating tasks will save your sanity. Well as long as you choose the right person for the job...so let's look at that next!

Delegate tasks

Calling on your friends and family is a great way of lightening the load of a DIY wedding. But I say this with caution! So many people will want to get involved and will have good intentions but you need to make sure that you trust your nearest and dearest's best intentions and talents.

Think carefully about their skills; maybe your mum is a Bake Off champion in the making, or your best friend's sister is a hairdresser that can create wonderful up-dos. Thinking about each volunteer's talents, along with the style of your wedding, will help you to decide who could help you with each task. Doling out jobs without thinking is likely to lead to more stress for yourself and potential heartache when you don't have the same vision. And that would be very sad, wouldn't it?

So what's your next step? That's it! Scribble down anyone that would be willing to help, a list of their skills and how you think their help could enhance your wedding.

Have a vision

A vision is that step after an idea. And it's something that you need to have really clear in your minds before you start asking people to help you out with jobs, for everyone's sanity!

This is your chance to pinpoint exactly what you expect your special day to be like. What do you want your wedding to look like? Where will it take place? What colours will you have in your flowers or outfits? What things will make the day unforgettable for the two of you (and for the guests that attend, because you're going to rock the socks off this wedding!)?

Writing all these things down and gathering pictures from magazines or Pins from Pinterest will help you to get an idea of what you're hoping to achieve. Make a few copies for your lovely helpers and talk it all through with them; they won't want to let you down and it'll take a lot of stress off everyone if you're clear about what you expect.

Plan, plan, plan!

You'll feel much more in control if you have a plan and regular milestones to meet. Just remember to be realistic with what you're taking on and expecting others to do; be kind to yourself and set realistic deadlines. Make sure your helpers know when they need to have their task done and send them a little reminder a week before to check that they're ok.

If things are getting too much though, I have some suggestions that might help!

Be realistic

You won't be able to create that Pinterest wedding in every detail, but think about the elements you like about what you've set out on your mood/vision board and focus on them. This goes for your budget too; shop around for materials when you're making things and use the best quality you can afford. It really does make a difference. You'll probably find that you'll be willing to stretch your budget a little for the things you really want, but for other things in the wedding that aren't as sentimental to you, you'll be willing to opt for cheaper alternatives.

Look for tutorials

You tube and Pinterest are full of how-to videos and guides that could help you learn some new skills to create something for your wedding, so don't be completely put off if you'd like to have a go at something but aren't quite sure how to do it.

Or you could look out for workshops. There are companies out there which can help you design and make your wedding rings, decorate a cake or arrange a centrepiece. And if you live locally to me, I'd love to have you at one of my workshops to make your own hair accessory :) There's so much meaning in something handmade, so if it's something that you really want to try (even if you think you'll mess it up - I can tell you, you won't!), then you should do it. It'll be one of your fondest memories from your wedding.

Stay true to yourselves

Don't get caught up in what everyone else is doing. And don't feel swayed by trends. If something works for the two of you, that's all that matters. It'll cause you more stress planning a wedding that doesn't fit either of you than embracing all the special things that make your relationship unique.

Do you have any tips to share? I'd love to hear them! Hope you enjoyed this post and don't forget, you can grab my perfect wedding planning checklist by clicking below :)