This blog should provide a bride with some helpful information to help her evaluate whether attempting a DIY approach to her wedding details and design is worth considering or not. There are pros and cons to this decision but, “you don’t know what you don’t know,” some often say. Knowing yourself (the bride) and her particular situation is key into making this decision. Let’s begin.
Know Yourself
1. Know Your Budget
Each bride has their own budget for their wedding. Not only is their budget unique to them, but more importantly is knowing HER priorities within that budget. With so many categories of money expenditures, you can make choices along the way to get your priorities with some careful consideration and planning.
- Designer bridal gown vs. chain stores vs. used,
- Paying for your bridesmaids gowns or not vs. facilitating a mix and match approach instead,
- Menu choices – high end to more reasonable,
- Plated meals vs. buffet,
- China Dinnerware vs. plastics,
- Size of guest list,
- and DIY decorating vs. a hired professional.
2. Know Your Pre-Wedding day Time Constraints
Planning any wedding just comes with the need to make many decisions. Analyze your situation. Are you already consumed with school, work, or a hectic life-style? Do you truly have the extra time to hunt, choose, pack, and transport a multitude of items? Is that what you want to spend those months prior to your wedding day involved in? Just from a logistic standpoint, there are many items that need to be purchased or rented.
- Welcome table decor
- Various wedding signage
- Table linens
- Table decor (typically a collection of items)
- Table florals
- Candles or votives
- Cake platters
- Ceremony accents and more.
3. Know Your Wedding Day Time Constraints
Wedding day, friends will tell you, will fly by quicker than you can imagine. With all of the items that you will already need to transport to the venue (dress, make-up, hair products, snacks, etc.), do you also want to pack up boxes of dozens of additional items? It is also a fair question to ask yourself, do you really want to spend those precious hours unloading car loads of decor items to the venue. Do you want to take out some of those hours to set out all of those items too? Do you want to risk all of these tasks to various family or friends who might volunteer to help but not have the expertise to execute the vision properly? Do you want to consume their day with these extra chores when likely they too have their own prepping needs that day? Is this the category where it makes the most sense to delegate to professionals?
- Setting out all of these many details takes quite a bit of time. This said by someone who does this regularly and knows what all is truly required staff-wise and time-wise. Decorating a couple of tables at your home is one thing, decorating 20 tables on a tight timeline is another.
- Photographers often intensify the timeline needs for these many tasks to be completed so they can capture the photos ahead of ceremony.
- At the end of the night, more time will be required to clear tables, collect decor, pack up items, and load all of these into various cars prior to your designated “end-time.” Do you really want your family or friends after a long day to stop the celebrations early to become pack-up/load up staffing?
- After wedding day, what will you possibly do with 20 lanterns, 20 blue tablecloths, and boxes of other used wedding decor?
4. Know Your Expertise
DIY may allow you to express your unique style and may give you a creative freedom to personalize your event. DIY also may be challenging if you don’t have the expertise and designer “eye.” Pulling all of these categories from floral colors to linen and napkin choices, etc. together for a cohesive vibe on such a large scale can be difficult to achieve. There is also a potential for unexpected costs (and last minute time-constraints) when you, as a novice, aren’t aware of all of the little details that may be needed.
- Professionals know how to create a cohesive design that pulls your color scheme together.
- Professionals give attention to details,
- HPF has a vast inventory of decor that helps to provide you choices and also encourages over-all cost savings.
- No need to spends hundreds of dollars at Hobby Lobby purchasing dozens of in-bulk decor items that you will never use again.
- HPF offers two Decorating Design Package choices to help give options to brides whether from a time-constraint or budget stance vs. a vision-driven bride who wants a certain look and needs someone to oversee making it happen.
Timeless - Classic Choices, Budget-Friendly
- Two beautiful design choices; (1) glass vases with florals or (2) candlelight theme (lanterns, floating candles in glass cylinders, or a multitude of votives & a touch of greenery).
- Table runners and tablecloths
- Sweetheart table embellishments
- Welcome Table (Signage, Gift/Card containers, Accents)
- Table Numbers.
- Budget-friendly; minimal planning requirements.
Tailored - Personalized & Over-all Cohesive Styling & Design
- a detailed consultation’
- a tailored floral and design plan for an over-all cohesive look
- a signature color palette to blend all aspects of your details from bouquet and reception florals to napkin colors to goblet colors etc.
- a custom floor plan
- encourages your vision
- all table decor, candles, and table florals
- added greenery and florals to your cake
- various signage from my inventory
- cohesive design elements on your sign-in and gift table, favors table, dessert table, etc.
- table linens for any round reception tables needed,
- displaying any of your favors
- linens and decor for high tops
- and, the ability to fit your budget.
