Admittedly, my blog here is a nonsensical dumping ground for a lot of my thoughts and dreams. I’ve focused on everything from weddings, to DIY, to personality analysis, to decorating, to blogging. Despite this seemingly random topics, I discovered the other day that there is one search term that sends the most organic traffic to my blog…. “DIY Wedding Flowers”
Accordingly to Google (and who can argue with him??) My most authoritative, informative, and relevant topic is how I DIYed my wedding flowers. This post was such a success that I even wrote a Bride’s Resource Guide for doing your own wedding florals.
I’m so passionate about the topic, in fact, that I spent months creating a whole new blog dedicated entirely to bride’s DIYing their wedding flowers. But, guess what? It didn’t have three years worth of posts and web traffic indexing, so no one visits it (ha!).
So, I’m going to be sharing a few of my DIY Blooms posts here, because where better to share them then on a site whose #1 search traffic key-phrase is “DIY Wedding Flowers?”
Without further ado…
Top 3 Money-Saving Wedding DIY’s
We all know that DIY’s don’t always save money. Personally I experience this firsthand after a well-intentioned but misguided attempt at a Pinterest project that ends up on PinterestFail.com. I think to myself, oh look how easy they made it look! That velvet tufted headboard with rhinestone nail-head trim only cost them $20. Well, I could afford that…
Come to find out they had all those supplies ‘just laying around’ in their garage (hoarders, no doubt). And the total for my project comes out to right around $275 with a whole lot of blood sweat and tears.
I know after going through something like that we’re tempted to throw our hands up and say, that’s it! No more DIY’s for me, especially amidst all the stress that comes with planning a wedding. But, believe it or not, there are some very doable projects that will save you lots of money on your wedding. Here are the top three ways that brides can money on their big day by DIYing.
Invitations & Paper Goods
On average, wedding invitations costs over $400. And if you want any specialization or unique details, you could be looking at up to $2,000! Invitations and stationary are actually one of the simplest things you can DIY for your wedding. By doing your own invitations, you could be looking at 50% savings over store bought. Plus they will be uniquely customized for your very special day.
Many sites nowadays offer free premade templates for your wedding invitations. One of my favorites with lots of options is Wedding Chicks. All you need to do is enter your information, colors, and take to your local print shop. There are also lots of resources on Pinterest of font inspiration and free graphics to add if you are a DIY-maven and want to create the entire suite yourself.
Why stop at invitations? Any other paper goods that will be in your wedding could also be DIYed. Think menu cards, ceremony programs, name tags, and more! This personalization will pay off, and you will love the savings.
I loved designing our wedding invitations, and even offer the template for download here. Also, I have our templates for the seating chart, menu, and programs available.
Music
Why pay right around $1,000 for a DJ and fear that he will honor your Aunt Ethel’s request to play the Macarena, when you could pay $10 and personally edit every song that is played? If you use Spotify for your wedding you could save hundreds by not hiring a DJ.
Sure, you’d still probably need someone to announce the bridal party and speeches, and ensure smooth transitions from dinner to dance. But, surely you have a crazy college buddy, or fun cousin who’d be up to the task!
Picking out all the music might seem intimidating, but there are a lot tools out there to help you out. Some music services, like Pandora, have stations you could play that would cut out all the time you’d spend searching for songs.
Depending on your level of control-craziness, check out the Itunes options to fade songs in and out, and end them at a certain point. I had a blast picking the order of all the songs and how long they should play before they faded into the next one.
Flowers
Of these three DIY’s, doing your own flowers offers you the greatest savings, but it will require a little more effort. Studies show that brides spend an average of $2,000 on just the ceremony wedding flowers. And if they want to pay for real floral centerpieces, the sky is the limit on price! It’s common to be quoted upwards of $3,000 for an average sized wedding.
You could always skimp or go without, or maybe use silk and save money those ways. But, what if your heart is set on real blooms? Good news! If you DIY your flowers, you could save thousands of dollars. Yes, it requires some pre-wedding day flower time. But, what a better way to bond with your gals than with a mimosa as you play with beautiful flowers?
I’ve helped brides DIY their wedding flowers for under $750. They had beautiful floral centerpieces, larger than average weddings, and an abundance of blooms for their big day. That amount of flowers would have cost upwards of $2,500 from most florists.
The biggest hurdles keeping brides from DIYing their wedding florals and saving a bundle are time, and fear/lack of information. Yes, it is difficult to set aside 8 hours the day before your wedding solely for flower arranging. But if you, the bride, don’t have time, maybe someone else in your life does. While the position of DIY wedding florist might come with some pressure, it’s also a fun way to give back to the bride and groom and enjoy some girly flower time too.
What if you have the time.. but doing your own flowers seems insanely hard? The good news is there are a ton of resources on the internet dedicated to walking you through the DIY floral process (this website for one) and helping you bridge the information gap that is holding you back. With a little research and practice, you could save thousands on your wedding flowers and have a great time doing it!
{This post first appeared on DIYBLOOMS.COM}