DIY Weddings – Priceless Perfection for Pennies

As engaged couples look to invest in a future together, many are hoping their investment is a
cost-effective one, which can begin with a do-it-yourself (DIY) wedding. With an average
wedding costing about $30,000, budget-conscious couples should consider the many successful
DIY options available that can meet both their expectations and their budget. By planning ahead
and being creative with DIY alternatives to traditional wedding items, couples can achieve their
desired wedding day, and still have a few dollars left in the bank for a rainy day in the future.

By the end of 2023, industry experts forecast that over two million weddings nationwide will
have taken place. This includes weddings that fall on both ends of a ceremony spectrum – from a
simple courthouse wedding with costs kept to bare minimum, to the most lavish, over-the-top
ceremony with a rich caravan of limousines transporting hundreds of wedding guests. With
today’s couples, budgets tend to fall somewhere between the two extremes, as décor-savvy and
cost-conscious couples continue to look for ways to lower their wedding costs even further.

Among wedding costs, flowers are always at the top of the list, coming in at $2,500-$3,000 as an
average cost. One way to lower this amount is DIY floral arrangements and boutonnières. In
creating DYI florals, couples can use foraged flowers or local greenery, with some picked
straight from the garden. Bouquets can be filled in with loose stems – inexpensively purchased
from a local florist or farmers market – to make a personalized floral mix. For the finishing
touch, bouquets can be wrapped at the base with ribbon.

For boutonnieres and wedding party florals, any of the leftover flowers from the bouquet mix can
be used to create wearable flowers that complement the bride’s bouquet. For the groom and his
party, small but elegant lapel flowers are any easy DIY project, much like creative floral crowns
that can be easily woven to match the bride’s flowers and worn by the bridal party and
attendants.

Wedding décor is another area that can be costly for uninformed couples. However, the current
trend of adding lots of greenery into wedding décor offers couples a less-expensive and more
environmentally friendly option for indoor and outdoor decoration. Some of the most popular
uses of greenery in wedding décor include tying clusters of foraged flowers and greenery to the
sides of aisle chairs; creating a ceremonial arch with wood and vines; and draping garlands of
greenery on banquet tables, chairs, bar areas, and used as ropes for reserved seating.

As couples plan for their wedding, one of the first items to consider in advance is the wedding
invitations. Even with a moderately sized guest list, invitations can be a costly way to announce a
couple’s special day. Setting aside the traditional linen cardstock with raised lettering, invitations
are one area where DIY can truly prove a cost-effective option. With the popularity of Cricut
machines and similar options, couples can design personalized invitations easily and quickly for
a fraction of the cost of special-order invitations. In addition, other wedding signage such as
table cards, seating charts, gift areas, etc., can also be created the same way as the invitations,
which not only serves to match the overall décor, it also saves money by not having to special
order the additional wedding signage.

When it comes to the wedding menu, true DIY would have the bride, groom, and many of their
family and friends all cooking for the couple’s special day. However, this is an unlikely scenario
for many weddings, as many caterers understand the varying budgets of their clients and can
create a menu that will meet the couple’s tastes and guest preferences.

With the menu sorted out, there are still DIY options that can add to wedding savings for the
couple such as table settings with cutlery wrapped in inexpensive linen napkins; fresh herbs and
fruit used as table decorations and centerpieces, empty wine bottles used as water carafes or
simply filled with flowers as décor; potted plants with herbs and flowers used as décor, and
creating a table with sampling jars of candy and sweets where guests can help themselves.

As the wedding day comes to a close and guests prepare to leave, wedding favors are another
area where couples can incorporate a DIY option. Some of the top trends currently are
homemade (or purchased from a bakery) cookies, as well as jars of local honey and jams. To
remind guests of the special day, DIY labels can be created to adhere to the jars of sweets.

Another wedding tradition that has found a new trend is the signing of a guest book, where
traditionally guests offer their love and best wishes to the newly married couple. However, the
problem with this practice is that many years later, the couple may not remember every person
and every signature in their guestbook. As such, couples today are opting for a visual guestbook,
where instant-pic cameras allow guests to leave their photo – along with their wedding wishes –
so that the couple will remember them fondly in the future.

Regardless of what cost-saving options an engaged couple chooses to embrace for their special
day, one practice that can only be DIY is the loving embrace of the bride and groom themselves.

Photo courtesy of Fern Godfrey Weddings / Joe Burford Photography

Photo courtesy of Magdalena Studios

Photo courtesy of Grace-Hill Photography