Things to Consider When it Comes to DIY Wedding Decor
One of the most common searched questions in google, in terms of weddings, relates to the pricing of a wedding, and how one can save. Most couples turn to some do it yourself items or buy second-hand to try to not rack up such a high bill by renting or buying brand new.
Between buying used items from Facebook buy and Sell groups, bridal swap events, or making your own items, you could save quite a bit of money! There is nothing more special than homemade, one of a kind items, that fit your vision and theme perfectly. Although this can be a great idea for some couples, not all will have success with it, and there are some things you will need to consider.
Photo by Carrie J Photography
Photo by Carrie J Photography
Creativity:
Creating your own decor can give your wedding a special personal touch. However, not everyone is crafty and you run the risk of purchasing all the supplies you may need and then being disappointed with how it turns out. You just have to think about the quality of the items you are able to make vs. what you could have from a decor company, will you be happy with how your work turns out?
Another thing to think about is your time, as making all these different aspects for your wedding can be very time consuming. If you work full time, your evenings and weekends will now be consumed with making stuff for your wedding, leaving you with little time for rest or relaxation.
Setting up:
The more items you supply, the more you have to bring to the venue the day of. Some venues allow access the day before which means you would be able to drop it all off ahead of time, but that is not the case for most venues. This means with all the getting ready and organized the morning of, you will also need to assign people to deliver and set up all the items you are providing. Items could include vases, slabs of wood, candles, backdrops, floral arrangements, pillars, favours, card box, etc. Depending on the amount of items, you really have to consider if you have enough manpower to get it to the venue, AND have them set it all up the way you want it to be.
Tear down:
At the end of the night, is another thing that needs to be considered. Will you have the same set of hands helping at the end of the wedding? Packing up all of your DIY and personal items, and loading it up into vehicles to be taken home that night. Most venues do not allow you to leave ANYTHING there overnight, as soon as the evening ends, everything needs to go home with you. If you can’t guarantee you will have enough sober hands to help at the end of the night, this can cause some headaches for you when all you want to do is go home and get some sleep after the busy day!
** In terms of set up and tear down, most wedding coordinators and decor companies do offer a setup and teardown service, so please keep that in mind! If you do hire someone to set everything up, you just need to make sure you are making a detailed map and instructions on how and where you want the items placed. **
Breanne and Dennis’ Outdoor, Lakeside Wedding
January 2019, at the Burlington Bridal Show, we got the chance to meet Breanne. Upon meeting her she had joked with wanting us to organize everything to do with her wedding. We chatted for a little bit and she carried on through the rest of the show.
The next time we heard from Breanne was in August when she asked to meet with us. Chatting with them, Breanne mentioned that since we had first met she had a wedding folder, and the only thing that was in it was a Perfect Planners business card! That is the extent of their planning in 8 months. They decided they really needed help with planning the whole wedding, otherwise it wouldn’t happen!
Breanne and Dennis, her fiance, knew they wanted an outdoor wedding in the backyard of her parents house in the Kawartha’s. Along with the beautiful location by the lake they knew they wanted live music, BBQ style catering and a weekend of fun including inflatables for on the lake! This is exactly what their wedding consisted of.
It was a very hot, late August weekend. The festivities started on the Friday with fun in the sun, on the lake and on the inflatable obstacle courses. A great way for the soon-to-be husband and wife to celebrate beforehand with their family.
On Friday evening, nearly everyone had arrived and we all gathered for the rehearsal and after that we ate home cooked pasta by the bride & groom. We deliberately set up the tables differently to how they would be on the wedding day, so that it would be a surprise to everyone.
The morning of the big day consisted of more lake fun, relaxing, swimming and boat rides. Lunch was served, games were played and then it was time to get ready for the couple and our team to set up. Sounds like an incredible way to get over any last minute nerves doesn’t it?
The set up for us included balancing in the “Rock Garden” to place our LED pillar candles. Here’s a photo of Vicky nearly dropping a candle. It was fun!
When we were ready for the ceremony, we got everyone together. It’s always a challenge when you have little kids involved in the ceremony, especially when Grandad (Breanne’s dad) tells all the kids that there is a frog in the rock garden when you are trying to get them to walk down the aisle! Hee hee!
The kids did a great job with bubble guns rather than flowers. They lined up by a tree before the chairs and sprayed Breanne with bubbles as she walked through.
The ceremony was beyond stunning, taking place on the dock overlooking the water. We were concerned that we were so close to water, so we put down coloured tape for the wedding party to put their right foot over to ensure they were in the correct position. The ceremony was very simple, just as they wanted. Ashley Vittoe was an engaging officiant and had got to know the couple and did a wonderful job of making the ceremony just how Breanne & Dennis wanted.
After the ceremony, cocktail hour was held on the grass by the bar and buffet table and the Christian James Band played background music.
With the weather cooperating, there was no need for a tent. The reception was held within the trees, under stunning string lights that were hung within the branches. There were big harvest tables, and gold cutlery, really pulling together this beautiful, elegant but simple look. The light pink water glasses were our favourite addition to the set up.
The evening started with the cutting of the amazing cake from Lil Chick Cupcakes which had a custom topper of a monkey holding a cupcake. Breanne has a tattoo of a monkey on her hand and Dennis has a cupcake on his. We loved this unique touch.
Afterwards it was time to eat! We had a buffet dinner of delicious smoked beef brisket, smoked pork baby back ribs, BBQ chicken thighs, corn on the cob, roasted potatoes and cornbread! It was heavenly. This was provided by Gary from The Garage Guy.
For dessert we served the wedding cake. Guests had the choice between two flavours, raspberry cheesecake or chocolate and salted caramel. OMG it was divine.
There was speeches from Breanne’s parents, her Brother and then Sister. After dessert Dennis’ dad did a toast, Dennis’ Mom and Brother also made a speech.
It was then time for the first dance to the music of I Do by Aloe Blacc. We love that this is such a unique first dance song. It was so romantic watching them dance under the lights.
After the first dance, the fun began with the band playing well into the night. The smores station and blankets by the fire was a lovely added touch to the evening.
Vendors
Photography : SC photography
Band : Christian James Band
Catering : The Garage Guy
Officiant : Ashley Vititoe
Rentals : Perfect Party Event Rentals
Cake : Lil Chick Cupcakes
Lake Rentals : Cottage Toys
Florals & Planning : Perfect Planners
Perfect Planners is an award winning wedding planning team located in Oakville, Ontario. We plan and coordinate weddings in Toronto, Mississauga, Oakville, Burlington, Hamilton, Niagara, Vaughan and beyond. Please contact us for a custom quote or link the button below to book a free 15 mins discovery call to discuss your wedding.
Beyond Stunning, Arabic Wedding!
40 items that are in our wedding planner's emergency kit
A professional wedding planner will have an emergency kit which will help to fix most wedding day emergencies that arise. We use our kit at every single wedding, whether it is sewing a button, a dress, providing tylenol or securing a seating chart with velcro strips. We try to anticipate every situation.
Here is what we carry in our kit
A Travel Steamer
Zipties of varying colours and sizes
Fishing wire
Flashlight
Microfibre cleaning cloth
Goo Gone
Food Service Plastic Gloves (powder and latex free)
Cake Cutting set
Envelopes for vendor payments
Fake gold wedding bands
Ceremony Signing Pens (silver & gold)
Fake wedding rings
Emergency Floral arrangement kit
Floral Clippers
Sewing kit
Variety of safety pins
Candle lighters (x4)
Scissors (many pairs)
Tape : Duct, painters, double sided, regular scotch tape
Sharpies : Black, gold, silver
Pens : for the guest book
Chalk : White to mask dress mishaps
Medicine : Tylenol, Advil, Tums, Gravol, Immodium.
Emergency Stain removers : Tide stick, Shout Wipes
Shoe laces – Black for men’s shoes
Dress socks for men
Small Packs of Kleenex
Tools : Hammer, screwdrivers, pliers, staple remover
Static Guard
Sunscreen
Fake Rose Petals (for the flower girls)
Bobby Pins
Hairspray
Air freshener
Feminine Hygiene Products
Batteries
LED Candles
Chewing gum/tic tacs
Windex
Paper Towel
Clear Umbrellas
We carry many more items than this, but this gives you an idea of how prepared we are. If you are looking for a coordinator, please reach out and tell us a little about your wedding.
Happy Planning
Perfect Planners are a full service wedding and event planning company, located in Oakville, Ontario.
info@perfectplannersweddings.com