DIY can be a great way to add your personal touch to your wedding, especially if you are confined to a strict budget.
By all means, feel free to showcase your creativity. Just be aware of the fine line between what is acceptable DIY and what should simply… be left to the experts.
Here are some dos and don’ts of wedding DIY that have the potential to save your special day from DIY disaster.
The Dos
Your ceremony and reception décor
Here’s your chance to show your guests what you’re capable of. With so many ideas at your fingertips, a quick google search will give you everything you need to bring your wedding dreams to life.
Whatever theme you decide on, make sure it flows between the ceremony and reception.
The last thing you want is to have a stark contrast between the two. Remember, the ceremony lasts less than an hour and the reception will go into the night, so devote a bit more of your time to the latter.
Your wedding favours
When you consider how many guests you are inviting and the cost-per-head of wedding favours, it can become a no-brainer to tackle these yourself.
Keep it simple and remember how many people you are doing this for.
The easiest way to work through such a large amount of wedding favours is to offer something edible. Handcrafted chocolates, macarons and other sweet treats are always a much-loved wedding favour. The best thing about these is that, while being impressive, they can be made in bulk.
Co-ordinating your wedding run sheet
You and your fiancé know what you want and when you want it. If you’ve got the stamina to be your own wedding planner (which we know you do), then this is the kind of DIY you can take on as a couple.
Don’t be disheartened if your wedding day seems all over the place at first. It will come together and run smoothly on the day. All you need is a bit of patience.
Your wedding music
If you’re a music aficionado, you’re probably not going to want anyone else to touch your wedding playlist. Fair enough, we understand.
This day is all about you and your brand new spouse, so create your own playlist and hand it over to the DJ to play.
As a typical wedding day is broken up into stages, it’s a good idea to create a different playlist that matches the mood of each stage. For example, pre-ceremony, ceremony, post-ceremony, dinner and dancing will all have a style of music unique to the occasion.
Be patient, it’s not a task that can be done in a hurry. But it’s definitely very rewarding when it’s done your own way.
Here at Markovina Vineyard Estate, we offer an on-site DJ for your reception. We are happy to accommodate you if you would like to play your own music, so leave your device with our capable DJ and enjoy the night dancing to your favourite tunes.
Don’ts
Your wedding cake
You might have a talent for baking and decorating cakes, but making your own wedding cake is not something you want to temper with.
It’s not that you can’t do it, you’re probably more than capable of making something amazing. It’s more about the timely manner in which wedding cakes need to be made – something that is best left to an experienced baker.
Think of all the things you will be organising the week of your wedding. This is the time where all those finer details come together and you want to give yourself a couple of days to unwind before the big day. And you don’t need the added pressure of having to think about crafting your wedding cake the night before!
The stress of undertaking such a mammoth task so soon before your wedding will leave you feeling flustered. The elegance of your cake is sure to suffer if you’re under too much pressure.
Your photography
The value of a good photographer is simply unsurpassed by any alternative.
Just because your friend has offered to whip some photos together on their fancy camera, doesn’t mean you should accept it.
Photographers do more than snap a few shots here and there. They organise your guests to ensure they capture a particular set of important photos. They are professionals and they know what moments are worth savouring.
Photographers are not just there to work on the wedding day, they put in hours of editing before giving your photos to you. These are the lasting memories of a day that flies by quickly, so treasure the chance to get the best photos possible.
Wedding Catering
At the end of a long day, a spectacular meal will be appreciated by all. We know catering can be the biggest cost of a wedding, and the more people you invite the steeper the cost gets. But DIY is no substitute here.
You might have a wonderful set of Aunties who would be happy to whip up their signature dishes for your 100-odd guests. Just keep in mind that the standard of food provided by a professional caterer will be miles ahead of the asparagus rolls and shrimp salad put on by the Aunts.
As much as flavour and selection are the main reasons for hiring a caterer, food safety also comes into play here. If 50 of your guests come down with unexpected illness the day after, they’ll have a fair idea of what caused it. Don’t take the risk.
Markovina Vineyard Estate offer an on-site caterer. Not only is the food of an exceptional standard, it is all prepared fresh on the day of the wedding.
If you had planned on getting stuck into a bit of wedding DIY, go for it.
Just make sure you assess what areas of your wedding are better left to the experts. If you think you might be pushed for time, or you think a professional will do a better job, hand the task over and get it off your mind completely.
As one of Auckland’s premium wedding venues, the staff at Markovina Vineyard Estate have seen their fair share of wedding DIY disasters.
If you’re having trouble differentiating between a DIY do and a DIY don’t, give the team a call today for a friendly chat.
Experts in all things wedding with many years of experience, Markovina can give you all the answers you need.
