A wedding involves months of planning, and so many decisions have to be made. Things have to be bought, borrowed, organized, arranged. And sometimes, when trying to decide if you should make a purchase, you might think: “Can’t I just make or do this myself?”
And the answer is: Maybe! It all depends on a variety of factors. Here we have compiled a short list of wedding must-haves, along with the pros and cons of buying versus doing it yourself.
Tabletop Decorations – Centerpieces, streamers, cool table number signs, etc. There’s a lot of options for decorating the tables at your reception. You can buy all kinds of different creative varieties. Or you could see what’s out there and use that as inspiration for creating your own.
Tabletop decorations are maybe the easiest thing on this list to DIY. That is, if you’re already handy with arts and crafts, or are close with someone who is. If you’re a total newbie, then maybe trying to make 100 origami napkin swans all by yourself is a tall order.
Relevant note: keep in mind that any DIY work you do will be an added task in the laundry list of wedding prep. Often the effort of doing something might not be worth the reduced cost. But of course, this varies case-by-case.
Food – Catering your own wedding reception is an ambitious idea. Only recommended if you have less than 20 guests. Average sized weddings will probably always require professional catering. But if you’re a great cook and are keeping the celebration intimate, by all means, find some great recipes and give it a shot!
DJ/Band – “Do I really need to hire a DJ? Can’t my friend just play music off their phone’s aux cord?” Technically, yes, your friend could DJ the reception. But this is usually not recommended. It’s best to get a professional disc jockey who knows how to keep the crowd moving, rather than trusting someone to just try their best. You can even hire a genuine turntablist, and seeing them in action is always unique.
Video – Of course, it’s always better to hire a professional for videography. A professional videographer has experience, and knows how to flow with the schedule of the day.
Photo – Photography might seem easy. Nowadays, everyone has a smartphone, so anyone can be an amateur photographer, right? So you think, well, why not just have a family member or friend take pictures? All the guests will probably be taking their own anyway.
While your aunt might know all the cool Instagram filters, it’s probably best to hire a professional for maximum quality. Angles, composition, lighting, poses, etc. are very important, and a trained eye will yield the best results. A professional photographer’s camera is already of higher quality than the average smartphone. And that’s before the photographer brings their artistic skills into the mix.
So when it comes to the question of “DIY or Buy?” we recommend leaving most things to the professionals, unless you’re already an expert in the activity you’re trying to do yourself. Planning a wedding is already a handful, and the artisans and craftspeople of the wedding industry are there to ease the weight as much as possible.
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