DIY Wedding Planning Tips

Every girl dreams of having a fairytale wedding from the first time she reads Cinderella. The beautiful dress, the sparkling glass slippers, a coach complete with driver, and a fairy godmother to make it all happen. Then we grow up. And then - we wake up, realizing no fairy godmother is going to appear to wave a wand to poof our dream day into reality. We'll have to do it all ourselves.

Wedding planning can be overwhelming and, oh, so expensive. But it doesn't have to be. With a lot of creativity mixed with a little bit of elbow grease and footwork, you can shave hundreds, if not thousands, off of your decorating and planning bill. Here are some thriftabulous ways to get more wow for your wedding planning buck.

The Dress

You wedding dress can cost hundreds of dollars or more - depending on the style and designer you choose. If you're willing to compromise, you can find dresses on the cheap by buying off the rack, shopping sales, and buying second hand. Some bridal shops have regular $99 sales and you can be sure to find a great deal in your local classified ads. You can dress up your gown with any accessories you choose to customize it into a one of a kind original. When you walk down the aisle, nobody has to know that part of the reason you're smiling so big is that you saved a bundle on your gown.

Unity Candles

If you plan to incorporate a unity candle into your ceremony, you can personalize your own set at a fraction of the cost of those made to order. By shopping at dollar stores and discount stores for your materials instead of specialty craft stores at specialty prices, you'll do twice as well. You'll need:

2 taper candles
1 pillar candle
A rectangle Styrofoam base
Silk greenery silk flowers
Misc. embellishments (ribbons, beads, etc)
Wedding invitation
Hot glue

1. Trim a wedding invitation to wrap around the pillar candle - using only the worded part. Hot glue it to the center of the pillar candle.

2. Embellish around the announcement with beads, bows, etc in your wedding colors.

3. Wrap a small piece of ribbon around each taper candle to form a band. Add a bow or small flower in the center of each band.

4. Put pillar candle in the center of the Styrofoam base. Stick tapers into the base, making a hole through it to support them.

5. Dress up the bass with greenery and silk flowers to cover the Styrofoam. Viola! A beautiful, personalized unity candle set for under $15.

Invitations

You can print your invitations at home and personalize them with unlimited options. There is an endless supply of resources for printing and designing on the Internet. All they will cost you is some ink and card stock! For pennies and some time, you can have professional looking invitations that you can be proud of.

Toasting Glasses

You can make your own pair of toasting glasses for much less than you would pay for an ordered pair. Everything you need can be found at dollar or discount stores. You'll need:

2 inexpensive fluted glasses (plastic or glass - your preference)
Ribbon
Embellishments
Hot Glue
Metallic paint pen (optional)

1. Tie a bow around the base of each glass. Glue embellishments such as a small flower or breads in the center if you choose, or you could stop at the bow.

2. If you have a steady hand and would like a more personalized set of toasting glasses, use a metallic paint pen in silver to write the bride and groom's names and wedding date on the glasses.

Reception

If catering the reception is eating away at your budget, you can forgo the obligatory wedding gifts and opt for a potluck reception instead. On the invitation, you can state something to the effect of, "In lieu of much ado, we'd like to invite you to a potluck dinner following the ceremony. Your favorite dish and presence is present enough."

Cake

If you know someone who is on good terms with Betty Crocker, a great cake is not hard to put together. It just amounts to varying sizes of round layers stacked atop of one another. You don't even have to be a fancy froster. Regular icing paired with non-edible embellishments, such as silk flowers and bows - and of course the bride and groom topper (sold at Wal-Mart) - is all you'll need.

Favors

You can give tokens of your appreciation to your guests without also giving up a big chunk of your planning budget. One idea is to give them "Hugs & Kisses". You'll need:

Tulle
Ribbon
Scissors
Hershey Hugs
Hershey Kisses
Printed tags
Hole punch

1. Print tags from your computer that say something like:

"Hugs & Kisses from the bride and groom." Include names and the wedding date.

2. Attach a piece of ribbon to each tag.

3. Cut tulle in 5in x 5in squares. Put 2 of each candy in the middle.

4. Gather the tulle around the candies. Tie closed with ribbon and tag.

You can put one with each place card or display them in a pretty basket.

Don't pay someone for something you can do yourself. There are any number of ways you can cut out the middle man and unnecessary cost when planning your wedding. Research what you want and approach it with an, "I can do this" attitude. You'll be amazed by how many do-able ideas that will present themselves to you.