Do-It-Yourself Wedding Tips: The Little Things that Make a Big Difference

Having just thrown a successful wedding on a slim budget, I feel that I am somewhat of an expert on this subject. I am a teacher with a modest salary which dictates a modest budget for a wedding, but I am happy to share some little tips that make a big difference when trying to "do it (or a lot of it) yourself" in wedding planning. Sometimes the tiniest things lend a special touch that many big, expensive weddings lack! Many of these are ideas that I did not find in my extensive Google searching and flipping of pages of bride's magazines for wedding planning ideas. I learned them the hard way - by paying for a wedding!!!

1. Designate a family member or family friend to be an "assistant" in lieu of a wedding planner. This person will save you miles of steps on the actual wedding day, and how much you chose to "use" this person is up to you. My assistant was a former student of mine for whom my daughter had been a baby-sitter. Wearing her wrist corsage, she ran a zillion errands and checked on things for me on the day of the wedding. She was invaluable. A beautiful girl, she looked stunning that day and kept me sane with her cheerful "Is there anything I can do?" I wrote her a lovely letter of thanks and paid her what I hope was a good amount for her assistance on the day after the wedding. She seemed pleased, so I hope it was enough!

2. Designate someone to bring a handy "emergency kit" to the bride's dressing room. My niece thoughtfully did this on her own, and it proved to be a life-saver. She had needle and thread, scissors, safety pins, and much more. Many of the items were used, and I was surprised I had not thought of it myself! Bravo to you, Allison!

3. Provide a cooler of icy cold bottles of water and some small (non-messy!) snacks for the bride's dressing room. (Dry roasted nuts are not messy and provide protein.) This will greatly help the bride and her maids keep from dehydrating or failing to eat prior to the wedding and during the long hours of picture taking. Fresh flowers, some soothing music, and a disposable camera are also welcome items. (It is best for many reasons to avoid serving alcohol at this early stage of the wedding.) These items are not costly, but they add much to make the "getting ready" go much more smoothly.

4. If you have a Dollar Dance, do it right after the traditional bridge/groom, father/daughter dances. People are more eager to speak to the bride and groom who have not mingled much at this point, and most likely no one has left the reception yet. The wedding party dance can be held later with a special announcement from the DJ.

5. Make sure that your DJ will play what the bride and groom want to hear. You can provide your own mix CD's to help the DJ, and be sure to type a list of what you want to be announced and what you want to play at what time during the reception. This makes it easier for the DJ, who might even give you a price break if you provide the CD's. Again, have a list typed out of what you want announced. Constant running to the DJ and trying to speak over the music to deliver a message or request is NOT the way to do it.

6. If guests will be serving themselves in a buffet line, be sure to have 2 food lines or access from both sides. This will ensure less wait time for the guests to make their plates! Having name cards which tell what is being served is really appreciated by guests, even if it looks obvious.

7. Have a drink list at the bar which tells what is available, such as keg beer, canned beer, types of wine, specialty drinks, and more. Also have an area where guests can serve themselves iced bottled water, canned beer, or soda to cut down on the wait time at the bar. Guests really appreciate this addition. They should have the option to have their drinks poured and served to them at the bar or self-served from an ice-filled container. Just make sure that a sign makes it clear what is available and where.

8. Make sure that everyone is CLEAR on times. Double check with the pastor, the photographer, the wedding party members, etc. The pastor for my daughter's wedding was excited about his son returning home from college and "forgot" about the wedding rehearsal. Showing up 90 minutes late after everyone was waiting in the outside venue in extreme heat , thinking he would be there "any minute" was a nightmare. As a result, the rehearsal was rushed and important details were overlooked. All it would have taken would be a friendly phone call in advance, mentioning how much these people are appreciated. They won't even know you are reminding them; it will simply seem like an extra and special personal touch.

9. Skip the tradition of throwing rice or having the adults doing anything to the couple as they leave the wedding site. Instead, have all children present gather in a specified area and do the honors of blowing bubbles or whatever. The kids love it, most adults prefer watching the kids rather than joining in on this part, and the expenses for bubbles or whatever is used is kept down to the amount of children present, which is usually not a very big number. Don't be afraid to break some traditions or do something new! That is what makes a wedding memorable!

10. Here's an easily overlooked detail. OLDER people leave earlier! Also older people do not like to stand in buffet lines for food. Make sure someone is designated to serve the older people at their tables if a buffet style meal is provided, and make sure the photographer gets pictures of the bride and groom's grandparents and any other special older guests who may want to exit early. Special corsages for all the older women at the wedding also lend a special touch and can be made easily and inexpensively with some spray roses, baby's breath, floral tape, and ribbon. Designate a creative friend to whip up some extra corsages for this purpose; Google some directions on the internet and you are all set! Also think of any other special guests who might especially enjoy a corsage. I made sure that a young adult mentally handicapped guest received a wrist coursage. She wore it for days. Such a tiny gesture can mean so much.

11. Be sure and plan something for the kids at the wedding to do. Have a dance contest, or a dance off between parents and children. Some thoughtful brides have provided a room just for kids with videos, games, snacks, and even couches and places for the kids to stretch out. What a great idea!

One of the best ways to come up with unique and fun ideas for a special wedding day can be simply found by reading, reading, reading on the internet. Get started early and you will be amazed at the wealth of ideas that can be found. Happy planning!