BridalTweet Wedding Forum & Vendor Directory

The DIY Movement

As many of us are aware many of the recent brides are on very tight budgets. So the brides have been turning to DIY to save money. Now I am a huge fan of DIY for those who have the time and are creative. But most brides don't realize the time and money that goes into DIY. Especially when mistakes are made.
As vendors what can we do to either embrace this movement or convice the brides they can get what they need with a professional. My initial idea is to encourage couples to review their guest lists. Suddenly a budget of $5,000 can go a lot further when the list goes from 150 to 75.

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Permalink Reply by Celestial Event on March 29, 2010 at 5:19am

I'm a DJ, I perfer "Wedding Host/DJ".
Many DIY Brides have chosen to eliminate the DJ or band altogether to do an ipod wedding with often less than desireaable results. It's a fact of life we have to accept so we offer some sound advise and a Bose sound system with a microphone, set up for an ipod, as a rental item.

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Permalink Reply by Lutus Real on April 1, 2010 at 9:34pm

DIY things are all meaningful. I like it.

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Permalink Reply by Al Ojeda Photography on April 19, 2010 at 4:53am

Hi... as Wedding Photographers, I agree with Phyllis in her strong statement: "What the bride will not want to scrimp on is the photography and videography because that's what the couple will have forever."
Having a Pro Photographer is a must, images are the only thing left from the Big Day... Now, a great Photographer is not necessarily expensive... Good research, checking thoughtfully portfolios and listening what the Photographer has to say about their experience, knowledge and passion. I feel Brides should not go for who wins a "popularity" contest, should go for someone skilled.
Have a great day guys !!!
Ida from Al Ojeda Photography
www.alojeda.com

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Permalink Reply by Celestial Event on April 19, 2010 at 7:46am

DIY Photographer?
Perhaps….
My wife and I married 4 years ago. She is an event manager and planner and I am a wedding host/dj. My best friend has been a hobbyist photographer for more than 20 years. I know his talent and I know him to have a good eye and excellent knowledge of the equipment.

With fewer than 50 guests and a large B&B venue we booked for the weekend, we had the luxury of time to allow him to take as many shots and poses necessary to get it right. We often looked at the digital image to see if the composition was what we wanted and either approved or re-shot it. The images were never enhanced on Photoshop but they turned out perfect for us.

Ours was a unique circumstance and very few couples will be in the position we were in but it can be done.

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Permalink Reply by Sherlyn Maloney on May 4, 2010 at 5:15am

I think the bride who is DIY is fooling herself unless the DIY are family and friends. Her day is too busy and some items just can't be done ahead of time such as fresh flowers(unless they have cool place to store for a day) and who wants to be putting together floral arrangements and decorating a reception venue the day befor their wedding. There are not enough hours in the day. Take it from me-I did my granddtrs wedding and I was rushed off my feet-I can just imagine if she had tried to help how her day would have been. A bride should be able to remember her wedding-not the frenzy of getting everything ready for it. I do carry a lot of decorating items and mostly deal with MOB's.

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Permalink Reply by Karina on May 18, 2010 at 1:27pm

I would not recommend cutting people from the list but rather choosing your vendors wisely; Instead of going for the hyped up photographer, florist, baker, etc... go with a vendor who is starting up and does a great job. When you are going for the smaller vendors it's more likely at they will devote more time to their services and give you a better price.

hope this helps.

Best,

Karina

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Permalink Reply by Celestial Event on May 18, 2010 at 7:14pm

With all due respect...
"go with a vendor who is starting up and does a great job"
I ask you, how does one know if a start up vendor does a great job?

"When you are going for the smaller vendors it's more likely they will devote more time to their services and give you a better price"

In fact, larger operations normally have lower cost per capita and might be able to offer a lower price but at what cost to service. You are absolutely correct, the small, individually operated businesses will almost always provide much better individual service.

Given the two options in question, I have seen both and would recommend a smaller wedding over a stress and anxiety filled DIY wedding every time. That said, some brides will still think they can DIY.

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Permalink Reply by Janyce Granoff on May 25, 2010 at 5:47am

Hi,
This is directed to vendors who have embraced the DIY movement and are not in denial.
I have worked with brides for 25 years. The last 6, an international assortment, because of our websites and I can tell you no one ever said they wanted an ordinary wedding reception. Every bride dreams of her version of an extravaganza.
And the second to last thing she wants to hear about is cutting her list. To the couple it threatens changing the culture of the celebration they dreamed of. The last thing she wants to hear about is doing without the little details she has seen in the media that allows her to showoff her unique style.
I do agree that everyone remembers the music. But no one remembers the food and they may not remember the the centerpiece flowers or color...but what they will remember is being entertained by the entrance impact, seeing something new and so feeling compensated for the effort and money it took them to be there.
My new book " How To Produce A Wedding Reception That Looks Like It Cost $36,000 For $6,000 Or Less" is free for all my Bridaltweet.com friends in e-book form, on my website DivineDisposables.com. It includes a buffet menu for 100 and the recipies from a Reagan White House chef.
Just note in the checkout Special Requests box that your a BridalTweet friend, your card will not be charged, or email me personally
Janyce Granoff
janycegranoff@hotmail.com
DivineDisposables.com

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Permalink Reply by Caroline Ward on June 7, 2010 at 7:29am

Janyce,

Thank you for offering us your free book I will be sure to go and get it because I do deal with a lot of DIY brides and am always looking for different ways to help them cut costs.

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Permalink Reply by Celestial Event on June 9, 2010 at 8:10am

Janyce,

Perhaps this should be in a separate thread but you put it out there.

Your product and your presentation is in direct competition with the rental industry. Before I could recommend disposables over rentals, to a bride, I would have to be sure it was 100% recyclable and the vendor would be providing the means and the instructions as to how it should be recycled.

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Permalink Reply by carrie on May 25, 2010 at 9:37am

When brides consider handmade but have no crafting experience, mistakes may be costly.
They can still have unique custom work done at a reasonable price through etsy.com
When browsing the wedding category, a bride may find new and unique items she never even thought of!

I've seen some brides have a totally handmade or vintage wedding through the wonderful world of etsy.

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Permalink Reply by Tom Pett on June 10, 2010 at 10:09am

There is no doubt that brides have tight budgets. Having 3 daughters marry in 3 1/2 months sure stretched ours! You save where you can trying to get the most out of the celebration as possible. Where those savings come from are as individual as the brides themselves. For us, we made our own wedding cake stands. We save a bunch over the $50 rental and did get to cross an item off the day after to-do list. That being the returning of the stand. After all the planning to-do's who wants another thing to do after the day! The stand turned out so well we started making them to sell. They cost less than renting and again you don't have to drive somewhere the next day to return it.

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