Washington DC Wedding - D.I.Y. Ideas
As a Washington DC Wedding DJ | Photo Booth | Event Lighting services company, I’ve seen many ways that bridal couples have gone about reducing the costs or to add personal touches to their weddings. One of the most common ways to accomplish this and something that has always been “in” is to tackle some aspects of the wedding ceremony and reception themselves.
It is likely that every item or service has seen couples do it themselves at some point or another. But in my opinion, some things are better left to professional wedding vendors. Personally, I think that the best homemade or do it yourself items are activities or items that are personal and unique. They have their own character and make your wedding different from any other.
The worst D.I.Y. items are things that guests would consider tacky, sub-par, or the “cheap way out”. Keep in mind that some guests may have traveled at a significant expense to share and celebrate this day with you. The last thing you want to do is lessen their enjoyment of the moment or leave them with a bad memory of this event.
How do you decide what items to do yourself?
I think that as you think about the day and all of the things that go into it, there are many things that you can do to either save money or make the wedding unique. Whatever the motivation is, there are projects large and small that you can undertake.
The things that I would not suggest that you do yourself are those that require a specific skill set or a great deal of experience. Another would be things that will impact the comfort or enjoyment of your guests if it doesn’t come out well.
I would personally ask myself “What is the worst that can happen if I cannot pull this off or if it doesn’t come out right?”
To me the worst that can happen is that I have to live without it being a part of my day. I choose to live without it because I don’t like the result or I don’t have the time or the budget to buy it or have someone else do it for me.
WEDDING D.I.Y. DO’S
The Invitations
Nowadays, it’s pretty easy to make high-quality wedding invitations yourself. There’s no limit to what you can do! There are a lot of easy-to-follow templates online.
Making the invitations yourself is also a great way to show your guests that you care. With a small enough guest list or enough determination, you can personalize each invitation with a fun little note. Have them printed at a local print shop or find a place online!
Let’s be honest, most wedding invitations end up in the same place, in the trash can. If it were my wedding I would craft a few invitations for the most special guests. These are the guests that you really don’t need an RSVP from. They have always been there.
For them this isn’t just an event invitation. This is a milestone! Create something for them personal that they can scrapbook.
For the rest of the guests, make it easy and inexpensive. Try Evite, Green Envelope, or one of the other online wedding invitation creation services. Many offer cool features such as drive time to the venue so they know what time to leave their house. Your guests won’t realize you are saving money. They will simply think that you embrace technology.
The Centerpieces
The table centerpieces at your Washington DC wedding reception are a great way to bring out your creative side. They don’t have to be very complicated—in fact, its better that they’re not. An overly large centerpiece impedes dinner conversation. It can also block their view of special dances and other planned wedding activities.
Let Google and Pinterest be your guide and you will find loads of ideas to create the ambiance that fits your personality.
At one recent wedding the bride and groom were known to be bookworms by all of their guests. Their centerpiece on each table was short stacks of antique looking books with colorful ribbon serving as the book strap and a few tea lights.
The Favors
Making your own wedding favors is a good way to save money and add a personal touch. Let the wedding favor tell your love story. Perhaps give guests some of your favorite candy?
It won’t be too expensive to buy pretty bags and ribbon, and there are an endless number of gifts for you to fill the bags with. Don’t be afraid to get sentimental!
The Place Cards
Decorating your own place cards can be really fun, especially if you have a themed wedding. If you’re having a beach wedding, the place cards could be disguised as fish in the sea. If it’s a more elegant wedding, feel free to have some fun with the calligraphy!
Signage
Signs are another great and easy way to get creative while adding a personal touch. You could do anything from a classy framed blackboard to the ring bearer wearing a sign that says “Has anybody seen the rings?” There’s no end to the ways that you can demonstrate YOU as a couple through words.
WEDDING D.I.Y. DON’TS
The Photos
Unless you have a friend who’s an actual wedding photographer, I would hire a professional to do this. There are a lot of photographers out there who are hobbyists more than anything, and this is one of the most important days of your life. You’re not going to want to remember it with blurred or off-center photos. Photographing an event is harder than you think so please hire a professional.
My mother takes LOTS of pictures! Whenever she is near us and her grand children that camera is attached to her hand. The difference between her and professional photographer is that my mom takes few GREAT pictures. On the most important day of your life, you want quantity AND quality!
The Cake
This is another one of those situations where people think, “I’ve made a cake before. Why pay for someone to do it?” I get it, I do. But unless you or a relative owns a bakery, I don’t recommend it. It’s so easy to mess up a cake, and so hard to fix it. They’re impossible to transport, and who actually knows how to professionally decorate them?
The Food
If the biggest meal you’ve ever cooked was Thanksgiving dinner, you don’t want to try cooking for 100+ people. And if it’s not you, you really don’t want to ask your poor family to do it.
A professional catering company has the kitchen and experience to cook for that many people. Let them do it. Your mom may make the best roast beef known to man, but she may not be able to make 30 of them at once.
The Music/Entertainment
In this day in age, it’s easy to think “Why do I need a DJ? I have Spotify!” The thing about Spotify is that it can’t read a room. If the playlist is bombing, it won’t change. And, someone still needs to stop the music and make announcements. They need to change the music. They need to make the playlist. They need to…be a DJ and MC.
Some people ask their friends to do this, but it’s not really fair to ask them miss out on the wedding. Either they have to be a great DJ by missing out on all the activities and socializing, or a horrible DJ who drinks and hangs out with all their friends. See the problem?
Our team at Perfect Harmony Entertainment does far more for our couples than provide great music and fun activities such as our photo booth. Our focus is to help our couples and corporate clients create the events they have envisioned. We do that in part through offering tips and advice and sharing our event experience.
Music serves as the driving force behind an unforgettable wedding experience! Perfect Harmony Entertainment provides our couples and clients with exemplary service to help them create fantastic events!
If you are planning a wedding or corporate event in our service area, we would love the opportunity to learn more about your plans. Our DJ’s routinely travel to all areas within a 90-minute drive from Washington DC.
We offer wedding DJ | Photo Booth | Lighting services to clients from Washington DC to Frederick and Baltimore MD, as well as wedding DJ’s for couples celebrating in Lancaster and Harrisburg PA.
Our demand is as large as our service area! If you would like to check our availability for your date or chat about your event, click the link below or simply send us a text.