Let’s set the scene; you’ve just become engaged and jump straight onto the Geelong Wedding Guide website to see what local wedding venues tickle your fancy. 

 

You begin the fun process of visiting wedding venues and then BANG! That newly engaged love bubble bursts when you realise you’re up for serious $$$ in venue hire costs alone.  

 

Cue the idea to have your wedding on a private property with no hire fees! 

 

According to moneysmart.gov.au, the average Australian wedding costs $36,000 (!) so it’s no wonder many couples opt for a DIY celebration. Do it yourself weddings mean you have complete control over what vendors you book, what the styling will look like and ultimately what you’re willing to spend your money on. 

 

Here at Event’s by One Day P.A. We LOVE a DIY wedding. Unfortunately, unless you’re a professional events planner, planning and executing your own wedding can be overwhelming and at times, extremely stressful. 

 

 So here’s my top five tips to help you plan a stress-free DIY wedding: 

 

1. Set a budget, and stick to it! Sounds easy right? Well it should be, but many couples find the task of setting a budget and sticking to it extremely challenging. A good idea when setting your budget is to decide what elements you’re willing to spend big bucks on and what elements you can be budget friendly with. 

2. Lock in your ‘venue’. You many have secured Uncle Joe and Aunt Betty’s back paddock but you still need somewhere for your event to be held. With a rise in DIY weddings, marquee hire companies can be booked out 12-18 months in advance so I highly recommend locking in your preferred supplier as soon as you know you’re going down the DIY path. 

3. Plan for four seasons in one day. The dream may be to get married under a big beautiful gumtree, and have your guests enjoy sipping champagne under the stars, but always have a backup plan. (See tip 2 above… a marquee is never a bad idea!) 

4. It’s all in the detail. When planning your DIY wedding you have to remember that you may not have access to all of the amenities that a reception venue has, so think of the logistics like toilets, first aid and rubbish removal. 

5. Hire an on-the-day coordinator, seriously! Your wedding day is a serious event with a lot of moving parts. Who’s going to be the go-to person to solve the problems that may arise? Who are your guests going to seek answers from when it’s not clear where the gluten free options are? Who are your vendor’s going to go to when their power supply has tripped? And who’s going to be your eyes and ears on the day to ensure your countless hours of planning and money spent goes off without a glitch?  

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The most important thing to remember is that the planning process should be fun, and you should get to your big day feeling excited to marry your soul mate. You shouldn’t be tired and stressed out from the planning process. If you think you need an expert to help you deliver your wedding vision, please get in touch with us, we are suckers for a DIY wedding. 

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