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.