As a D.I.Y bride myself, I fully understand the risks and gains. As the bride, you can plan your wedding yourself if you really want to, but please when planning your big day, we would still want you to stay guided and not make a mess of the whole thing. So we have compiled a list of rules to follow when planning a Do- It- Yourself wedding.

1. Have a consultation session before you start the planning

In as much as you are trying to save money, please consider a wedding consultation a necessity and not a luxury.

This way, you can avoid a wedding day disaster by 80%.

You get to know the questions to ask your vendors, what to look out for when booking your venue, ideas on how much vendors charge, how to manage your vendors, how to allocate your wedding budget, how to pick the right vendors for your dream wedding, picking a theme for your wedding, payment schemes and a lot more.

At La’ Heiress, we have a do- it- yourself brochure to help you with your vendor selection and we offer assistance all through the planning process even after your consultation session with us.

2. Be realistic with your budget

Most D.I.Y brides would have read a lot about allocating percentages to each item; this does not work all the time. For instance, if 1% of the budget goes into stationery, and you go to your favourite stationer @ebenezerruth and they give you a more realistic quote which amounts to 3% of your budget, be willing to bend your budget.

This does not necessarily mean that you are overspending; it may mean that you had no idea that the invitation you like comes at a price higher than what you had initially thought. Be flexible.

3. Get a day-of coordinator

Whether you are trying to save money or you just enjoy the planning process, please ensure that you hire a wedding coordinator to coordinate the event of the day and probably handle vendor payments.

Trust me, you won’t want vendors disturbing you on your big day for their balances or asking where to set up. We do it best at @laheiress! *wink*

4. Get rest before your big day

You really don’t want bags under your eyes or fall sick on your big day. Please all planning activities should be handed over to your wedding day coordinator at least two weeks to your event date.

Take a visit to the spa and pamper yourself before your big day. Visit  @naturesglows or @lasolacemassage to give you that well deserved pampering that you need.

5. Do a little bit everyday or every week

Time will still run out. There will be a last minute crisis. And a meltdown is bound to happen. But, by starting early and doing a little here and a little there, the fallout will be minimized. Tick something off your list everyday or every week. 

6. Meet with your vendors

At the end of the day, you will want to have reliable vendors tying the day together. Let them meet each other and meet with them as well. You definitely want your band to know your DJ if they will be sharing equipments or working in sync.

7. Delegate if you have to

If you have family members or friends who can run a few errands for you or even talk or get quotes from a few vendors, please don’t hesitate to ask for help if they are willing to help.

Even as a wedding planner, I felt overwhelmed at some point when I was planning my own wedding because I had other weddings in the same month that needed my attention.

8. Do NOT put too many people in charge of your wedding

If there is anything I have learnt during my years of planning, is that putting too many people in charge of aspects of the wedding can cause chaos on the wedding day.

One or two people in charge of the wedding is okay if you are planning your wedding yourself.

Allocate one person to the vendors to ensure they show up and set up accordingly, while the other can ensure your guests are well taken care of (this will be easier if you have hostesses to assist with the guests). La’ Heiress Hostesses to the rescue!

9. Allocate some money for miscellaneous expenses

Whether you are using a planner or not, there are a lot of miscellaneous expenses that come up when planning a wedding, either before the wedding or on the wedding day. Ensure that you have some money for any immediate issue that may need financial attention. This can be a percentage of the wedding budget.

Note that the higher the wedding budget is, the more the miscellaneous expenses will be.

10. Remember to enjoy your day

You may be stressed out from all the planning but remember to let go and let God on your wedding day. Trust me, you don’t want to regret not enjoying the day. You have done your best and you will be 

married to the love of your life by the end of the day, nothing else matters after that.

Good luck!

Your Favourite Planner. X.O.X.O

Olamide~ The Heiress