Consider This

There is a whole slew of ways to cut costs at a wedding. One of the most popular has got to be DIY or HAFOFMDIT (have a friend or family member do it themselves) But before you try to replicate that twelve tiered cake covered in sugared butterflies, here are a few things you should consider.

Cake- a DIY cake seems like a great idea in theory. Just keep in mind that knowing how to bake a cake and knowing how to make a wedding cake are two entirely different things. Consider this: How elaborate of a cake do you want? Do you want fondant? Do you want a certain pattern in the frosting? Do you want it tiered? Keep in mind that frosting can melt (especially store bought) and boxed cake mixes aren’t often durable enough to hold the weight of other tiers. If you are going to DIY having several single tiered cakes or cupcakes will probably be the easiest for an amateur to execute.

{Courtesy of Laura Marchbanks Photography}

Self-Catering— Catering is arguably one of the most expensive elements of a wedding, which makes it an obvious starting point when looking to cut costs. Unlike with cake-making, a good cook is a good cook, so the thing to consider is this: Is the stress worth the savings? Not only is catering a lot of work, it’s a lot of work the day before/of the wedding. Here in Port Gamble we only allow self-catering at one of our venues and even then we charge an additional fee. As frustrating as this may be for brides, we aren’t trying to be malicious but rather save you from your budget conscious self. Consider this: A professional caterer has all the equipment, tools, staff, etc. necessary to execute everything from a dessert reception to a plated dinner for 200+ guests. They handle prep, transportation of foods, serving, clearing and clean up. There needs to be someone available to refill buffet platters, clear empty guest plates and tend bar. Of course family and friends want to help make your day perfect but do you really want them to be the ones scraping plates and scrubbing chaffing dishes while everyone else is enjoying the party?

Floral arrangements- In my humble opinion, this is a good place to start as far as DIY goes. It certainly seems a lot simpler to mimic a bouquet than a cake (although florists would probably disagree). Even still, when it comes to arranging your own centerpieces, bouquets, boutonnieres, etc. there are some things to consider. Determining what you want, what’s in season, how much you need and when/where to purchase everything could require some serious research. Without access and knowledge base of a florist you may encounter some difficulties acquiring any obscure flora and fauna you have envisioned. Also, it is important not to disregard the amount of work required the day before and of the wedding. Given the fact that flowers cannot be assembled early, someone will need to be available to pick up and arrange all the floral elements the day before and morning of the wedding. If you have close family or friends that aren’t a part of the wedding party but would like to be involved this might be a good option. Just be prepared to accept that it may not turn out exactly as you imagined.

{Courtesy of Paul Dudley Photography}

DJ— With the widespread availability of iPods and iTunes, eliminating a DJ has become more and more common. And why not? The bride and groom can make a custom wedding playlist for practically no cost, plug the iPod into an available sound system and hit the dance floor. Consider this: DJ’s are the unsung heroes of the wedding reception. They can announce the arrival of the bridal party as well as any other details you want shared. They are in control of who gets access to the microphone, they are experts in knowing what gets people up and dancing, they take requests, amplify the energy and basically keep the entire party rolling. No matter how “bumping” the music, without a DJ, most guests will respond as though it were background music and very rarely will they bust it out on the dance floor. Often it isn’t the iPod that’s the problem with not having a DJ but the lack of an emcee. So if you do want to forgo the DJ see if you can recruit a particularly confident, theatrical friend that won’t mind hamming it up all night for you.

As always these are just suggestions based on personal experience and depending on your individual situation may or may not be helpful. Before I go consider this one last piece of advice: As backwards as it may sound, the more specific you are about how you want something, the more important it is to have a professional handle it. In your head you may feel that because you know exactly how you want it, it makes the most sense to DIY. The more specific an idea you have the more disappointed you will be if it doesn’t turn out the way you always imagined.