DIY weddings can be incredibly special. They allow you to create a personal and unique day, but they also require a little more planning behind the scenes. Unlike venue weddings, there’s no in-house team managing things behind the scenes, so you need to think through every element of the day.
From photographing many DIY weddings, I’ve created a practical checklist of the most important things to be aware of when planning your DIY wedding.
DIY Wedding Preparation
As they say, preparation is the key to success and planning the infrastructure of your wedding is so important when doing it yourself.
Even the most relaxed weddings only feel relaxed because of all the work that has been done beforehand.
POWER – Generator, extension cables, power for catering, band and lighting, fridges and freezers.
LIGHTING – often overlooked but so important to create the best atmosphere. Festoon lights, fairy lights, lanterns, and don’t forget lighting for pathways and to toilets.
FACILITIES – toilets, water supply, hand washing, rubbish and recycling
FURNITURE – Tables, chairs, crockery, cutlery, Glasswear
ICE – Lots of it!!
DIY Wedding Delegation
Every task needs a named person responsible for it. Without this, things get forgotten or fall to the couple on the day. Be mindful of who these jobs get delegated to – in my experience ushers serving champaign either don’t have the best time, or not much champaign gets served.
Typical jobs to delegate are:
SET UP TEAM – to put out tables and chairs, set table cloths and decorations, place name cards, light candles/lanterns, put up signage, hang fairy lights/bunting etc,
CEREMONY HELPERS – Organise seating, play music, coordinate the entrance, hand out confetti, collect chairs afterwards.
FOOD AND DRINK – pour welcome drinks, serve wine at table (or make sure wine on table doesn’t run out, refill water jugs (do not run out of water!) Organise cake cutting, monitor food time is catering is informal
LOGISTICS – Supplier contact person, parking coordination, shuttle transport if needed, keep an eye on schedule.
END OF NIGHT – Pack decorations, clear tables, collect gifts/cards, story leftover alcohol, return hired items
Create a Timeline
DIY weddings can often run late because there is no coordination. A clear schedule helps everything run smoothly, and I can’t recommend hiring a coordinator for the day – if budget is tight and you can’t afford a professional, find an organised person who won’t be a guest.
Timeline example would include:
COUPLE PREPARATIONS (what time you’ll be getting ready – work backwards from the ceremony time)
GUEST ARRIVAL (usually arrive 30mins before the ceremony)
CEREMONY (can last between 20mins up to one hour)
DRINKS RECEPTION (Usually lasts between 1.5 – 2 Horus and include canapés especially if serving alcohol too)
GROUP PHOTOS (Depending on your photographer and how many photos you’d like, but I estimate 30mins)
DINNER SERVICE (Again, depends on how many courses and how many people but can take between 1-2.5 hrs)
SPEECHES (Anywhere between 30mins – 1 hour)
EVENING BREAK / VENUE RESET (Between 1-2hours)
CAKE CUTTING
FIRST DANCE
EVENING FOOD AND PARTY
Collaborate with your photographer, caterers, band and key helpers to complete the timeline. Once you’ve completed it, share it with all suppliers so everyone is clear on the plan of the day.
Weather Plan
Outdoors weddings always need a weather plan…
HOT WEATHER – yup… something we don’t really consider here in the UK! You’ll need to consider shade, water stations, parasols or umbrellas
COLD WEATHER – Blankets, heaters, fire pits. Even in the summer, evenings can become cold very quickly.
RAIN – Marquee or covered space, covered walkways, dry area for ceremony backup
Guest Comfort
Guests will remember how comfortable – or rather uncomfortable they felt on the day. Things that make a real difference are:
- Enough seating
- Shade/Shelter
- Water availability throughout the day (I’m saying this a lot as we ran out of water during my DIY wedding!)
- Clear signage for toilets and bar
- Quiet seating area for older guests
- Late-night snakes
Final Thoughts
One final thought is not to forget the pack-down planning… DIY weddings usually involve clearing decorations, furniture and hired equipment. Ideally, organise a small team to help the next morning so don’t need to think too much about it.
A well-organised DIY wedding doesn’t feel structured – it feels relaxed. That’s because all the planning and logistics have all ready been taken care of behind the scenes.