"“I think people think if you want to do a lot yourself and have a big wedding, you have to be engaged for long.” - me!
Yes, that is right. I was quoted today in the Knoxville News Senteniel's article on Do It Yourself weddings. I harding feel like the DIY bride of the year. But, I did have the DIY Mother of the Bride of the year.
" 'I had a bunch of websites that I stalked,' Landon said of her inspiration."
Below is the full story. or read more at knoxnews.com.
Mollie Lacher married her husband, Joe, on Oct. 16 at the Maple Grove Inn in West Knoxville, and during their yearlong engagement, she got crafty. “I knew I wanted something one-of-a-kind,” she said. Lacher is creative, she said, and she wanted to do a lot herself to stay within her budget. “I had my hand in everything,” she said.
Allison Sprouse of The Modern Hostess, a local event designing company, believes DIY weddings have become more common within the past few years. “I think it’s a mixture of the recession,” she said. “And I think a part of it is with blogs.” Sprouse believes brides have more access now because they can see what other brides are doing and get ideas on blogs. “There are great things to be DIY and be thrifty and creative – Save the Dates, programs, favors,” she said.
Local photographer Carrie Jo Pinckard of Texture Photographics agreed. “I have seen a big change in brides desiring their fingerprint on everything,” she said. And the DIY trend helps those brides reflect their style and personality, and it can even include people they love, she said. “It’s so much fun to arrive on a wedding day and feel like you know a couple so much more just by the location they chose and the way the bride so uniquely decorated it,” she said.
And Lacher was one of the DIY brides. She helped design Save the Dates, invitations and programs, and she said along the way, she continued to find more fun DIY ideas to help save money and express her style. “Things that I couldn’t knock down cost-wise were like menu, food, band … so that left décor.”
She collected jars, vases and burlap from Joann Fabrics & Crafts, Hobby Lobby, Southern Market and Home Goods to create reception centerpieces. “I did burlap table runners,” she explained, sewing buttons and weaving teal ribbon through them. She had a friend cut down a tree to make, what she called, “tree trays,” which she then put various vases and jars to hold candles and flowers. She and Joe also created mason jar chandeliers, she said. She gathered mason jars and tinted them blue for an antique look before Joe attached them to wooden boards and hung them from the ceiling. Lacher admitted she loves ice cream, so instead of the traditional wedding cake, she and her mother created an ice cream bar, gathering varieties of ice cream and toppings for guests to enjoy. Her friend Carolyn Coley added to the reception by making a variety of cupcakes. And for wedding favors, Lacher had her family help her make peach preserves.
For new bride Katie Fitch of West Knoxville, a lot of her DIY techniques came down to the details. “I knew I wanted sapphires for my wedding cake,” she said. “My ring is a sapphire.” Fitch said she’s not very traditional, so she wanted to do more herself, like search for unique cake decorations, to make her wedding less generic. Fitch said, “I think if you just go out and get stuff, it makes it less expensive, too.” She did that, with the help of her creative-minded mother, Marlene Landon, when planning her July 10 wedding to her husband Brad. The ceremony was at Second Presbyterian Church, and the reception was at the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame.
“I had a bunch of websites that I stalked,” Landon said of her inspiration. And together, she and Fitch got to work. While she didn’t do her own invitations, Fitch wax sealed and stamped each one. For her bridal luncheon at the Apple Cake Tea Room, they collected different cups and saucers from thrift stores to hand out as favors and made table runners out of toile fabric. At the wedding reception, they hand-painted signs for drinks and food, and they even created a candy bar, collecting different candies and serving them in paper cones. She also enlisted help of friends and family to set up the reception area.
While she had her hand in many details, Fitch was only engaged to Brad from December to July. “I think people think if you want to do a lot yourself and have a big wedding, you have to be engaged for long.”
Sprouse said the new DIY trend can be accomplished, and luckily, it doesn’t take away her job. She explained The Modern Hostess helps brides create a “blueprint” for their wedding, taking their vision and helping them with details and logistics. “There are things we say, ‘You could save money and do that yourself,” she said.
But both Fitch and Lacher agreed brides can do too much. “Eventually, your head will explode,” Lacher said. And that’s where, Sprouse said, professionals should step in. “When it comes down to it, you do need a professional to help you carry it through in the end,” she said. Pinckard agreed she’s seen the importance of a bride passing her vision on to either a wedding coordinator or trusted person to help carry out final details. “It’s nearly impossible to see that plan carried out on your wedding day when you’re unable to run around because of the train on the back of your dress,” she said. “As a bride, you can’t really celebrate well when you’re distracted.”
Sprouse and Pinckard both said that while the DIY trend is helpful in personalizing weddings, there are some basic rules to apply. Pinckard encouraged brides to consider their guests. If it’s a backyard wedding, remember that it could rain or be cold, which isn’t comfortable for anyone, she said. “Consider caring for all people involved,” she said. “While they are celebrating you, celebrate them.” Sprouse said simply, “Do it because it has means; not just because it saves a dollar.”
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