As my mam put it, there was a lot less fussing back in the day around weddings. You picked your hotel and dress, you showed up on the day and spent a lovely week “down the country”, then began your married life. Now that I’m in the midst of planning my own wedding, I envy that simplicity.
Do you think that works for us millennials? Nope. We want a beautiful, personal, Pinterest-worthy wedding that reflects our unique personalities. Before that sentence sends you into a full-on Bridezilla moment, relax. Take a step back. Put down the power tools. This is the laid-back guide to getting married, so no stress.
There are plenty of ways to make your wedding truly personal, and a good few that you and your partner can even even do yourselves. Pinterest is your friend and your enemy here. Don't get sucked down a rabbit hole of professional American "crafters" who make DIY look as easy as their homemade apple pie. They lie. And you know that behind their picture perfect smiles are enough paper cuts to bring down James Bond.
We’re not overly creative, so we’re focusing on some – very simple – personal DIY touches for our own wedding.
Table centrepieces: We want greenery and candlelight. How hard can it be?
Personal signs: Not the light-up kind. Good old chalkboard and chalk. Handy for your personal hashtag for the big day (and, yes, I even despair of our generation).
A wedding family tree: Sounds complicated, but it’s not! Honour your family members(parents, grandparents, siblings etc) by displaying their wedding day photographs in a collage. Cute, personal decoration and your family will love being included.
Dessert display table: Yes, baking is a form of DIY. Luckily, with five sisters I have an army of bakers to help me with that one . . . little do they know yet.
If you and your partner are thinking of doing a DIY wedding, another tip is to start collecting the following immediately: Candles, old wine or spirit bottles, jam jars, old photographs and frames. Tell your parents and they’ll have the neighbours hoarding these items for the next year.
If you and your partner are not really DIY inclined, then be very strategic at choosing your bridal party. Many hands make light work, and you’ll be busy chilling, sipping prosecco and shouting orders: “MORE glitter! MORE streamers! MORE Instagrammable please!”
Need more inspiration? Check out theknot.com, abeautifulmess.com and ohhappyday.com.
Next week: The Dress
