Don’t you just envy brides who seem to put their own weddings together and still have them look very professional? In today’s economy it is no wonder that brides are looking to get more for their money any way they can. DIY sites are popping up all over the web. They tell us, “You don’t need a wedding planner. Just do everything yourself.”
Are Event Planners Headed For Extinction?
Are we headed for a time where event planners are no longer needed? I say no! In fact, all the information on the web has made event planning more overwhelming than ever! This is one of the reasons why the event planning industry is defying the economy and fortunately the popularity of DIY hasn’t hurt most wedding planners one bit.
Many brides are capable of planning their own weddings and enjoy doing so, but for many it can lead to disaster and make them absolutely miserable. You also need to realize that while the Internet is packed full of great ideas, there is a lot of bad advice out there.
Unbelievably Bad Advice
I have been working on a blog series called “The Best of the Event Planning Web” where I have been sharing sites that I think are wonderful and inspiring. Today, I am going to take a break from that and share a little of the worst. Don’t worry, I won’t name names.
The other day I was browsing through different blogs and social media sites and I saw one company just giving terrible advice to brides. I mean just terrible, terrible advice. The company claims to have “years of experience” even though their site went up recently. These “experienced” people were recommending using candy sprinkles as a substitute for throwing rice. Has anyone tried holding candy in sweaty palms on a warm summer day? What is going to happen? It is going to melt of course! Then they want you to throw this melting candy at a bride’s white wedding dress? Seriously?
I couldn’t help myself so I looked further down this Facebook page of incompetence and then it got even worse. The page suggested that a bride could save money on helium by making her own! No joke! I am not kidding you! They said a bride could simply use baking soda and vinegar to make helium by inflating the balloon on a bottle where the reaction was taking place. First of all, the reaction produces carbon dioxide (the same gas we exhale) and not helium. Carbon dioxide is not lighter than air and therefore will not float a balloon. Second, even if you discovered a magic vinegar that made helium, how much would you have to buy? Save money? Hardly! Where do they come up with this stuff?
Watch where you get your advice. Of course, most people wouldn’t follow advice as ridiculous as the second example I gave above. However, I could see someone using the candy sprinkles idea and ruining her dress! Beware of DIY and event planner wannabes. That leads me to my next point (Finished with my rant now. Please accept my apologies.)
DIY Can Do You In
Don’t get me wrong. I love DIY projects. DIY projects are wonderful but, DIY tips and advice scare me. The vast majority of DIY tips are pretty good and are a matter of taste. But some of it is pure garbage. Also, there is so much out there that it can be very difficult to coordinate it with your other decor and before you know it you have gotten away from your theme. If you have looked through wedding DIY ideas long enough, I am sure you have seen some tacky stuff yourself. It still helps to have a wedding planner to bounce ideas off of. Avoid being tacky!
Why You Still Need An Event Planner
Honestly, you can save a lot of money by doing things on your own. There are many helpful sites like The Budget Savvy Bride that give sound advice on trimming that budget down. I will do a future post on DIY sites that you can trust for sound advice.
Here are a few reasons to still hire an event planner.
- An event planner has more experience than you do.
- Event planners have connections that you do not!
- Event planners know how to save you money. For example, you may be able to find a venue at an affordable price, but your event planner may have the connections for a better venue at a similar price.
- Most event planners know a lot about DIY advice themselves. They can give you sound advice on what you should and should not do on your own.
My point is this. The right event planner can often save you more money than you pay them. Be sure you don’t DIY yourself to disaster.
What is your opinion on this issue? Any DIY disaster stories out there? Leave you comments below.