First Things First

The first thing you need to do when you decide to have a DIY wedding is to analyze how much time you have to do this and who is going to help you. If you have as little as one year, one person to help you and a minimum of one meeting sleep over a month you can absolutely achieve what you need to.

The second thing you should do is decide what exactly you want to DIY. What matters to you the most? How tight is your budget? How crafty are you and your friends? If you are having a small wedding perhaps hand writing all of the invites would be a great and personal touch.

When you figure this out make a list of things you want to DIY: at the top put what you really want to do and work your way down. Talk to your helpers and see what you thing is feasible

When you have your list of DIY projects make a timeline of when everything needs to get done:

• Save the Dates
• Invites (plus any inserts-maps, directions, response cards, etc)
  
• Escort Cards
• How to display them
• Favors
• Programs

If you are struggling for inspiration I would visit www.theknot.com and sign up for an account. From this site you will be able to see different people's weddings and use their ideas and also join different forums according to where you are getting married and when you are getting married. The people who join them ask each other questions. It is one of the most helpful things you can do.

For those that are on a budget check www.vistaprint.com They usually have free offers and that might be an option if you want to use business cards for your save the dates. They come out very nice and you usually only have to pay for shipping.