All The Live Long Day: My DIY-Wedding Rules

Marco and I were married on 21 August 2010. We wanted a fun wedding that was going to make our guests feel it was their special day as well as ours, and we had a budget to stick to. I enjoy crafting, so there was to be some element of DIY involved. I pretty much designed, planned and organized this wedding by myself. Heck, I even went suit shopping with my husband-to-be. His idea, he asked me to!

It took the better part of a year to research, collect ideas, and put it all together. In hindsight I established some rules that would have helped me immensely if I had stuck to them from the beginning!

DON'T BE INTIMIDATED. Don't let yourself be scared by "wedding porn". All the glossy magazines and all the amazing blog posts with their high end photography can start to make you think that your do is not going to be as good as that lush tea party/barnyard wedding/lakeside soiree. But it will be! Everybody will love the thought and care that you have put into the day! And your wedding is not about having unlimited resources or impeccable style, it is ALL about your individuality and the love between you and your partner!

THE INTERNET IS YOUR BEST FRIEND. The internet provides access to an abundance of free DIY tips, inexpensive party ideas, and craft suppliers with fair prices. And there is a good group of people who have already gone through getting engaged, planning a wedding and surviving the day without breaking the bank and who are happy to share their experience. Sign up to vendor's newsletters for special offers, start following blogs and use Google like your life depends on it.

LEARN TO LET GO. Reading wedding magazines and blogs gave me so much inspiration and I initially had way too many projects. In the end, I learned to make concessions and realized what was really important to us and what could be omitted without being missed on the day. I wanted to bake more cakes for the sweet buffet, but could not find the time, but we still had so many leftovers at the end of the day... I wanted to do my own hair, but it was nice to have the stylist primp me the morning of... I wanted to make paper pompoms to hang from the ceiling, but all-in-all, the venue looked lovely without them... I was going to hand-embroider all the place cards, but realized that people would probably not keep them after the party and printed them instead, which saved so much time… .

MAKE A TO-DO LIST. Nothing is more satisfying than crossing off items one by one as you go through your preparations. Plus, it was handy to have a masterplan taped to the wall that I could add new tasks to in order not to forget a thing. Also, make a timed overview of your projects and stick to it. This will help you see what you can accomplish - and what not

DELEGATE. Even if you think you know best and want something done to your exact specifications (My name is Annika and I am a control freak...), you might be surprised at how well people are able to follow your instructions. Let your spouse help you if they offer (and make them help if they don't!), because they do not like to see you stressing plus, it's their wedding, too! Call those friends that offered a hand and remind them of their offer! Even if they are not particularly crafty themselves, they will be able to fold invitations, tie ribbons, pack favours or just make you a cup of tea. Find people to help you on the day, like with reminding bar staff to serve the wine, making announcements about the program, tipping the DJ, and calling cabs to take people home.

SPEND TIME WITH YOUR PARTNER. On the day, make sure that you spend as much time as possible with your new husband or wife. You will want to talk to all your guests and there may be things that still may need organizing there and then, but this is the day that celebrates your love for each other. I was a little sad when I realized at the end of our night that I had hardly been near my husband all day. So, kiss and hug loads and don't let go of each others hands if at all possible.