I met Chris earlier this year at a craft fair when he was looking for a gift for his unique new bride Krista. He ended up choosing a magenta and cyan tulle hair accessory with Sworavski pearls and crystals. After Krista left a comment about her DIY wedding, I asked if she would be a guest blogger and share 5 wedding planning tips and also some photos from her masquerade ball themed wedding. So I'll turn it over to Guest Blogger Krista Duran Engler from the design blog Simple Chemistry:
Tip #1: Utilize the Free Skills of Friends
As strange as it may sound, my husband's ex-girlfriend made my wedding dress. I took a lot of Fibers classes in college so I was able to dye the fabric myself and mail it to her to make the dress. She lives in Montana and some how still managed to make it fit me perfectly!
Tip #2: Utilize Your Own Skills
We're both graphic designers so we did our own wedding invites, save the dates and even made a wedding website with an option for guests to RSVP online.
Tip #3: BarterWe were lucky enough to barter services for our photography. We did some graphic design work for our photographer, Timeless by Tam, and she did an engagement photoshoot and shot the wedding.
Tip #4: Do the Grunt Work YourselfWe did things like contact and negotiate with vendors ourselves instead of having a representative from the venue do it (which would have added cost). I did the centerpieces which were vases with clear fill in the bottom and a couple of roses, as well as some candles from IKEA (god bless that store!) and some silver masks. To our surprise, our guests presented us with one mask that they had all signed, and it's my favorite souvenir from our wedding.
Tip #5: Splurge on Something FunThe only thing I really splurged on was my hair and makeup, I just couldn't resist!
Final Tip: Don't Lose Sight of What's ImportantI'm still pretty amazed that we were able to pull the whole thing off. We lost our jobs right after we put a deposit down on the venue so we were stuck and had to pull it off somehow. The best advice I can give is to start early, do your research, don't be afraid to haggle, and (if you can) do it yourself or find someone you know who can do it for you (for free!). Being open to compromise is important too. There were a lot of things I would have loved to have in the wedding but we couldn't justify the cost. In the end, nobody cares whether they ate with a pink plastic fork or a metal fork, they just all remember having a good time with good friends. :)
Get to Know: Krista Duran EnglerI’m an Interactive Designer at Myjive, Inc. I live in beautiful Charlotte, NC with my drummer husband, Chris and our two furrbabies a kitty and a corgi. I also run my own design blog called Simple Chemistry. My favorite band is the Misfits, my second favorite band is The Love Language, the beach is my second home, if I could be any animal I would be a squid, I’m fascinated by space, I love tattoos and naps.
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