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Do-It-Yourself wedding planning has become the hottest trend around, but it's not without its potential problems and cake-tastrophies. Here are five common mistakes DIYers encounter.
1. Making your own wedding cake.
The best cakes are finished within 24 hours of the wedding. The bride is going to be busy then.
2. Not hiring a professional DJ to run your music.
Even though it's your favorite list of songs, you don't know when people will be up and dancing and when it's more appropriate to play a slow ballad. Nothing kills a party faster than switching to slow music when the dance floor is full.
See more: 25 Ways to Personalize Your Wedding Ceremony
3. Thinking you can do a better job on your own hair and makeup than a professional.
It doesn't matter how talented you are, on your wedding day, you'll struggle. If you have a friend who is a professional who will commit, that's fine. But otherwise, talk to a salon.
4. Planning to make your own wedding bouquets.
Unless you're using silk flowers and can make the bouquets a month ahead, don't plan to have time to make your bouquets the day before or the day of your wedding when you have actual events.
5. Thinking you can run things on the wedding day.
Though it's not a DIY project, many brides think they can be their own DIY wedding coordinator — but it's not a good idea. The bride needs to be the "guest of honor" rather than the hostess on her wedding day. Somebody else needs to tell everybody when to walk down the aisle and prompt the DJ when it's time for special events.
Owner of Weddings in Vieques, a destination-wedding planning company off the coast of Puerto Rico, Sandy Malone has helped countless couples plan their big day since 2007.