Have you ever planned your own wedding?
Well, we did! It was fun, exciting, challenging, overwhelming at times, and rewarding all at once.
Here are just a few tips for your DIY wedding:
1. Remember to stay prayerful!
We had prayer warriors around us. We made sure to pray with one another even when times were rough and we did not see eye to eye. We are very different in taste, style, and what we deem as necessary. LOL But planning the wedding really taught us that without prayer and putting our faith in God, all else would fail. Find a supportive couple and/or friend that would pray with you and support you through the process.
2. Organization is key!
It is best to know when things are happening, what is happening, where they are happening, with whom they are happening with! Pay attention to details.
3. Make a Budget and Theme and stick to it!
With weddings, you can see that it is essentially a task made for you to have multiple options! If you cannot find a venue that you’re looking for with a specific price, look into other places or take away from another aspect of the wedding such as food or decorations. Stay disciplined. Sometimes for date night with the fiancé you have to tell them dinner will be cooked and served at home. Also, a theme helps with it all. Ours was Love Jones themed of course. So we were thinking of music, The Black Arts Movement, wine, Black Love, Chicago <3, etc. and it surely came together and helped us stay focused.
4. Ask for support!
You have a village. Use them. Even if it is as little as asking about their knowledge of other resources. Somebody knows somebody who knows someone else who has a service that you are requesting. We asked our bridesmaids (ladies of honor) and groomsmen for support when planning and requesting services. It’s okay to ask for help. No one makes it out here alone. And if you are a couple that automatically receives help (even financially) from others, take it all as a blessing because not every one is afforded that opportunity.
5. Remember to focus on your Marriage!
The wedding should be an appetizer to the main course (Your Marriage) and every anniversaries within seems like desserts or flavor added to the main course. We have heard many stories of people taking out loans and spending thousands or even hundreds of thousands on their wedding. That is such a blessing. And at the same time, that is not everyone else’s experience. Remember that your wedding is your own. You still have to live after that one day. Do not try to impress others just so that you are struggling afterwards
Yes it’s a HUGE task to take on. But with the right partner, staying focused on the main reason of the marriage, and support from your partner will make everything work out! We told ourselves we wanted a big party and having that in mind, we were able to plan accordingly.
If we can do it, you can too. Some folx might have thought our wedding was okay and average, others might have thought it was beautiful! At the end of the day, we thought it was an amazing appetizer as we use our main course to serve God, share His light with others, and continue to live out our purpose with one another.
Some of the Black Owned businesses we supported:
Photography: Kendra Lynece Photography
Videography: OJ (Exclusive Visions LLC)
Catering: Joyce Delights
Photo Booth: Itchy Photo Booth Rental
Cake: Terri’s Cakes
Libations: Brandon Washington
Bridal Shower Venue: Pareik Gallery
Decorations (Hoop bouquets, boutonnieres, center pieces, ): Just Jones, LLC + family
Venue: The Whittier
Hair: The Ladies of Honor (we did it ourselves)
Make-Up: Ashley Tolliver + Ayanna Taylor