DIY vs. Buying - Does it always work out cheaper?

I don't think it's ALWAYS cheaper, however, I would argue that with coupons and sale items, MOST things can be done cheaper... YES these projects do require a lot of time, however, I think it is more rewarding and quite frankly, most people who are "crafty" would probably argue that they enjoy doing these projects... Secondly, so far as time is concerned, I would say that it's not like my time is costing me money.. I'm not losing work from my paid job to be working on DIY projects, so I'd might as well just DIM! IMO...

I made my own card box for $2.50. All I had to do was buy the wrapping paper since I had boxes at home.

I made my own centerpieces and saved about $300 doing it that way. I had someone swing my the venue to pic up the vases the next day, and the branches and stuff were just trashed.

I made my own bouquets and paid $300 vs the $1200 quotes that I got from florists plus I dont have to pay to preserve since its silk!!

You can save some serious money doing DIY if you know what your doing, shop around for the best deals, and dont mess up too much It is more labor intensive but if your on a tight budget its worth it...

It really depends. I think there are different types of "DIY."

People who choose to make things on their own to save money will choose ways to do it themselves that will save them money. Since money is the issue, they aren't going to buy the extremely high quality materials, which will usually be more expensive.

Then there are people who choose to make things on their own because they have a very particular creative vision for their wedding and want to create the decorations or whatever to their own liking. They don't want to limit themselves to what a vendor may offer or what they can find pre-made in a store or online. People who have those very particular visions might spend more for higher quality materials than someone who is just "DIYing" to save money. When all is said and done, it may not necessarily be cheaper but they got exactly what they want.

Of course there are times where those 2 situations overlap and both apply.

The other thing to consider is if you like doing it yourself. Personally I like doing things myself and I can so they come out exactly how I want. But if you hate taking the time to make things and it will stress you out, it's worth it to pay for it.

For my centerpieces I'm reusing the flowers in my house and we plan to try to sell the vases and other decorations. So for centerpieces you could get like half your money back.

No, you don’t always save money. Im only doing DIY's for things that I was customized.

That being said i am DIYing my cake (I do make wedding cakes for a living) and Im saving a lot of money on that.

We decided we wanted fancy custom-designed invitations but did not want to pay a lot of money. So I decided we could DIY. After shipping and printing and heart-ache I will tell you that I did not end up saving much money (about $0.50-1.50 per invite saved) but added loads of stress. Although they were beautiful invitations and we got tons of compliments on them if I had known better I would have just paid someone else to make them. I have many skills, but DIY is not one of them.

Cavan, that is a good point as well. A lot of times people see something that is really nice and think that they can save money by doing it themselves however still want to retain the same level of quality. After all is said and done, in the end it might save you a little money but then it is a question of whether that little bit of extra money was worth the time and effort (and sweat and tears). For the penny pincher bride it may be worth it, but for someone with a friendlier or flexible budget, a lot of times it's not.

Heck, no! If you don't know what you're doing, you may either buy the supplies 2-3x or buy the supplies and then have to buy the manufactured item anyway. I think the key is knowing your limits.

Haven't ready any post so Idk if this has already been said, but I think you benefit from DIY projects if you know what you are doing. Otherwise, you end up with something ugly you made and now have to spend more money actually buying it. This is from experience. I learned my lesson the first time and bought everything I needed from that day forward.

I'm actually wondering the same thing ...

Of course you have to know what you're doing but you can definitely save money and only you know what you want and have it your way. That's something that you cannot get if you were to have someone else do it. You can oversee it from start to finish, plus the satisfaction of knowing you did it yourself. For me that's most important feature. The colors are exactly what I want, things are put together exactly the way I want..... it won't be "that will do, I guess". Or I go to pick something and then it will be too late to change it, because the color is slightly off, or they didn't have enough of an item to put in the centerpieces - cuz something can and will go wrong - this way it's my fault.

You guys are giving me really good talk in here! I like this!

I am all for DIY'ing if you know what you are doing. My aunt is a master craftsperson. She has a whole room dedicated to it in her house. I'm just ok. lol So, I will be relying on her to steer me in the right direction. She will make the decision on whether we buy or DIY...

I am one of those people that is not crafty. I'm also a perfectionist. So DIY is not an option for me. I will sweat and bleed and cry over every little detail and will not be satisfied. I will only DIY if there is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING available that will satisfy my vision. * I will therefore spend more money making and re-making my project.

Otherwise, I will find something I like or something I can't live without and purchase it. The path of least resistance is the best thing for me.

@Rachel - I am also a perfectionist of sorts. I will be mad if my project didn't come out right. If Aunty can't do it...it's gonna be purchased

Everyone made great points.

I was a DIY bride because of both allergies(my flowers and centerpieces) and because I wanted those special touches that made the day ours. I saved tons of money on my projects because I only shop on sale with a coupon and I only travel to buy the stuff when I am in that direction any way. I also began one year in advance, so I took my time. What did I do with the stuff? I gave it to guests and some is for resale.

Now for my daughter's wedding, I am paying for her day of attire and the extras. I will be hiring the pros for most of the extras because I am not naturally crafty. Doing my stuff was an effort. I fought with the glue gun and frankly my stuff was fine for our venue, but wouldn't fit in with her venue.