By Paula Clark Ramirez with Historic Mankin Mansion

If you haven’t seen the Netflix Original show “Nailed It”, and you’re planning a DIY wedding project, you really need to set some time aside for a binge-watching session. Inspired by the many “Pinterest Fails” shared by people who tried to emulate what they saw on the popular social media site, “Nailed It” demonstrates what happens when amateurs attempt to do the work of pros.

Armed with great instructions, access to every material used in the original, and the motivation of a $10,000 prize, three contestants attempt to recreate cakes and desserts originally crafted by wedding industry experts. The results are…unappetizing.

While the show is created with humor and entertainment as its goal, it is fundamentally truthful about DIY. Fortunately for the contestants on the show, failure is expected, and the worse they do, the more entertaining the outcome. The same cannot be said of most weddings.

Historic mankin mansion pinterest richmond wedding rogue potential issues
Emily Bartell Photography

There are weddings with special circumstances for which DIY is perfectly appropriate. Many couples feel restless and crafty, and some beautiful décor pieces, favors, and printed goods come out of their desire to create. And certainly, some couples have access to actual professional-level skills! Maybe your aunt is a professional baker, or your mom has enjoyed a 30-year career as a wedding planner. These are special cases and examples of ideal opportunities for DIY contributions.

If you aren’t lucky enough to have a genuine designer, baker, caterer, musician, or planner in the family, hiring professionals to handle your wedding day services is highly recommended. Wedding professionals throughout the industry have a number of advantages over amateur or DIY contributors. Some of these include:

Experience – There is no way to compete with the product, delivery or service of an experienced wedding veteran. Especially when something goes wrong, you want someone who knows how to fix it and who has a treasure trove of tools and resources at his or her fingertips to resolve the issue.

Historic mankin mansion pinterest richmond wedding rogue potential issues
Kathryn Ivy Photography

Insurance – You might not realize it, but many venues require that wedding professionals carry insurance. Often, the policy requirements are in the millions of dollars and can only be satisfied by businesses. Most wedding professionals carry the necessary policies or are familiar with the process of obtaining once-off plans to cover the requirements.

Relationships – What happens if the friend you asked to act as your DJ gets sick or is unable to attend? Will he send a backup with all of the promised equipment? When a wedding pro makes a mistake or finds themselves in a sticky position, they call on their industry colleagues to help so the couple has a seamless and stress-free wedding experience.

Paige Stevens Photography

Time and Labor – Speaking of stress-free, a professional provides the labor needed to set up, manage and break down equipment, set up displays, arrange flowers, and more. Many couples planning DIY services find out the hard way that setting up and breaking down takes a lot longer than they thought.

No doubt some budgets are tight, and there are some parts of wedding planning that couples simply enjoy doing on their own. However, hiring a wedding professional can solve more problems than one can possibly imagine, giving you the kind of wedding day you deserve. Is a “Pinterest Fail” something you can live with on your wedding day? If not, step away from your latest DIY project and call a wonderfully capable wedding professional today!

Paula and Martin Ramirez are the Proprietors of Historic Mankin Mansion Wedding Resort and
Bed & Breakfast. They have lovingly restored this National Landmark to its original grandeur and are honored to share this treasured estate with couples and their families. Feature Image Courtesy of Hunter Henkel Photography.