The DIY Dilemma: When to Invest the Effort

The sheer cost of event tchotchkes and knickknacks can be dizzying. It's tempting to think a quick trip to Michael's or Hobby Lobby will solve everything...right? You might assume putting together memorable takeaways with hot glue is a breeze. But the truth is, the effort required is far more than you think – and I'm here to tell you that 'DIY' is anything but an 'Easy' button. The hidden cost of making event souvenirs and decor yourself can creep up quickly and send you into a tailspin. In this installment, I’m going to guide you through some checkpoints to help you determine whether or not to take on the task of doing your decor and / or trinkets by hand. In my opinion the threshold for questioning the feasibility of DIY decor begins at 100, so we’ll be using that number as a reference moving forward. Let’s dive in.

Time

Most people significantly underestimate the amount of time required to make several small trinkets for an event. While DIY’s may look easy and fun online, a video at 2 or 3x speed does not accurately encapsulate the time investment of DIYs. I strongly encourage making a single prototype first, or at minimum visualizing all of the steps involved in making just one of whatever piece you have in mind. In the same way that visualizing the full event day from start to finish helps lay out a more robust timeline, it can help you gauge the complexity of the task and fill in any steps you may have overlooked. Still, I would suggest doubling whatever time you had in mind - just for the sake of Newton’s Law! In that same line of thinking, ask yourself if there’s enough time before the event to complete 100 (or 50, or 250) of whatever it is you’re aiming to make. If you think you’re going to work on it a little every single day, that you’re going to skate by with purchasing exactly the amount you need, or that the process is always going to run as smoothly as the prototype did… you’re lying to yourself.

• There will be days when you’re just too tired or busy.

• There will be days when you realize you bought 5 packs of something instead of 6, and that day of assembly will end abruptly because you need to run to the store.

• You will make the first 25 with precision, and then your brain will short circuit and you’ll want to make numbers 26-48 over again because they’re not uniform in construction.

Things happen, and time is the one thing you cannot fabricate. It is your most precious resource, and should be treated as such.

Help, Consistency, & Integrity

At this point, I know what you’re thinking - “But everyone said they’d help me! If I burn out, my friends and family will be there to pick up the slack!”. Again, while the people around you may have the best of intentions, life gets in the way for everyone. Also, when it comes to enlisting help, paid help is always better than well-intentioned support. If it’s in the budget and you’re adamant about the DIY approach, hire someone to assist. This way, you’re able to negotiate bandwidth up front and mitigate the risk of someone flaking on their responsibilities. Another thing to consider is whether you’re okay with small - or significant - variations in the final product. Whether enlisting help or going it alone, making 100 or more of anything introduces a chance that they won’t all look exactly the same. Be prepared to do some sort of quality check periodically if consistency is important to you.

If you’re still confident that your DIY decor will be made on time and your helpers are going to put in the work to execute your vision, make sure the help extends to transporting your DIY creation(s) to the venue on the day of. Speaking of which, be sure that there’s a plan in place for maintaining the items’ integrity. Aside from having sufficient storage space so they don’t get smashed in a corner until D-day, make a plan for who’s going to get them to the venue and how. Imagine putting in all that hard work only to find out 20% of the giveaways or centerpieces were damaged en route to the event. Find a messenger, man with a van, or several Ubers to transport your potentially fragile items and put your mind at ease.

Last Thoughts - The True Cost of DIY-ing

One last thing many choose to be delusional about is the cost of their hard work. You may think you’re saving money on the staggering cost of small trinkets, decor, and novelty items, but before you claim victory think about the true cost. Otherwise you could end up sharing the same fate as a suburban DIY dad - knee deep in supplies that cost more than the item itself, with the added investment of your own precious time tacked on.

One great alternative to late night glueing, drilling, and painting is hiring a general contractor to bring your vision to life. For larger DIY’s like backdrops and displays, it might be worth it to befriend a handyman who can recreate your vision for a fraction of what some rental companies charge.

Despite all I’ve outlined in this article to heed, there’s nothing wrong with a good DIY project - as long as it follows these few rules of thumb to keep you sane. There’s a section in my digital planner dedicated to whether you should “Rent, Buy, or DIY” that will guide you in practice on your journey to curating your epic experience.

Bottom line: keep the time investment realistic, really crunch the numbers to make sure it’s worth it, and bank on less help than you planned if the help is free.

Until next time!