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Wedding Planning On A Budget

 

Planning a wedding should be the most memorable experience of your life. After all, you are about to begin a new adventure shared with the one you love. Unfortunately, when it comes to planning a wedding unless you have an unlimited budget, it can be a frustrating and overwhelming task.First, you have to determine your budget and then you need to do your best to stay within this amount, which often means cutting corners and eliminating some of the most important elements and features of your day. Weddings are incredibly expensive if you go the traditional route without knowing how to deal with vendors or negotiate on costs.

You deserve the ultimate wedding of your dreams, and with my money saving tips and techniques, I truly believe that you will be able to achieve this.

Step One: Determine Your Budget

To begin, you need to sit down with your partner and determine a reasonable budget. Evaluate your finances and how much you are both comfortable with spending on your wedding. This isn’t the time to determine the costs of each element, it’s just the taking the first step in your wedding planning and deciding, together, what your wedding fund will be. The Pre-Planning Phase is a critical step in ensuring that you are organized and on track.

Many couples overlook this very important step and start planning their wedding without a firm budget in mind. This will make things incredibly difficult when you find yourself out of money and out of time, without the wedding completely planned and ready for your big day. Sit down together and determine a fair budget. You can always adjust the budget later on down the road if needed, but for now, be open with each other, discuss possible numbers until you come to a reasonable budget without leaving you both struggling to pay off a massive debt once you begin your married life together. After all, your wedding is a celebration of your love and the last thing you want to do is venture into a marriage where you are tied down to a debt that will take years to pay off. Consider what your objectives are for the first year of your marriage.

Do you want to put a down payment on a house? Upgrade a home? Take an extended vacation? You will need to thoroughly examine what your budget is going to be while allowing you both the ability to save for your future long after the wedding is over. It’s easy to get excited about your wedding planning and take out huge loans or borrow from friends and family without considering how difficult it may be to pay it back over time.

Consider your friends and family who may be interested in helping with certain aspects of your wedding. Perhaps you have a cousin who is a florist or an aunt who would be more than happy to play piano during your ceremony.

You’d be surprised at just how many costly elements you can eliminate by considering friends and family for certain tasks. Best of all, they will be thrilled that you are involving them in your wedding day!

When considering your budget, keep in mind that the majority of a wedding budget is traditionally spent on the reception. The food, drinks, rentals, and venue that you choose will take up a large portion of your budget, depending on the type of food served, the number of guests and whether you are footing the entire bill or having friends and family cook, bake and help out.

Your wedding apparel will take up an estimated 15% of your budget as well, and your photographer and videographer another 10-15% by traditional pricing. You could opt to have a friend videotape the wedding for you, as well as a friend or family member that you trust, taking your photographs. This will save a lot of money on your wedding, however, be careful in who you choose as you will never be able to capture your wedding again.

If you find that your budget is far too small, start saving every week by deciding to put a specific amount away. You could open a bank account that is used exclusively for your wedding.

Step Two: Pre-Planning Phase

In order to begin planning your wedding, you will both need to discuss what the most important features and aspects of your day will be. Depending on religion or lifestyles, you both may have specific elements that you feel must be included, and these can affect the budget so it‟s critical that you write down the ‘no bargain’ aspects of your wedding that you feel you just can’t do without. If you haven’t yet set a wedding date, this is the time to do so. Consider what time of year you should have your wedding (considering the guests and their vacation time or ability to attend based on work),  as well as whether you are looking to have a wedding locally or away. The most expensive months in which to get married are spring, summer and early fall, as well as the Christmas and Valentines Day holidays. If you have a wedding that takes place in late fall or early winter you will be able to dramatically trim down on costs.

Also, consider the day of the week as this will also have an impact on your venue costs. Weddings that take place during a weekday are usually far more affordable than a weekend wedding, where venues are in demand and more couples are trying to secure locations. Often times, vendors will negotiate on costs if you book during an ‘off day’ because they know they are less likely to fill that spot otherwise. And finally, the time of day also plays a factor in costs. Generally, weddings that take place earlier in the day will cost less than late afternoon, early evening wedding events. Try to be flexible with the date you choose especially if it will help you stretch the budget even further, enabling you to save money or spend it on other elements of your wedding day that you might otherwise not be able to afford.

Here are a few other questions you will need to discuss before moving past the pre-planning phase:

  • How many guests would you like to attend?

Write down all of the friends and family members that are most important to you. (Create your “must attend” list first)

  • What type of venue would you like to be married in?

Would you like an indoor lavish reception, and outdoor garden reception, a smaller intimate reception?

  • What aspect of your wedding day is most important to you both?
  • How many groomsmen, bridesmaids and other wedding party members are you looking to have?
  • Will you have a DJ or a band at your reception? DJ‟s are usually far more affordable than a band.
  • Should your wedding have a specific theme, and if so, what?
  • Will you have a buffet style reception or a sit-down dinner?
  • Will you have an open bar, limited or none at all?
  • Where would you like to go on your honeymoon?

These are just a few of the many questions that you will need to discuss, and while the budget will be affected depending on your choices, you can always trim down as you need to once you begin planning. Book off a weekend where you and your partner can discuss your wedding, away from noise and distraction. Jot down ideas, notes and suggestions that you both have about your wedding preparations and what you believe are most important elements.

This is very necessary if you want to understand one another and ensure that you include the features and aspects that will make your day extra special.

Remember, these are general questions regarding your wedding planning that will give you a good idea as what you and your partner envision as the ‘perfect wedding’. Nothing is written in stone and as you begin to plan your wedding day, you are likely going to end up changing certain features, minimizing some of the unnecessary costs and shaping your wedding day so that it encompasses all of the important elements while weeding out the costly features that aren’t as important.

I have seen countless couples surprised at just how many ideas their partner has for their wedding day. Ladies, don’t discount your partner and it’s likely he has ideas on what he would like to see included just as you do.

It’s important that you keep an open mind and listen to each other. Does one want a lavish reception while the other prefers a simple buffet style feast?

Do your best to communicate now before you start planning your big day so that there are few surprises or disappointments later on. Work out any disagreements and compromise where needed. After all, this is a very special day for you both and you should both be a big part of the planning.

Step Three: Get Organized

The most affordable weddings are one that is well organized, well planned and well thought out. If you start planning your wedding without writing down everything that you need, you may overlook an important element that you will need to squeeze into your budget later on, so it’s important to keep a detailed task list of everything that you need to get organized. If you have Microsoft Excel, you will find that it is exceptionally easy to create task lists as well as keep accurate records of everything from contacts, vendors to your guest list (including their phone numbers, addresses, who has responded to your invitations, etc). You can also use Excel to keep an up to date list of gifts received at your wedding so that you can send out thank you notes later on.

If you are not computer savvy, you can purchase a wedding planner, which is a simple notepad that contains envelopes and pockets for important notes and memos. You can find these at your local stationery shop, or you can simply create one with a binder, paper, tabs, and separators.Whenever you talk to a vendor that you are interested in working with, ask for a business card so that you can add it to your planner for follow up. Make sure that you have phone numbers, and contact details for everyone involved in the planning of your wedding including florists, reception locations, caterers, DJ’s, and photographers.This organizer will also be a great memory book later on, long after your wedding is over! You could also add your wedding CD and photographs to it, creating a scrapbook keepsake.

When I created my wedding planner I added in a ‘Diary’ which allowed me to reflect back later on and share my thoughts and feelings with my friends and family. Later on, when I had my daughter, I intended on handing it over to her so that she could understand how every bride goes through the nerves, the frustration, and the secret fears when planning our wedding.

Refer to your planner frequently and stay up to date on the progress you have made. If you are planning your wedding entirely on your own without the help of a wedding planner, you will find your journal and wedding planning notebook an incredible asset in ensuring that you’ve covered all bases and that you have a handy list of contacts available whenever you need it.

As your wedding day approaches, you will want to create what is referred to as a ‘timeline of events’. This will contain all of the things that you need to have done, in order, prior to your big day. Make sure to confirm with vendors and hired help the time frame of each element of your wedding (including reception shifting over into a dance if you choose to have one), and go over the service requirements with each vendor so that you both understand what is expected.

Things To Remember

Discuss with your videographer and photographer what time of day is best for your photos as well as how long your video will be including what elements you want recording. Be VERY specific in outlining every aspect that you wish to be captured to avoid disappointment or miscommunication later on. Print a copy of your requirements off and hand to each person prior to your wedding day. Discuss with your DJ or band how long you wish for them to be present, including any specific songs or music you want to be played and in what order. Print off a music sheet including all of your requirements and provide to your DJ or band at least two weeks prior to your wedding to ensure that they are able to play this music as well as give them time to ask any questions they may have well before your wedding day. Talk to your caterer to get an idea of how long cocktail hour will be (if you are including this) as well as what time your reception dinner will begin and come to a close. Talk to those transporting you to your wedding and reception to ensure that they are aware of when to expect departure and arrival times, as well as if there are multiple wedding parties being transported in the same vehicle at different times. Make sure you give yourself plenty of time in the event of an unforeseen delay and remember that weddings and receptions often take longer than expected. When creating your Wedding Timeline always add in extra time just to be careful. There are many things that can happen unexpectedly and by allocating a bit of extra time to each function, you will always be able to maintain your schedule.

Ceremony Location

So, you’ve determined the month of your wedding and hopefully a handful of potential dates. The next step is in scouting out locations and seeing what is available as well as the costs. The first step is to decide whether you intend on having the reception and wedding at the same venue, typically if you do, it will cost far less, however depending on the size of your wedding and the available venues, this might not be feasible for you. If you do not have a particular church or wedding venue in mind, consider renting a hall for both your wedding and reception to save money. Open the phone book and write down the local venues that are available, calling each first to determine availability and cost. Hosting your wedding and reception at the same venue also saves time and money by being able to eliminate transportation costs.

Many couples also choose to hold their weddings outside in gardens, beaches or local parks. This can cut down costs considerably, however it’s very important to contact your local town hall to determine any restrictions that may be in place as well as any associated costs or fees. Many couples choose to host their weddings at the homes of relatives, in outdoor gazebos, vineyards and even where you first met. As long as your venue is a place that you both feel connected to and is appropriate for you both, as well as your wedding party (size being a factor), go for it! It doesn’t‟t matter where you have your wedding as long as you are both happy with your decision and you can ensure that it can accommodate your wedding guests. If your ceremony location is too small to include your entire guest list, you can also opt for a private wedding with a fewer number of guests present, and open up your reception site to your entire guest list, so that they can celebrate your wedding with you while allowing you and your partner to have your actual wedding at a site that you both are pleased with. When it comes to your reception keep in mind that certain vendors will charge you for ‘unused space’. This means that if your guest list is 150 and only 100 show up, you still may be required to pay for the remaining 50 seats. Therefore, it’s very important to have a closely estimated number of guests and to discuss with your vendor, prior to reserving the reception site, whether you will be charged for anyone not attending your wedding without prior notice.

The location of the wedding is often debated heavily between couples, and sometimes their family. Often, the couple will want to have their wedding in a non-traditional location while the family of one or both insists that they have it in a church.

It’s a tough decision

On one hand, you want to make your parents happy.  But on the other hand, it’s your wedding. Ultimately it is your decision where to have your wedding. A wedding held on the beach or by a waterfall is no less valid than a wedding held in a church or synagogue. If you want to have an Elvis-inspired wedding in Las Vegas or a Star Trek themed wedding on a mock Enterprise bridge, that’s your choice! And your wedding will still be just as valid as it would have been if it were held right in front of the pearly gates! There are a couple of main considerations when choosing a wedding location. First, you should choose a location that your friends and family will be able to reach. If you live in Florida, asking your friends and family to all fly to Las Vegas with you may be out of the question. If you are willing to have a smaller wedding with fewer of your loved ones, that‟s your choice. But it‟s something to keep in mind. Next, it should be relatively close to the location of the reception. If you are holding your wedding on the beach, you might want to hold the reception there, as well. You might rent a nice location near the beach, or have the reception at a nearby hotel. But asking guests to drive 10 miles away for the reception isn’t going to make anyone very happy.

A wedding is already a long, tiring event. After the wedding, people will probably be tired and hungry. They need to be put into a relaxing, soothing atmosphere quickly and fed! So remember to locate the wedding and the reception close together. A great idea for many couples is to have the wedding at the home of a friend or relative. This makes for a homier wedding, and the reception can be held right on the premises. This is certainly easier logistically, but it can also be very romantic to have a wedding at the home where the bride grew up or the home where the groom’s grandparents said their vows!

Wherever you choose, just be sure it suits you both. This is a day you will never forget, and it should be held in a place that will make you both happy. Don’t worry about what anyone else says. Choose the place that will make YOU happiest.


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