Category: Budgeting

3 Biggest Mistakes in Wedding Planning - WHat they are, how to avoid them!

4/30/2018

How to avoid these three big pitfalls in wedding planning!

The most expensive parts of a wedding are often the mistakes you make while planning! We can help you avoid making those wedding planning mistakes. A wedding planner's job is to do three things -

Help keep you calm under pressure. Whether that means helping you through writing your vows, giving advice on how to handle a meddling MIL or nosy aunt, or sewing you into your dress because a seam ripped - your wedding planner will be there for you.
Give you advice... on EVERYTHING. Your wedding planner should be in YOUR corner. They should have your best interest at heart in every decision that's made - from picking the venue to when to cut the cake. They should help you find just the right vendors to help with your day. A great wedding planner has a network of suppliers, vendors, and creative pros who can do pretty much anything the wedding needs!
Be the expert, manage the wedding. Your wedding planner should be the person in the room that manages the day, the vendors, the guests, the parents, the in-laws, the weather, the vendors' needs, the guests' needs... everything. Something isn't what was planned? Run for that wedding coordinator.

The mistakes! WHat they are, how to avoid them.

The most expensive part of planning a wedding is making mistakes! This info will hopefully help you to make great planning decisions!
FIRST - Think about the budget, make it match the vision. We wrote a blog post HERE on how to think about budgeting for a wedding.

You should sit down with each of the financial contributors. Ask them what their most important line items are. Does your mom love calligraphy? Are flowers super important to your fiancee? Make sure you take all the opinions under consideration when you're deciding how to spend the budget. The more you know about the desires of all of the interested parties, the less likely it is that you'll find yourself in conflict.
Come up with a vision. Think about the guest experience (detailed below). Use our blog post to figure out what you should spend in each category.
Do all of this budgeting BEFORE you connect with vendors, start dreaming, or start choosing.
The budget pitfall is having a dream, and not having the budget to execute it. Before you raid Pinterest and get your heart set on orchids, make sure you have the budget set aside to have that vision.
Your guests' expectations are pretty simple. They don't know what they didn't get... just what they did get!

SECOND - Don't let your emotion take over. Leave the stress at the door.

By following the first tip, and sitting down with everyone to get their opinions and desires up front, it will help you avoid stepping into a hornet's nest of emotion when you come across the items that are important to each person.
Something's going to go wrong. I know... That's terrifying. But it will. Nothing's perfect... your wedding day won't be either. Knowing ahead of time that something is not going to go perfectly means that when it does - you won't freak out.
Nobody knows what you planned. When you plan each part of the wedding, know that some things may not be completely as they are in your head. Nobody but you knows that. They just know the awesomeness that did happen!

THIRD - Guest experience is paramount. Your guests will talk about the whole experience for years... whether you do it right, or very wrong!

Think about guest experience when you make decisions and allocate budget. When you pick flowers, colors, linens, and even flatware. Consider how each element will affect that guest experience.
If you spend your budget on items that don't further the goals, it's wasted budget.
Think about each decision and make sure it is budget that goes towards furthering the experiential plan. Here's our take on being a guest at your own wedding.

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How to decide my wedding budget - Some tips - some thoughts on Spending money on weddings.

5/2/2017

19 Comments

Wedding Budgeting 101 - Thoughts from a Colorado Mountain Wedding Planner on Spending Money

Everyone has a budget. Even multi-million dollar events have budgets. You should figure out your budget first. You can find newbie photographers for less than half the price of a seasoned one. Can you afford the one with the experience? We have included an example average budget for three levels of our clients – but keep in mind that your budget could be half of this, or double it! This budget is what our average clients spend on vendors – based on a 100-person wedding guest list. No matter what your budget, making the right choices with your vendors is the way to maximize the money you’re spending so you get the most impactful results for your guests’ experiences. A huge tip for all of the categories – only meet with 2-3 professionals from each category. More than that and you’ll be overwhelmed.

Ok, so that's a great chart to explain wedding budgeting - but how do I apply it to MY wedding you ask? Lets talk through the different elements involved in the chart above -

We'll start with the top. Wedding Planning. Notice that EVEN in the lower budget wedding - we have included wedding planning assistance in there. Why? If the budget is limited, why spend money on a person? My sister will help me through my day, I don't need that! Check out THIS POST on why you should hire a wedding planner. A day-of-coordinator is a misnomer. Most wedding planners offer a wedding coordination service, but typically it's more month-of than day-of. Nobody wants to jump in with no information/involvement to a very emotional, important, stressful day with no history with you, the client, and the team - the vendors.
Next - Venues. Here is a good range for you. If you're getting married in your backyard - you think - ooh, cool. Instead of spending money on my venue - I can scratch that line item! Well, yeah. Sure you can. But where are you going to get napkins, linens, silverware, tables, etc.? What if it rains? Backyard weddings don't have the built-in infrastructure that a venue has. That's some of what you're paying for with a venue. Some of it is location, such as top-of-mountain, beach-focused, amazing views, bragging-rights (think Ritz-Carlton), etc. If a venue has amazing views, amazing service, or amazing ceilings and gorgeous chandeliers… You’ll spend more. Also – think about the venue’s food and beverage requirements when choosing one! You’ll save a bit of cash
Ok, so now we talk food. For the most part – any off-site caterer will be $40-50 at a bare minimum per person for any type of low-level buffet. You’ll need service staff, cooking staff, things like food-display items (chafing dishes) and more. They also set tables, serve and clear tables, and clean up. The cost of all of that is loaded into that My clients typically spend $70-100 per guest for a mid-level experience and $150-250 for a higher-end plated experience. You’re going, Oh no. I have not budgeted that! What do I do? Well, I’ve had some clients jump to simple food options – say have Maggiano’s or a local Italian place do packaged catering – and hire some staffers through me, their planner. Planners have access to all sorts of options. Now you have to make sure your venue is OK with you bringing in outside food, of course! Lots of venues have required catering lists!
Booze. Unless you’re having a dry wedding – You’ve got to think about booze. You have some options here that can wildly affect the budget. Most of my clients plan on their guests having 6-8 drinks across the evening. I know that sounds like a LOT of drinks, but think about this. Your guests have no stake in that drink they got from the bar. It didn’t cost them a thing. They set it down, forget where they put it, and go back to the bar. Several times. That increases the amount they drink! If your venue lets you bring in your own alcohol, over order from a liquor store that lets you return un-opened product. If your venue has a liquor license – you’ll spend more as you have to go through them to buy booze. There are two basic types of bar packages – consumption bar and hourly per-person bar. A consumption bar – they charge you for each drink as it’s poured. An hourly bar they charge you an hourly fee per person. If you have a lot of non-drinking guests you may go for the consumption. If not? Go for the hourly. You can also limit the number of drinks you’ll pay for, the amount you’ll pay for etc before it goes to cash bar and your guests have to pay for their own drinks. I have some clients who host beer and wine and make their guests pay for liquor out-of-pocket. This is a great option if you want to limit the number of hammered guests at your wedding or if your budget is limited.
Photography – WOW is there a range of photography out there. I have seen some terrible photos of very important wedding moments that could have been great if the client had hired the right professional. I always tell my clients that at the end of that big day you have two things left – each other and your photos. Newbie photographers may be your only option if you’re in that lower budget category. Here again is where your planner can possibly help. They may know some up-and-coming photographers that can put out some great content… without costing a fortune. You probably will not find those photographers easily on your own. They haven’t got the SEO rankings on their sites, They don’t have a big portfolio yet. If you’re in the lower range for photography – be aware of one thing… if a photographer has been shooting for a long time and their pricing is below $3000… be wary. Good, experienced, high-quality photographers are typically not below that pricing. Wedding photography is an expensive profession to be in. Most of my highest referred photographers carry $7,000 to $12,000 worth of gear with them on wedding days. Your cousin and her Nikon she got at Best Buy – She truly cannot compare. You can’t charge $1500 per wedding, shoot, edit, and then buy gear that’s worth a damn and make a living. Just keep that in mind.
Flowers – So this is a HUGE variable for so many of our clients. Do you have candles on your tables, or tall, luxury centerpieces? A florist can make a $15 centerpiece, or a $1,500 centerpiece. You have to find your vision, check and re-check to make sure it’s going to fit in your budget. Here’s how we advise you to think about floral. Think about how important this part of the wedding is to you and your fiancée, your mom, and any other decision makers in the planning process. Figure out the maximum you can spend on your flowers. Then sit with a florist or two – but not twelve! Have them give you bids – but give them your budget so they can meet your needs. Tell them what you can spend, give them your vision, and let them advise you how to get as close to that budget as they can. Be prepared to not get your perfect centerpiece if your budget is tight – ask what options they have to get you a similar look at a price that matches your budget. Your average bridal bouquet is going to run about $225-275 from a moderate level florist. Your maids’ bouquets are likely going to run $100-125 and boutonnieres are $15-20 each. Corsages are usually $25-35 each, and these costs don’t usually move much without sacrificing quality for price. The best florists won’t usually change their pricing much on personal flowers.
Wedding Attire – This is another huge variable. Do you spend a couple of hundred dollars renting a dress on Rent The Runway, find a second-hand dress at a consignment shop, or finding a lower quality inexpensive dress at a lower end bridal shop? Are you hunting a designer dress at a sample sale? Are you really after a $3,000 or $7,000 wedding dress that you’ll wear once? Well, it depends on the budget. What does your budget allow for? For the guys – can you afford $1,000 to $4,000 for a custom groom’s suit, or are you getting the groom’s rental free with rental of the groomsmen’s suits at a national rental company like Men’s Warehouse?
Your transportation costs will likely vary depending on your venue. If you’re getting married in a backyard of a gorgeous VRBO property – how much parking is there at the venue? Will you have your guests transport themselves even though you are feeding them booze? Buses and limousines are not cheap – so plan your budget accordingly.
Linens and Rentals – This can vary pretty widely as well. If you are in a backyard – Tents, tables, chairs, and even flatware can really drive up the budget for rentals – even before you find that fancy, sparkly luxury linen that you’re dying for to glam-up the day. This is something we recommend getting the basics covered, and then working through the details of the wedding, and seeing what extra budget you have for upgrades. If you know your budget has room for the upgrades, ask your planner what the best resources are to make the most impactful choices.
Music – This can be one of the most make-or-break vendors for your guests’ experience. Is everyone on the dance floor, letting go and having a blast? Is the DJ able to keep everyone’s attention? Is the band too expensive for you? Ok, but how do you choose a DJ? Find out what your budget is, and do your research if you have a limited budget. I have DJ horror stories because people skimped on this category in order to have a higher budget for another piece. Your lower end DJs are often in the $700-900 range. They tend to have either less experience, lower-grade equipment, or both. We tend to recommend $1000 as a minimum to spend on this piece if music and dancing is important to you. Most bands are going to start around $3,000 and go up to $7,000 or $10,000 depending on how many band members there are, how many hours and tasks they have to perform for.

19 Comments

3 Biggest Mistakes in Wedding Planning - WHat they are, how to avoid them!

How to avoid these three big pitfalls in wedding planning!

The mistakes! WHat they are, how to avoid them.

How to decide my wedding budget - Some tips - some thoughts on Spending money on weddings.

Wedding Budgeting 101 - Thoughts from a Colorado Mountain Wedding Planner on Spending Money

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