Your Wedding Plan, Your Wedding Budget and Getting Organized |
| Wedding Loco Help for your wedding! Advice, products and hand holding! |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
Every bride needs a plan for her wedding. A date, a time, a place a wedding concept and a budget.
This means you need some form of organization. An organized bride is a lot less stressed than a
disorganized bride.
out and hire the service. You also need to know how much they are willing to spend for that service.
Some families will contribute a certain amount of money for the wedding fund to be used as the
couple wants. Other families will pick up the alcohol at the reception, or the DJ or another service.
As a couple, you also need to know your costs in the wedding.
You will need to meet with the family if they are paying for all or part of the wedding and get their input
as well as the amount of money being spent BEFORE you go out and sign contracts. This will avoid
a lot of nasty confrontation and unmet expectations.
Once you have your budget in place, its time for the plan. This is where you firm up the date,
ceremony site and wedding reception location. That is the bones of the wedding. From there, its
time for the dresses, the theme, the colors, the food, the music, the flowers, the photographer, the
invitations. Then its on to the details, the centerpieces, the favors, the tuxes, the hairdo, all the other
details that follow.
We suggest you download wedding planning software. Its available for free or you can buy it just by
Googling wedding planning software. They'll help you get organized, set up your budget, plan your
guest list and keep track of RSVP's, wedding gifts and every detail you'll need to be organized.
Here is the basics to wedding planning in the order they should be followed.
Set the wedding date, and discuss the ceremony location and possible reception sites.
Set the budget. The budget determines your plan.
Start making your guest list so you have an idea of a head count.
Firm up the reception location and time and start planning your menu.
Shop for your dress and the maids dresses. Pick your colors and theme.
Interview photographers, DJ's and florists.
Hire your photographer, DJ and florist.
Pick out tuxes with your fiance.
Shop for your wedding cake and invitations.
Book your wedding cake and order your invitations.
Start planning your honeymoon. If you need a passport, apply with your fiance as soon in advance as
you can.
Meet with your florist to pick out flowers, decide on centerpieces and the general look you want
for your wedding ceremony and reception.
Meet with your photographer about shots you want at the wedding and reception.
Decide on favors.
Plan your wedding hairstyle.
Write your invitations and send them out.
Keep count of the RSVP's and notify your caterer by the date requested.
Arrange your dress fittings and alterations at least a month in advance.
Contact all your vendors to keep them in the loop as to your wedding details. If anything is changed,
notify them IMMEDIATELY.
Have a practice hairdo session with your stylist.
Plan your honeymoon trousseau and start assembling clothes for both you and your fiance.
Assemble your favors, centerpieces or anything else you need for your decor.
Take a deep breath, it will all come together!
Weddings cost money. It’s a fact of life, but you CAN save money on
your wedding and still have your dream wedding.
The weddings you see in the bridal magazines are featured to dazzle and entice you. These
weddings are NOT your typical wedding, nor are they realistic for the majority of engaged couples.
They feature very wealthy people, having expensive weddings. Or, they are a designers inspiration
showing what is possible and done only for photographs in the magazine.
The marriage should be your focus, not the party. The party is secondary.
Set a budget and be realistic. You need to know what the cost of food, music, flowers, invitations etc.
will cost in your area and you need to be prepared to pay for the services. If you save money in one
category, roll the money into another category.
Cut items you don’t really need. Set your priorities.
Ask yourself the following crucial questions to determine what you can cut from your budget without
sacrificing the look and the mood you want:
• Do I need a couture wedding dress, or can I be just as happy with a quality gown from a lesser know
designer? There are some amazing dresses that are affordable.
• Do I need favors?
• Do I need elaborate invitations? Will I be happy with a basic invitation? Do I have the ability to make
my own? Am I willing to dedicate the considerable amount of time to taking on that task?
Do we need to send save the date cards or can we make an online card and send it out to our family
and friends?
• Do I need a sit down dinner? Will I be as happy with a buffet (which is always less money)? Do I
need to serve dinner or can we serve finger foods?
• Do I need an open bar? Can I have a champagne fountain instead? Or can I have bottles of wine
placed on each table? What about spiked punch? Do I need to serve alcoholic drinks at all? Please
note: a cash bar is a social no no! Serve NO alcohol rather than asking your guests to pay for their
drinks.
• Do I need a live band? Will I be as happy with a good DJ?
• Do I really need to spend thousands on a photographer? Can I get a smaller package from a good
photographer? Will the photographer give me the negatives or memory disc and give up copyright
rights so we can have any photos we want reprinted?
• Do I need a videographer or can I depend on a family member of a friend to take my video?
• Do I need expensive centerpieces and flowers at the church and reception? Can I make do with
potted fresh plants or cut flowers?
• Do I need to rent the bridal arch?
• Do I need chair covers?
• Do I need a desert bar or can we just serve wedding cake?
• Do I need a candy buffet?
• Do I need an elaborate wedding cake like the ones in the bridal magazines or can I go to my local
bakery and be as happy with their creations?
Simple money saving idea: Have your wedding on a Friday or Sunday night. Most reception halls are
not booked for weddings on a Friday or Sundays. They discount prices on their off nights. Saturday
night is the most expensive night. They need to keep their staff working, so they are willing to work on
prices.
Getting Organized Make a list of your wedding priorities. Invest in a wedding planner book or software. Don't put the cart before the horse. You need the budget in place BEFORE you shop. Don't drive yourself crazy with favors and centerpieces before you have your theme and colors in place. Down load and use wedding planning software. Plan and stick to a budget. When you save money in one category, roll the funds into another category for upgrades you really want. If your parents are paying for your wedding, discuss finances with them and keep them in the spending loop and keep within the budget. Misunderstandings cause a lot of stress. If you and your fiance are paying for your wedding, keep your budget up to date. Make sure you are both in agreement with how the money is being spent. |
Planning a Wedding During Tough Economic Times
Planning a wedding during hard economic times presents challenges for the couple trying to host
their wedding. It can be done with careful planning and some work.
Money is tight for everyone, including your wedding vendors. Its hard economic times for everyone.
You may be able to score a good deal from vendors looking to keep their employees working during
slow economic times. Do not hesitate to ask your vendors if this is their best price. All they can say is
no.
Have the wedding you can afford! If you cannot afford a big fairytale wedding, scale it down until it
becomes affordable. If you just have to have a fairytale wedding, give the illusion without the expense.
Consider having your wedding on a day other than Saturday. Friday or Sunday weddings are still on a
weekend, but a lot less expensive since halls and venues book up on a Saturday at a premium price.
Budget, and budget realistically for your wedding. Stay within budget without going over and do not
go into debt for your wedding Do not get talked into taking out a loan for your wedding. If you save
money in one category, roll the extra money into a category that matters to you. For example, if you
save money on invitations, take the savings and put it towards the reception or your wedding dress.
Keep the guest list manageable. The more guests you invite, the more you will spend. Prune the
guest list until you come up with a guest list that is affordable.
Cut the frills out of the wedding. You can cut chair covers, expensive favors and engraved invitations.
You can buy or make inexpensive favors and use regular printing on invitations to save you money.
You will have the same look at less expense. Cut the desert bar, the appetizers and the champagne
fountain from the reception. Use the wedding cake for desert, serve chips and pretzels to your guests
before the dinner is served.
An open bar because alcohol will eat up a lot of your wedding budget. A cash bar is tacky and your
guests should not have to pay for anything at your reception. Instead, serve beer out of a keg or put
bottles of good but inexpensive wine at the tables. You can have a spiked punch for your guests if
you just have to serve alcohol.
Consider self catering your reception. Self catering does not mean you have to cook yourself. Grocery
stores and restaurants sell cooked chicken in bulk. You can find stores that sell in bulk quantity for
large groups and purchase the precooked food there. Hire some of the lunch ladies from the local
school to heat it up and serve it if your reception hall has a kitchen. Party rental stores rent the
serving trays and covers. Buy paper plates, glasses and dinner ware in bulk and you have a decent
dinner at a fraction of the price of hiring a caterer. This involves some work and cooperation from
family members, but it can be done. You do not need to serve three meats, most guests are just
happy to have something to eat. Consider a menu of chicken with a rigatoni, cheesy potato
casserole, green beans, salad and dinner rolls. Good, filling, easy and inexpensive.
Shop for your wedding dress during the slow months of October, November and December. Bridal
salons have the best sales during this time of year because manufacturers discontinue styles and
next years new merchandise is arriving. The salons need to clear their racks. You can find a dress
for hundreds of dollars less than you would normally pay. Do not be afraid to tell them your budget or
ask them if this is the best price they would accept. They may throw in some freebies to get your
sale. Ask them nicely if you pay cash will they give you a free veil or tiara. You may be pleasantly
surprised.
Considering renting reception centerpieces and decorations. You can sometimes rent for less
money than making them yourself. If you decide to make them yourself, make sure you have the
skills and time to finish them. You can also decorate with live green plants instead of expensive floral
arrangements. Some florists will rent them to you and set them up. Or buy them from a greenhouse
and use them in your new home.
Save money on your invitations by surfing the internet. It is sometimes less costly to buy them online
rather than printing them yourself. The simpler the invitation, the less the cost. Have your reception
printed as a footnote instead of having reception cards. Remember to budget for postage on both the
invitation and the response cards. Bows, oversize cards and other enclosures will increase the price
of postage.
Hire the best photographer you can afford. Wedding pictures are priceless and irreplaceable. Buy a
less expensive package or ask if you can upgrade after the wedding to purchase additional pictures
when funds are available. Fewer quality pictures are better than hundreds of off center or blurred
photos.
Save for the wedding by forgoing Starbucks, eating out and going to the movies. Make your coffee at
home, pack your lunch for work, eat dinner at home and rent a movie. The savings will add up and
you will have bonus money to add to your wedding budget.
Use your skills, imagination and budget carefully and you will have a lovely wedding that is affordable
during these hard economic times.