"Well this is all very lovely," you say. "But what," you ask, "is Wedding Wednesday?"
Wedding Wednesday was born out of one of my 2013 New Year's resolutions. We all have those, right? Just because I was an English major and miss writing all the time, this year, I resolved to spice it up and blog more about things wholly unrelated to your sessions with me.
I know, it's awesome! I'll just give you guys a moment to let that glorious news sink in. ;)
In all seriousness though, weddings are complicated events to plan. And let's face it: unless you plan weddings for other people for a living, it's not something you know a whole lot about until you're thrown in, all at once. So I thought I'd lend a helping hand to all you brides out there who are, like I was, clueless about how to plan the most awesome party EVER for your 200 closest friends and family.
Thus, the idea for Wedding Wednesday was born. This post right here is the first entry in a series of blog entries I plan to keep up throughout the year. Every other Wednesday, I will be publishing a post dedicated to all things wedding. This inaugural post for Wedding Wednesday is about the very first thing you should do once you've said "yes" -- besides telling everyone, of course!
First things first: set your budget.
Before you even THINK about anything else wedding, set a budget. And no, you can not "ballpark" the budget. Sit down with your future partner for life, your parents, his parents, and anyone else who could possibly be contributing funding to your epic party, and hash out the numbers until you get something you're all comfortable with. Then write down the agreed-upon amount and put it somewhere central, where everyone can see it. Google Drive is a great place for a central spreadsheet / planner with controlled access, and you can also use apps like DropBox to share your budget spreadsheet with those who need it.
Yes, I know that budgeting is not the most fun part of planning a wedding. But trust me, the rest of your planning will be much more fun (and much less painful) if you set this first! Here are some tips and pointers to consider while setting your budget:
- Categorize Expenses
- How much do you want to spend on the photographer and videographer? What about your venue, or your dress and his tux? It's helpful to break down your total amount into budget categories such as food and drink, venue, entertainment, and photography.
- Determine where your priorities are
- Once you have your expenses categorized, you can decide what percentage of the total budget each category will get based on how important each category is to you. If your guests' entertainment is more important to you than the flower arrangements, reallocate that extra money from your decorating budget: hire great DJ and have an open bar instead!
- Don't forget to include taxes and service fees in your budget
- Vendors, like your caterer, typically include service charges, taxes, and other fees in their total cost, but they are not always listed obviously in price quotes. Be sure to include a little cushion in your budget allocations for fees like this.
- DIY is cool
- Taking on the design and creation for some aspects of your wedding, like homemade invitations, is not only a great way to ensure that you stick to your budget -- it's also a great way to inject your own creativity and personality into your wedding. And some good news if you're not one of those "creative" types: Pinterest has a plethora of great DIY ideas and tutorials that are super easy to follow!
- The most striking part of these decorations above, the beautiful white "birch" trees, were DIY. They were made from branches that fell during Hurricane Sandy, trimmed, and spray painted white. In fact, nearly all of the decorating in this gorgeous room was DIY. Neat, huh?
- Expect the unexpected
- It's also wise to set aside some of your budget for unexpected expenses -- there are ALWAYS unexpected expenses, and they add up quickly!
