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Stretching your wedding budget
Choose a weeknight to get married at your favorite wedding chapel, church or
even destination. Rates are much lower for weekday weddings (and this includes
not only the locatin, but also the vendors rates) and you get to enjoy the weekend
for your honeymoon.
Plan for the Reception When Considering Your Wedding Budget
A typical wedding with fifty guests can cost about $15,000 and that when it has
been budgeted. Fifty percent of your wedding costs will be invested in the reception.
Receptions are where the couple cut their cake, take their first dance and generally
celebrate their nuptials. The venue, food, drinks, music, flowers and photography
are all just facets of the reception. So sit down with your lists and get ready
to mark all the things you absolutely want to have at your wedding and then pay
attention to these rules to trim back the cost.
Don´t Go Overboard
It´s not a good idea to go over your budget or
go into debt in order to pay off your wedding. Beginning a married life together
is a difficult transition as it is, and having a debt because of your wedding
only adds to the financial problems.
Vendors and Budgets
To stick tight to your budget, before you meet with a vendor, get a rough idea
of their price range
and don´t meet with that vendor if you know that
they´re out of your price range. When you do meet
with the vendor, tell them your budget up front so they
can help you pick from options that will stay within
your budget.
Who Pays for What?
Traditionally, here´s who pays for what.
Bride and family pay for church, synagogue, sexton, organist,
etc.; bride´s dress, veil, accessories, and lingerie;
arrangements for church and reception, plus bouquets
and corsages for bridesmaids and flower girls; all wedding
photos and video; bridesmaids´ luncheon; shower;
all all professional services, including food, drink,
decorations, and music; groom´s ring; invitations,
announcements, and wedding programs; and transportation
of bridal party to and from ceremony and reception.
Groom and family pay for marriage license and officiant´s
fee; groom´s outfit; bride´s bouquet and
going-away corsage, boutonnieres for men, and corsages
for mothers and grandmothers; complete honeymoon; the
rehearsal dinner; bachelors´ dinner; and both of
the bride´s rings.
That said, no one really goes by those guidelines anymore.
Many couples pay for some of the wedding themselves,
or figure out the costs and divide it in half, since
it´s not fair for one family to carry the bulk
of the burden.
Saving Money on Alcohol
Want to have something stronger than soft drinks at your wedding but are watching
your pennies? Try one of these approaches:
- If you don´t have to buy your alcohol from
the venue where you´re having your reception,
buy your own---you´ll get it cheaper and be
able to pick out what you want.
- Have a limited bar as opposed to an open bar.
- Cut back on the number of different kinds of liquor
you provide---nix the mixed drinks, have champagne
only for the toasting, and then serve one each of
basic wines (red, white and blush) and one or two
kinds of beer.
The Dress and More
When budgeting for your wedding
attire, be sure to also figure in the following:
shoes, purse, jewelry, lingerie, gloves, headpiece/veil,
and alterations. If you have just $500 to spend for
all, you don´t
want to spend $450 on the gown and have nothing left
for the rest of your getup ; )
Budgeting: Phase II
1) If you are like most people, what you want and what
you can afford are two separate things. Get together
with your fiance and prioritize. Figure out what are
the most important elements of your wedding and put your
money there.
2) You will be amazed at how different your ideas are
from your groom-to-be´s. Get ready for your first
lesson in matrimonial bliss . . .compromise!
3) No matter how much you "do-it-yourself," you
will probably still have to minimize in a couple of areas.
Be prepared for this reality.
Quickie Cost Cutters: Guest List
Looking for places to cut costs?
A good place to start is the guest list---you may
need to face up to the reality of having a so-so
wedding with everyone and his brother invited, or
the wedding you really want with fewer guests. Close
friends and family are usually shoo-ins, but do you
really need to invite all of your dad´s fraternity
brothers from college? Unless your parents are footing
the entire bill, try to keep guests to the ´must-haves.´
Good from the Get-Go
Decide up-front, from the *very*
beginning, who is going to pay for what. Make a huge
master list of everything you´ll need to buy/rent and mark off which things
you´re paying for, what your parents are paying
for, what the groom´s family is buying, etc. There
will also be things that pop up unexpectedly---decide
*now* who is willing to pay for extras. It´s not
always a fun task, but knowing early on who´s paying
for what can eliminate uncomfortable scenes and nasty
arguments later.
Tipping 101
The general guidelines for tipping
are as follows (note that pastors aren´t included):
Caterer or Banquet Manager: about 15% of the reception
bill, or a small gift
Servers: if there is a "service charge"
included in the total on your bill, then there´s
no need to give an additional tip. If a service fee is
not included, figure the tip according to the number
of waiters ($20 per server is about right).
Coat-Room and Restroom Attendants: if they don´t
receive a gratuity (check your bill), you might give
them 50 cents-$1 per guest.
Bartenders: check for a service charge on the liquor
bill. If there isn´t one, you can leave 10% of
the total bill for the bartenders.
Limousine Drivers: If the tip is not covered in the final
bill, tip about 15-20% of the total.
Musicians: optional, but usually about $20-$25 each.
Photographer: optional, but usually about $20-$25.
Hair Stylists & Makeup Artists: tip the same 15-20%
you would if you were getting your hair done on any other
day.
Wedding Budgets
In today´s society...the "ize" have it.
We must prioritize, compromise and sacrifice to have
a successful event that doesn´t break the bank.
Afterall, you want to remember your wedding as a source
of joy, not of debt.
1) Find out who will be paying for your wedding and how
much they can afford. You should establish your
"bottom-line" first.
2) The next step is to fill in a sample budget with "guess-timates." For
example, if your bottom line is $10,000, you would allow
$1,500 for photography, $600 for a dress, $500 for flowers,
$300 for a cake, $300 for stationary, $5000 for reception
etc.
3) Now get actual estimates. Get at least three for each
item and put them on a budget spreadsheet.
4) And now the difficult part! If you are like most people..what
you want and what you can afford are
two separate things. Get together with your fiance and
prioritize. Figure out what are the most important elements
of your wedding and put your money there.
5) You will be amazed at how different your ideas are
from your groom-to-be´s. Get ready for your first
lesson in matrimonial bliss... compromise!
6) Sadly, no matter how much you
"do-it-yourself," you will probably still have
to minimize in a couple of areas. A good place to start
is the guest list. Also, changing the reception from
dinner to a brunch or an evening cocktail party or dessert
reception can take a sizeable chunk off of your reception
total.
Be prepared to have an open mind and be imaginative.
You should still be able to pull off the wedding of your
dreams within a realistic budget!
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