There is a quote from an industry leader that I remember hearing and it goes something like this. “People have money to spend on the things they want.” Sounds simple and so true! Weddings are expensive, period. No matter the budget, great or small. It’s a big moment. We have seen a client spend more than $20,000 for flowers. Yet, that same client will hesitate to spend $1500 for a video or photos. Believe me, we have seen it. Is this a “bad” thing. Not at all because this is what they want. It’s important to them. It may not be important to you or me, but it is to them. We have seen people that had a $15,000 wedding budget and spent more than $9,000 for their photography. It just shows where their priority lies.
Extravagant or DIY
We’ve all seen them. That extravagant, over-the top wedding. Where there seemed no expense was spared. We’ve seen the other end of that philosophy. The extremely low-budget wedding where just about everything was “DIY” and it showed. Is one of these weddings “better” than the other? Perhaps a “better” wedding lies somewhere in between? The true answer is yes and it depends.
Prioritize
The best way to actually “budget your wedding is to make a “priority list”. We often see someone looking for a quote for a “wedding on a budget”. What exactly does that mean? It really is an open-ended question. Everyone has a budget. Some small, some large. Saying your on a budget implies that your not spending a large sum of money. Don’t be afraid to say exactly that. When you’re looking for information, the most direct way to receive the most accurate information is to ask a direct question.
You get what you pay for
This might be hard to hear but after spending several years in this industry there is one fact that remains true 99% of the time. No matter what service or item you select this one statement has always remained true. “You get what you pay for” Sure there is that”one-off” situation where you find someone that is just starting-out that is extremely talented and so you find them for a “bargain” price. Just remember, that is an exception not the rule. Saying that you get what you pay for is not a bad thing at all. This actually helps you decide where to spend your hard-earned cash. Remember, this is your wedding day. Once it’s over, it’s over.
Dream Sheet
Simply make a numbered list. List everything you could possibly want for your wedding. Call it your “dream-sheet”. Don’t hold back, put everything you ever dreamed of on this list. Take your time with it. Add to it. Rearrange it as you go along. Number your items from one to whatever you come up with. Do not put a price on each item. Not yet. That comes later. The number one item on your list is the most important item to you, not the most expensive.
Your List
Now that you have your list. Go over it a few times. Make certain you haven’t left anything off and the order of items are from the most important to you to the least important. Next to each item you write the cost. Now is the time to start adding numbers. It really helps to put it all down on paper. It is just that simple.
Be the first to comment