3 Tips On How To Be A Penny Wise Bride and Not Pound Foolish
What’s the purpose of investing so much time, energy, money, and emotion into one special day . . .
if it isn’t ”to throw the most incredibly fun party for your friends and family?”
“Survey Says…”
What your guests will remember most about your wedding is: “the fun they had at your reception” – and that’s second only to food and drink.
The “noise” in today’s wedding market is so prolific that many brides take their eye off the “Prize,”
that is, for everyone to have fun!
Consider that a wedding is nothing short of a well choreographed ballet requiring the skills, talent and expertise of project minded individuals – but not every bride is an experienced project manager. Now consider the choices coming at you, from all directions, all at once, and changing relentlessly. It’s no wonder some brides get anxious about “the budget.”
Believe me when I tell you: “I’ve seen the road to ‘happily ever after’ and it is strewn with tons of un-eaten broccoli and too many disappointed brides suffering buyer’s remorse. “
Being thrifty and having a “Vision” of a storybook wedding isn’t enough. But don’t worry; you don’t need a business degree to manage your wedding project. There are a few easy things you can do to make everything work to your advantage . . .
The first tip is put everything in perspective based on the impact and importance it has on the end-result. You want the biggest bang for your buck! Right? So, focus your resources on the things that contribute the greatest impact.
Unless you have money to burn, your friends and family won’t really miss (or remember): the overpriced veggie tray with ornately carved fruit creatures; the eccentric artisan cheese platter you provided during cocktail hour; the meticulously folded Bird-of-Paradise napkins perfectly paired with chic tablecloths; the gracefully melting swan ice-sculpture, or even the exotic flowers decorating the seats at your ceremony.
These things are indeed all very nice and Aunt Ethel will certainly praise your keen attention to detail. Remember though, everyone is there to “Eat, Drink and be Merry” so those elements are where your financial attention should be focused.
I’m not saying to omit ice sculptures or anything else – I’m just trying to help you keep it all in perspective.
Case in point: Your DJ is worth more to the success of your wedding than raw broccoli or a block of frozen water that can’t even be added to a Rum & Coke.
When it comes to booking wedding vendors, the typical pecking order is: Church, Reception Venue, Photographer, Caterer, DJ/Band, Cake, Florist, Videographer, etc. Along the way, you are going to be challenged with numerous distractions: Invitations, Dresses, Tuxedos, Honeymoon, Favors, Aisle Runners, Bridesmaid & Groomsmen Gifts, etc. It’s overwhelming and can quickly get out of control.
To help you avoid getting to that point of sheer desperation, where you have an exhausted budget and seemingly never ending expenditures, and you’re resorting to typing “Cheap Wedding DJs” into Google, and now you’re losing weight from all the stress of worrying whether “Tom, Dick & Harry DJ” will even show up, let alone be any good . . .
My second tip is to set reasonable budget expectations for those services you identified as having the greatest contribution to your wedding’s success. It’s all too easy to let minute details ambush and hijack your budget. Before you know it, all those little things quickly add up to hundreds of dollars.
Let me reiterate . . . no one’s saying forego signature details that personalize your wedding and reflect what’s unique about you. By prioritizing and allocating your budget to the “value-rich” services that ensure the WOW-Factor your guests are expecting, all those “details” that truly will enrich the whole experience will become obvious.
To help you set a realistic Wedding Budget check out: Cost of A Wedding. Not only can you get estimates for your overall wedding budget, but you can also refine them specifically to you local area, as well as focus in on individual vendor/service categories.
Keep in mind that “averages” are mathematical calculations that even out the highs and low for a series of numeric data and provide no insight to quality or value provided at that price.
Brides and grooms should always meet with prospective service providers and never select a service based on price alone – which leads me to my final point . . .
Don’t judge a book by its . . . price. Is “average” or “cheap” how you really want your wedding to appear? You deserve the best and you can have it too. You might be surprised what you really can afford when you begin by first focusing your budget’s attention on the things that genuinely make a difference.
You know better than anyone what you can afford and what you are willing to spend. But keep in mind that the old adages that have stood the test of time are often your best advice . . . “If it seems too good to be true then it probably is” and “You get what you pay for.”
A “Cheap DJ” is no bargain if no one has fun at your wedding.
When surveyed after their wedding, nearly 85% of brides wish they budgeted more for their DJ. Your DJ has a far greater impact on the success of your entire wedding celebration than to be simply thought of as someone who plays music for 3 or 4 hours.
Contact Raleigh Event DJ today to learn how you CAN “have your cake and eat it too!” Our wedding experts are ready to help you throw the most incredibly fun wedding party for your friends and family and make the most of your budget.
