Budget Reality Check!!!

Dear Brides and Grooms,

I hope you are all doing fabulous!

I know there are many tools out there to help you set your budget, but are they correct? My take on it is that it really takes having a professional wedding consultant on your side who knows the area you are planning to have your wedding in, and understands the industry averages for things in that area so that they can help you plan out a budget that is just right for your needs.

Since I'm a specialist at California weddings, I'd like to impart some basic budget starting ranges for a wedding of 100 guests to help you get a peek into what things really cost now in our market. I'm also going to impart one cost saving piece of advice per category to help you if you are on a tight budget.

Venue - $6,000-$10,000 and up - Tip: Pick a venue that is all-inclusive, meaning it has a kitchen with a caterer on site that can handle your food and beverages, and has tables and chairs you don't mind using.

Catering - $15,000 and up - Tip: It's all about the ingredients, choose reasonable ingredients like short ribs vs. filet mignon. Also, choose the best service style to reduce labor costs which is typically a buffet.

Officiant - $600-1,500 and up - Tip: If you have a professional wedding consultant, often times they can run your rehearsal without the officiant there (officiants suggest this), and this can save you from having to spend on paying the officiant to come to the rehearsal AND the wedding day.

Floral Design - $4,500 and up - Tip: It's all about the creativity. Find a floral designer who has a lot of different containers for you to rent, and is open to floral design plus non-floral design elements to give you bang for you buck without breaking the bank.

Photography - $5,000-15,000 and up - Tip: Ask your wedding consultant to help you formulate your timeline so that all of your important activities are up front so that you don't have to pay your photographer to be at the wedding until the very end of the night.

Videography - $5,000-15,000 and up - Tip: Same thing as photography!

Hair and Makeup - $600-1,500 and up - Tip: Go with who you love. This is your one special day. Look at the value of looking your best on the wedding day, and in your photos and video which will last forever and try not to get hung up on the costs. They are fair.

Live Musicians - $300 per hour and up - Tip: You don't have to have the whole string quartet! Sometimes you can do with a duo, or trio instead to save costs.

DJ - $1,800-3,500 and up - Headache Saving Tip: You get what you pay for, so be sure that you choose this vendor wisely with your professional wedding consultant's guidance! They can make or break your event! Don't just hire any old guy cause he's cheap! That's like handing someone you don't know well a microphone and giving them permission to say anything they want at your one special wedding day! No no no!!!! There are good DJs on both ends of this price spectrum. Don't try to save costs by cutting out things like having them do sound support during the ceremony, you'll be sorry if you don't have that and you need it. And please don't do an iPod wedding, it's all bad!!!

Bands - $5,000 and up - Headache Saving Tip: Choose a band that has worked the venue before, or has done tons of weddings, has ample sound support and sound support flexibility, understands that they won't be drinking alcohol at your wedding, has a designated Master of Ceremonies to make annoucements, and can DJ their breaks so that the dancing doesn't die when they take one of their two or three 20 minute break sessions throughout the evening. If you must use a band that doesn't have these qualifications, at least get in writing how they will dress, that they won't drink alcohol, and hire a professional wedding DJ to accompany them and provide flexible sound support and MC'ing capabilities. It'll be a mess if you don't.

Rentals - $Toooo variable!!!! - Tips: Upgrade the linens (Polys $18 and up each, Mid range $28 and up, High end $39 and up per linen)! It makes the biggest impact on a budget. If you have a professional wedding consultant ask them if they have any specials or offers through their preferred rental companies to pass along to help lessen the blow of this cost, I know here at NLWED we do!

Transportation - $Toooo variable!!! - Headache Saving Tip: Don't just hire who is cheapest, hire who your consultant tells you works with weddings all of the time and knows how to treat such an event. The limo company you use at your work for airport transfers is the wrong choice unless it's one of the few that works weddings also.

Invitations and Paper Goods - $2.50 per invitation to $25 per invitation and up - Tip: If you are on a tight budget, don't feel like you can't have pretty stationery, look at websites like http://www.weddingpaperdivas.com/ . Then work with a custom stationery place like http://www.marizette.com/ to match up table numbers, escort cards, menus, programs, etc...

Lighting, Draping, Rigging - $1,500 to $5,000 and up - Tip: Do a minimum of adding uplights around your room to wash the walls with color. Make sure you choose a lighting company that includes the cost of a technician staying on site to monitor the lights they install in case you need them lowered, or the color changed for different stages of the night. Lighting and Linens, the two L's everyone forgets about, makes a world of difference!

Desserts - $600 to $1,500 and up - Tip: If you have fondant taste and a buttercream budget, make sure your wedding consultant suggests you to a wedding cake designer who is skilled in icing wedding cakes with buttercream so smooth that you have to take a second look to see if it isn't fondant=) Skip the labor intensive and expensive sugar florals for fresh ones.

And Nicole's #1 cost-saving tip of the day is...HIRE A WEDDING CONSULTANT, SET A REALISTIC BUDGET FOR YOUR WEDDING BASED ON YOUR NEEDS, VISIT THE WEDDING PROFESSIONALS YOUR CONSULTANT REFERS TO YOU BECAUSE THEY WILL BE MORE WILLING TO HELP YOU WITH BUDGET ISSUES SINCE YOU ARE A REFERRAL FROM A REPEAT CUSTOMER OF THEIRS (YOUR WEDDING CONSULTANT), DON'T VISIT 100 OF EACH TYPE OF WEDDING PROFESSIONAL IT'S RUDE AND IT WASTES THEIR TIME, KEEP IT TO 2-3 PER CATEGORY, TRUST YOUR WEDDING PROFESSIONALS TO UTILIZE YOUR BUDGET IN THE MOST VALUE WAY POSSIBLE GIVING YOU THE MOST BANG FOR YOUR BUCK. IF YOU KNEW HOW TO DO IT YOU WOULD, BUT YOU DON'T, SO TRUST THE WEDDING PROFESSIONALS YOU HIRE, DON'T PUT A LOT OF RETRAINTS ON THEM ALONG WITH YOUR TIGHT BUDGET.

Sorry for the CAPS, but I'm feeling strongly about this advice.

I wish you all the best.

Much love,

Nicole