Be Realistic About Your Budget!

This is simple! If your budget is small you can not have a large guest lists. The most expensive part of having a wedding is the reception. You will spend fifty percent of your budget on your reception. The more guests you have the more money you will spend whether you are having heavy hors d’oeuvres (10 to 15 different selections per guest), a buffet, or a three to five course dinner.

It is true that wedding planners have great contacts, excellent negotiation skills, are creative and work to save you money. But, we are not miracle workers. We can not give you a $25,000 wedding for $5,000. In other words, we can not miraclously feed 300 guests, laviously decorate your venues, and arrange for you to have 3 limousines on a $5000 budget.

This is not to say that you can not have a remarkable wedding. You just have to factor everything into your budget (realistically) and go from there. There are two options to consider when deciding on your budget — will the number of guests you want to have determine your budget or will your budget determine the number of guest you will have?

Most people fall into the later category. We can not stress this enough, before you purchase anything or make decisions concerning your wedding (i.e. guest lists), it is a necessity to determine your budget, what you can afford to have, and to hire a wedding professional if you are not too sure about the average cost of having a wedding. A wedding professional can advise you on the average costs of having a wedding in your area, help you create a realistic budget and stick to it, work to save you money, and protect your wedding investment.