wedding planning
Wedding Priorities: Budget Planning
Establishing your wedding budget upfront permits you to stay in control of your wedding guest list and realistically invite the number of guests that you can afford to entertain, which will prevent you from exceeding your wedding budget.
The wedding guest list is one of the leading factors that causes couples to exceed their wedding budget, followed by misallocation of funds, for example, spending too much of your wedding budget on one aspect of your wedding. My advice to you is to let your wedding budget dictate how many people you can invite to your wedding, not the other way around and this starts by taking the time to figure out how much of a wedding you can afford to have and then plan from there.
Failing to establish a wedding budget will cause you unnecessary stress, frustration, and make for an unpleasant wedding planning experience and if you significantly exceed your budget, the aftermath of your wedding can be troublesome for your marriage. However, you can prevent this stress by establishing your wedding budget early on. In this way, you can realistically put things in perspective and make smart decisions when planning your wedding, not ones that are going to unnecessarily put you (or your parents) in debt the first year or couple of years that you are married.
Featured above is a wedding expense chart that I created to provide you with a working guideline of the percentage of your wedding budget to allocate to each component of your wedding. Please note actual percentages may vary for certain aspects. However, the cost of your reception (venue, food, drinks, and the wedding cake) with the cost of flowers and decorations will almost always take up about 50 percent of your total wedding budget, which is influenced by the number of guests you invite to your wedding.
*Originally published January 9, 2011
Read MoreShould Wedding Planners Sign Vendor Contracts?
As a wedding planner, I do not sign vendor contracts on behalf of wedding clients.
When it comes to your wedding vendors, a wedding planner’s job is to assist you with finding suitable vendors for your event. This may include researching and making vendor recommendations, prepping you to ask the right questions when you meet with vendors, and accompanying you to primary vendor meetings, as well as, reviewing vendors’ contracts and negotiating some services (not price) where applicable.
However, as the client, you make the final decision as to which vendors you will hire, not your wedding planner, so it is your responsibility to sign all vendor contracts. In essence, our job wedding planners is to be an advocate for you when dealing with vendors. Once you have determined which vendors you will hire, the majority of us will manage your vendor relations by acting as a liaison between you and your vendors. This includes corresponding with your vendors to arrange, confirm, and finalize your services.
If you are a wedding planner and have been signing vendor contracts on behalf of your clients, please stop immediately. By doing so, you are assuming liability of the respective vendors if they do not deliver the services they were contracted for. Another way to put this in perspective is that just as you have been hired by the client to provide planning services in preparation for and on your client’s wedding day, it is the same for vendors. In other words, wedding vendors will be providing a service to your client, not you and so your clients should always sign vendor contracts.
*Originally published in July 2009
Read MoreFriday Weddings
Photo SourceAre you thinking of hosting a Friday wedding?
I say go for it. In fact, what better way to kick-start the weekend than having an evening wedding on Friday?
Think about it! The majority of people head out with their family and friends on Friday anyway. Therefore, I think it is a more than appropriate day for many people. Say with me, “food, drinks, entertainment, and an evening of laughter and dancing.”
Previously, I discussed the reasons why bridal couples choose to have a Sunday wedding, as well as, some pros and cons. Now, I would like to offer a few suggestions for Friday weddings.
To start with, if you are planning a Friday wedding, I strongly suggest that the start time is no earlier than 7:30 that evening considering it is a workday. In this way, you are giving your wedding guests time to get home from work and get dressed for your special occasion.
Upon stating that, I would also like to suggest that instead of your wedding ceremony starting at 7:30 have your cocktail hour first. There is no rule stating that you must have it after your ceremony or just before your reception.
By hosting your cocktail hour before your wedding ceremony, you allot time for any guests who may be running late to get there in time for the ceremony. In addition, I am confident that your guests will be highly appreciative of being greeted with a signature drink, hors d’ouevres, and entertainment upon arrival.
After the cocktail hour, you can move on to your wedding ceremony. Following, your guests will be invited into the reception area. Please note they should already have their seating cards, which they should have collected during cocktail hour.
Once all guests have been seated at the reception and it is time to introduce the wedding party, I suggest that you go straight into your first dance. Following the first dance, your parents can dive into the welcome speech, and then the blessing of the food and so forth. Happy Planning!
Read MoreSunday Weddings
The most popular day of the week to host a wedding is on Saturday, but there is no rule stating that you must get married on this day. Excluding holiday weekends, you may save some money by choosing a day other than Saturday to host your wedding.
So, what other days are bridal couples hosting their weddings?
Sunday weddings are the next popular wedding day to get married. There are a couple reasons why bridal couples choose to get married on Sunday. The most likely reason is that they have a specific weekend and venue in mind that they wish to get married, but the venue they wish to host their nuptials and celebration may have already an event for Saturday, so the couple opts for Sunday as the alternate day.
Another reason couples may chose Sunday for their wedding is that many wedding venues offer special rates for events hosted on non-competitive days of the week. So, if you are working with a tight budget, choosing a non-competitive day like Sunday to get married is one way to get the best for your money.
One thing to keep in mind about Sunday is that it marks the start of the week for the majority of people, so do not be surprised if your wedding ends earlier than anticipated, especially if it takes place in the evening or if your RSVP count is low because people are unable to attend. The most logical explanation as to why guests leave early is that they have to get ready for work the next day or to get back home to get the kids to bed for school.
If you want your wedding guests to fully enjoy everything you have planned and of course in consideration of your out-of-town guests, I would suggest hosting your Sunday wedding early in the day. For example, you could have a late morning or noon ceremony, followed by a luncheon reception. In this way, out-of-town guests can travel back home late that afternoon or early evening and be back home at a decent time to get ready for work the next day. In addition, you will save more money by having a luncheon reception in lieu of an evening dinner reception.
One last thing to note about Sunday weddings, particularly if you want a church wedding, is that you will be restricted to certain times, considering worship service take place on Sundays. Of course, if your church has multiple services, this is another thing to take into consideration, which poses a challenge for event logistics–setting up your ceremony decoration in between services and having to break it down and clear the area before the next service starts. My suggestion: you will need a team of professionals to work both your wedding locations and equally important, who are great with event logistics.
{Original article published in August 2009 and content has been updated.}
Read MoreWhen to Send Thank You Notes
Today, I wish to discuss the time frame that you should send out “thank you” notes for gifts received at your engagement party, bridal showers, and on the day of your wedding.
For engagement parties and bridal showers, you should send a “thank you” note out within two to three weeks of receiving the gifts. As for wedding gifts, there are three different times that you may receive gifts from people–before your wedding, the wedding day, and after your wedding.
If you receive any wedding gifts before the wedding date, you should immediately send a “thank you” note upon receipt. For wedding gifts received on the actual wedding date, ideally you want to have all “thank you” notes mailed within three months of the wedding. If you receive any wedding gifts after the wedding date, you should send a “thank you” note within two to three weeks of receiving the gift.
Please remember that each “thank you” note must be personalized. The best way to do this is to mention the gift by name in the note, tell the giver how you will use the gift, and sincerely express your appreciation for the gift and their attendance at your wedding (if they attended). Lastly, your “thank you” note must be handwritten. Never send out a generic “thank you” note.
Editor’s Note: Originally published in October 2008 and previously republished in July 2010.
Photo from After College
Read MoreSeating Logistics: Accessibility, Noise Levels + Family Dynamics
When assigning seats for your wedding reception, please take the following into consideration:
- Accessibility – Are there any guests that are physically disabled? If so, assign them to a table that is close to an entrance/exit point. For example, if your grandmother uses a walker to balance, then you do not want to assign her to a table that is on the opposite side of an entrance, nor do you want to place any disabled guests in an area where they may have a difficult time getting around the room or to their assigned table.
- Noise Level – One of the key things I pointed out when I discussed the benefits of creating a floor plan, was that by creating a floor plan you will have a visual of the room’s layout including a designated area to where the band or DJ will be located. Obviously, this is important because you will want to avoid assigning any guests to tables near the band if you suspect they may get annoyed with the noise level of the band, for example, any elderly guests and even guests who may bring their infants.
- Family Dynamics – Simply put, are there any members of your family who have a difficult time getting along or being cordial with each other? If so, please do not seat them with or near each other. Sure your wedding is a time to bring people together, but not at the expense of your wedding day turning sour. Sometimes we like to think people will put their differences aside for such a special occasion, but I can tell you that it does not always work out that way.
{This is a re-post and content has been modified (floor plan layout added today). Originally published on our old blog in June 2009}
Read MoreAre Wedding Menu Cards Necessary?
Photo from Project Weddings
Menu cards are not only a nice touch and a great way to personalize your wedding, but they are extremely helpful at assisting your guests with food allergies to quickly identify foods that may aggravate their allergies, if not cost them a trip to the emergency room.
Even if you are having a buffet-style wedding reception, menu cards are extremely beneficial for this reason—to help guests avoid the foods they are allergic too. Think about it. Traditionally, buffets offer an assortment of food items, including shellfish, creamy pasta dishes, or special sauces, soups, all of which may contain ingredients that aggravate food sensitivities.
Are wedding menu cards necessary?
No. However, it is an extremely nice courtesy to extend to your wedding guests, specifically if you are not allowing them to make menu selections when they RSVP. If cost is a factor, then consider only doing a menu card per guest table in lieu of one at each place setting.
Trust me, menu cards are a hit with guests, especially if you are having a buffet and your wedding guests may not have the slightest idea of how to discern what is in what. Of course, those table menu cards will also get their palates excited as they wait in anticipation for their turn to go through the buffet.
FYI: The most common food allergies that people have are towards cow’s milk, shellfish, nuts, gluten, and soy.
Happy Planning!
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