Your wedding is the most important celebration you will ever
host and every detail must be perfect.
With perfection comes a cost.
Whether it’s the couple, the parents or a combination of both hosting
the party everyone has a budget. As with most projects there can be budget
overruns. You will meet the perfect
photographer who is $1000 more than you budgeted for or the perfect venue that
is $20/person more than you expected.
There will be times when you will have to go to your “plan B” but in
many cases there are creative ways to work with the professionals of your
choice without blowing your budget. Here
are some basic guidelines to follow.
Guest
List
Keep in mind 50% of your total
budget is the reception cost. Decide the number of guest that will fit into
your budget and divide this number by 3.
This is the number of guest each key party, bride’s parent, groom’s
parents and couple, can invite.
Use your guest count wisely
inviting people who mean the most to you and whom you are 90% sure will
attend. This will not only help you stay
on budget it ensures your party is a success because the people attend really
want to support you.
With the guest list and the budget
in hand, ask the venue manager to design a service that will fit your
criterion. Never pick apart the banquet menu, given your requirements let the manager
design a wedding reception. You will be surprised how creative the sales
manager can be.
Services
Once you have identified the
service provider that works best for you once again ask them to design a
service that fits within your budget. No
one likes being told how to do their
job. They much more appreciate the opportunity to be honest about
whether they can do the job within your guidelines.
Remember the purpose for all of this hard work is to celebrate your marriage. This exercise is good practice for developing an attitude of honesty and integrity which are the keys to a long happy marriage. Enjoy planning your wedding but never let it distract you from the preparation for marriage.
