Happy Thursday Tips day! :) Something that the bride from yesterday’s wedding mentioned in her interview answers really struck a chord for me. It’s something that I’m always talking about, but I felt like it deserved a Thursday Tips all on its own. :) So what is it exactly? It’s determining what’s most important to you for your wedding, and making sure that your budget reflects that.
[A favorite image from yesterday’s wedding by Caroline & Evan Photography]
It’s a simple concept really, but you might feel like you HAVE to stick to the exact recommendations of budget guidelines that websites and books give you. Well, I’m telling you that you have permission to NOT follow those guidelines to the T! Really, it’s okay! Take the recommendations as what they are (guidelines) so you can know what kinds of prices to expect for things, and then adjust, adjust, adjust! [Note: But sometimes even the recommendations aren’t very good guidelines. Don’t fret- an ELD budget worksheet is coming soon!]
All you have to do is choose the one or two things that are the MOST important to you for your wedding. It could be photography (which is the common choice), it could be food, entertainment, drinks, whatever- everyone has different priorities, so there is no right or wrong answer. Then take those one or two things, and pull from other areas of your budget that aren’t quite so important to you. (Here’s a hint: Sometimes wedding budget worksheets allot money to things that you won’t need, depending on who is paying for your wedding, what type of wedding you’re having, or where you are at it your wedding planning process.)
[Photo by ELV Photographer Avant Images]
So let’s go over the options for what you can choose from (in no particular order):
Yes, there are LOTS of options to choose from! Krystal, the bride from the wedding yesterday? Her most important things were photography and making sure everything was taken care of, so she splurged on those two things- photography and a planner. (I always say if you have an awesome photographer, it doesn’t matter how budget the rest of your wedding is- they can still make it look awesome in photos!) Me? My most important things were incredibly hard to choose, because I wanted EVERYTHING to be awesome. But ultimately it came down to the photography and the decor for me- my problem was that I just didn’t quite know HOW to choose the right vendors to use my money wisely (that’s another post).
So what’s most important to YOU? What are you choosing to focus a little more of your budget on? Share it in the comments, because I want to know what things are the most important to all of you!
Lauren
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so many brides need to remember what”s important to them so they can focus their energies/monies into what makes them happy.
I just love those beautiful bouquets!
i also think it it critical for brides to remember to stay true to themselves. The rest falls into place if you follow your heart.
Photography and making sure the guests had fun was at the top of my list.
Such truth in those words, it’s your day xox
love those flowers! and great advice too.
Such great advice, lauren! It’s true…every bride has to decide what is most important to her, and no bride is the same. :)
I’m really glad you mentioned those “budget guidelines”–one of the first things I did when planning my wedding was look up a sample budget. I used the percentage suggestions to draw up our initial budget–that may have been the last time I actually looked at that spreadsheet. From then on out, I allotted money to exactly what you suggested–those things that were most important to me. That’s what matters in the end–not some silly guidelines. By the way, looking forward to the ELD Budget worksheet! :)
What a great post with beautiful photos! Weddings are purely about the couple, focus on that and allocate accordingly :)
I recently stumbled on this post from another one regarding wedding planners. I have to admit, I love the focus of this post. However, what made me decide to comment was a humbled “thank you” for referring to my profession as Entertainment instead of just DJ. It’s more than just good music. It’s more than a few simple announcements. If you get the right one, it’s entertainment direction, and it’s worth every last penny you spend.
(That said, a vast number of cheesy, non-caring “DJs” still exist.)