Creating the Dream
Creating the dream that is your wedding day is a lot harder than it seems especially when there are budget constraints to take into consideration. Every couple imagines themselves looking a certain way, enjoying a certain type of celebration and thier dreams can come crashing down at the realisation of what things cost in reality. Here are a few points to consider, new ways that look at how you spend your hard earned (or not so hard earned) money.
Firstly think about the look and feel of your special day, discuss what is important to you both and what the non negotiables are. You need to plan around this. Traditionally it has been said that the majority of the budget should be spent on the venue and catering and everything else should be squished out of roughly the equivalent amount. Im going to disagree. While the venue is important it is not what people will remember unless it was really bad or really outstanding, I have been to countless weddings and only a few venues really stand out for me. Most of them for one reason and that was the catering. It was either phenominal or really really bad. The best weddings I have been too were not held in traditional venues, but in homes, mostly rented, sometimes borrowed. The best part of these weddings was that the couples could focus thier budgets of three really important factors which are the three things that i feel are most important to making or breaking your special day.
All the weddings that have stood out have been small and intimate, around 50 guests and less, because of this the couple not only had the opportunity to spend quality time with each and every guest but they were able to provide outstanding catering. Whether it was canapes or a meal cutting down on the amount of guests means you can afford quality which people remember, This type of wedding also does not require table settings and arrangements as there are generally already various seating areas within a home which allow people to mingle and each each course with different groups of people. The unstructured atmosphere allows your guests to really relax and enjoy themselves and all you need are candles and a few flower arrangements to create a wedding atmosphere, because there are no formal arrangements things like favours, linen, and centre peices are not needed, and the money can be better spent on important items like a good photographer and amazing attire.
Your photographs are what you will show people who were not there, they are what you will show your children and they are what will have captured the dream that you wish to remember, for this reason spend money on a experienced and talented photographer, someone who can capture the moments the way they were, and not have to retouch the pictures so much that they become overprocessed and posed. Editing suites are for cleaning up, not creating. You should not be able to see that the pictures have been edited. This is the one place couples should not skimp. Shop around by all means but please dont take someone just because they fit into your budget. Rather cut down on your venue costs or your guest list but choose wisely when it comes to your photographer because you cannot do it over.
Finally the most impotant item I dont believe you should skimp on, is on your personal grooming and attire. If you want beautiful memories, look beautiful, that cheap chinese knockoff was my dream dress said no one ever....Have something custom made, be apart of the process, and if you dont, wear what makes you look and feel good, spend money on the expert advice, how you feel will not only translate into what the photographer can capture but into your memory of your special day. If you feel good, you radiate happiness and energy, spend money on your hair make up, personal grooming and clothing. So what if you will only wear that dress once, you will wear it over and over in your memories and that will make it worth it.
Think of it this way, the two of you looking fabulous, an officiant, two witnesses and a photographer and you already have beautiful memories before you have spent a cent on guests and a venue. Perhaps we have this all wrong, perhaps what we have been taught to believe is important is not at all after all its about the two of you and commiting yourself to each other, the frills are a bonus... happy planning
