Save vs. Splurge: Planning Your Dream Wedding on a Budget

We got engaged umm about a year ago, October 11th, we got engaged October 11th, 2011. I would describe our relationship as being very adventurous. We try to live life like it’s an adventure. Life can be overwhelming, there are lots of curve balls Things get complicated but before you get too overwhelmed take a breath and listen. You’ve got questions we’ve got answers. A little guidance just might go a long way. When dealing with life’s biggest moments we could all use a little simple advice. The wedding is vaudeville and the reception is our speakeasy, so we still have a lot of uh vendors kind of up in the air. We only have about two things solidified right now and uh we have exactly four months. We could really use some advice on the budget, what costs need to go into the wedding, yes, what is the most important things to have in the wedding, what we could let go of. Today we’re meeting Joshua and Juanita, a young couple navigating the world of wedding planning. We really want to know what’s worth splurging on for our wedding. I recommend photos and videos. Having professional photos and videos to revisit over the course of your lifetime is gonna be so valuable as this is gonna be an event that will create lots of fond memories for the both of you. Alright, now see we have a very tight budget and I wanna know what areas can we tighten and what you would recommend. Well often the biggest predictor of wedding cost is the guest list. So the quickest way to cut back costs of course would be to pare down your guest list. We’ve invited over four-hundred, yes, okay wow that’s a lot of people, yes, we have really big families. My mother is one of eighteen. Wow, okay, yea. If that doesn’t work for you then the next areas to look at is the food, drink and the venue. You can decide to only do beer, wine, or maybejust one signature cocktail, or you could even just consider having a cash bar if things are really tight. Do you think a cash bar is tacky? I don’t think so, I mean it’s completely up to you but if that’s not an area that you feel comfortable cutting back on or if you don’t want to offer the cash bar, a way to cut down on your food cost would be to consider offering a buffet or a series of hors d’oeuvres instead of a sit-down menu. And you have to remember that these people are coming to celebrate your love and this special day, not necessarily your ability to pay for a five course meal. You can even think about making your own desserts. I’ve actually seen couples have their friends get together the night before and create cupcakes as the dessert instead of paying for an expensive wedding cake or even the catered desserts. Obviously there’s no one solution, it’s finding what works for the both of you and getting really creative and finding ways that save at every turn. The dresses, they’re there! Yay! Negotiate everything.