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Wedding
costs are a major concern for most, as well they should be. How much to
spend for food, gown and tux's, location, photographer and, of course,
entertainment. All of these expenses can be reduced, but which ones
should be and why?
If you get your food from
McDonalds, you'll never hear the end of it, but if you provide steak and
lobster, how many will remember? Quite a few, for no other reason than
it's out of the ordinary. But if you're having chicken, roast beef or
fish (standard dinners) how many people will remember what they ate 6
months later?
If you buy the fanciest
dress and the best Tuxedo's, you will look FABULOUS in all your
pictures, but many people now rent not only the Tuxedo's, but also the
gowns! It saves them money and, lets face it; it's unlikely that you
will ever wear that gown again.
When it comes to
photographers, you will want to spend a large portion of your budget on
getting one of the best! After all, those pictures will last a lifetime.
If you don't have a great photographer, you're not going to get great
pictures. So you don't really want to skimp too much there. That wedding
album is something you will keep out on your coffee table for a long
time and guests from your wedding will want to see those pictures of you
and them.
As far as videographers
go, most couples watch their wedding video an average of 5-6 times with
family and friends, so this can be an expensive cost for 5-6 viewings.
Locations can have a wide
variety of costs, ranging from free into the thousands. You need to
balance this out also because saving money by having it outdoors at a
park could also mean losing guests early on because of the weather and
temperature. You don't want them to leave early do you?
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Finally,
we come to entertainment.
It's
almost always the last thing thought about and to many it's the place
where couples try to find a bargain. There is just one problem with that
theory: 80% of the success of your event will depend on the
entertainment!
That's right. Think about
it! If you don't have any entertainment, then most of your guests will
leave right after they eat. Conversely, if you didn't have any food, but
still had entertainment, most would probably stay for a while. You need
both, but what kind of balance? Can your guests be happy with hors
d'oeuvres and/or veggie platters? Actually most can! They will also be
happy with just about any decent meal, which is why so much chicken is
served at weddings. They won't care that much what the meal is as long
as it tastes good and is filling.
You and your guests are
there to CELEBRATE your marriage. To participate in it, to share that
special day for you. Which is where entertainment plays a MAJOR role in
providing you and your guests a happy, festive and fun time!
Entertainment
usually comes in two forms: Live bands or Disc Jockeys.
Which should you choose?
Well, that depends on you. Some people like the 'live' sound, others
prefer the sound of original artists (DJ music). There are advantages
and disadvantages to both.
In either case, it's
important to keep in mind that there are good bands and bad bands, and
there are good DJ's and bad DJ's. We have all heard the horror stories
of having a bad DJ/Band and nobody wants bad entertainment. But like
food, the quality often depends on the price! You can spend lots of
money to hire DJ 'Filet', or skimp and get DJ 'MickeyD'. But remember
this is a once-in-a-lifetime event for most, and so you only get one
chance.
So when
trying to decide how much you can afford for entertainment, think about
how much you can LOSE if your entertainment is poor or mediocre. Look
for professionals and pay them what they are worth.
After all, if you want the best, it will (and should) cost more. In the
long run, they will provide more than a mediocre entertainer would.
Remember: "They'll
forget the food, but not the fun!"
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