WEDDING PLANNING WITH
THE
Bride ON A BUDGET 11
STEP GUIDE FOR THE OVERWHELMED BRIDE
A wedding is a party, not a ““performance. A wedding is a party, not a At the end of performance. At the end of the day, if the day, if you are married you are married to the one you love, to the one you love, then then everything went perfectly. everything went perfectly.
” ”
So, you’re recently engaged? Congratulations! This is one of the most exciting times of your life, so make sure you take the time to enjoy it (and drinks lots of champagne!) It’s always a bit daunting when you first start thinking about planning your wedding – I mean, where you do you even start? There’s so much to consider – venues, photographers, music; it can be a little overwhelming! Don’t worry – we have been discussing this at BOAB, and we thought we would put together a little ‘step by step’ guide to planning a wedding, so you have a bit of direction and a mini check list to work through. The other thing you will start to notice is just by mentioning the ‘w’ word, the quotes become super expensive. If you have unlimited funds for your wedding this guide probably won’t be useful for you. However, if you are looking to create a beautiful wedding within a realistic budget, I think you’ll find this particularly useful. Our job is to help you identify the quick wins & cost saving opportunities, so I have included a few key questions you can ask along the way.
Ready? Let’s do it!
Design & layout: Hannah Byrne
CONSULT YOUR PARTNER At the end of the day, every wedding needs to begin with a discussion between you and your fiancé about what you would like.
It is so important to ensure you are both on the same page before you start discussing your ideas with others. Bed down the basics as a couple, and just like that, you have taken your first step in the right direction. This conversation will save you a lot of time and effort, as there is no point researching a wedding in Bali if your man flat out refuses to go! You may not agree straight away, but it’s a really positive step in the right direction.
QUESTIONS TO BE ASKED: • What type of wedding would we like? • Would we consider a destination wedding? • Do we definitely want a big wedding?
STEP 1:
CONSULT YOUR PARTNER
DEFINE YOUR BUDGET This doesn’t necessary need to be finalised at this step, but you again need to understand how much money you realistically think you have to spend. Essentially the amount of money you are willing to spend on the wedding will define the type of wedding you can actually consider.
QUESTIONS TO BE ASKED: • Are our parents in a position to contribute? • What savings do we currently have? • How much could we realistically save, and how long will this take us? • Will these factors affect the date of the wedding? Again this can be a tough conversation, but it’s a fantastic way of establishing your boundaries and understanding what is realistic. They say the average wedding in Australia costs $65K, but I think that is a substantially inflated estimate. As a rough guide, and in speaking with friends who have previously been married, a sit down wedding for 100 people at a venue tends to cost around $30K - $35K. However, this
can be reduced should you be willing to put time and effort in to cost saving initiatives. Bear in mind if you’re really struggling, you could ask for money contributions instead of wedding gifts, and then put that towards the overall cost at the end. Not ideal, but it can sometimes help as a buffer…this is when some people decide it is far easier to elope!
STEP 2:
DEFINE YOUR BUDGET
STEP 3:
THE GUEST LIST
THE GUEST LIST This is always the most difficult part, and it’s probably best to acknowledge from the beginning that this will realistically end in some sort of disagreement.
QUESTIONS TO BE ASKED: • Are we inviting cousins? • Are we inviting work friends? • Are we inviting partners? • If parents are contributing, do they have a say in who is invited? Important tip: this task is best tackled with wine! Try to maintain a positive outlook as you essentially begin to rank the friendships of your friends and family! Sometimes it is easier to apply a general ‘rule’ to guests so it doesn’t come down to individual people. I remember some friends applied a rule of ‘only immediate family’ – this initially sparked some controversy, but they stayed strong, and the family came to terms with their decision. It’s very important to have a united front for these decisions…even though it would be far easier to blame it on the bride! Next step is to work through your list of friends, which really can be a little brutal. Just remember
that if you have 100 people, and they have partners, you essentially have 50 couples to invite. Divide that by two (yours & your partners friends), and you have 25 couples each. Including family. Keep that equation in mind because it really can help with your decisions – if you only have 10 couples, who would be your nearest and dearest? If you’re still struggling, here are a few thought provoking questions that can often help: Have you caught up for dinner with them in the past 12 months? Would they give you a buzz for a chat? Would you take them out to dinner for $120 a head? Would they know your surname, without checking facebook? Will their presence have an impact on your day?
STEP 4: VENUES Now that you have an idea of numbers, it’s time to start venue shopping. First things first, start researching venues that can hold your numbers.
If you have a large number of guests, you’ll tend to find it rules out quite a number of venues. This step can take a little while, but once it is locked in, everything else tends to fall in to place. When speaking to the different venues, remember that it is completely acceptable to say that you are trying to cut costs as much as possible. Don’t be embarrassed as this conversation could literally save you thousands. It is also important to arm yourself with questions to ask – this will demonstrate that you are well researched and serious about locking in a venue, meaning they should hopefully offer some sort of deal or discount to secure your business. I have outlined a few questions below, but you can certainly add a few of your own. Quick tip – try to find a place that can hold the
ceremony as well as the reception! If you can keep the two at the same location, you immediately save on the cost of hiring a second venue as well as transportation…not to mention just making life easier for yourself! When you have finally shortlisted a couple of venues, they should be able to provide you with an initial quote outlining a break down of all the elements, and they will want you to put down a deposit to secure the date. This is where you sit down with coffee and work through the quote line by line to ensure you are comfortable with the cost and see if you can identify any savings. We will review catering and alcohol in the next few steps, but this initial draft will help you understand any additional costs you weren’t aware of such as styling, on-site accommodation, catering staff etc.
QUESTIONS TO BE ASKED: • Can they hold your number of guests? • Do they offer any discounts for certain days of the week or time of the year? • Are there different prices for sitting vs standing? • Are there any additional costs for accommodation or venue hire? • What dates do they have available? • What time is the curfew? • Do they have any noise restrictions? • Do you have any discount agreements with suppliers?
STEP 5:
CATERING
CATERING For the purposes of this guide, I am going to assume that the vendor is providing the catering, however if they aren’t, be sure to keep an eye on my DIY blog posts.
When it comes to catering it can be challenging to get the cost down – the venue will usually have a set price per head, and perhaps offer a couple of options to fit within your budget. You might be able to swap prawns for mini pizzas, but this cost
will essentially take up a sizeable amount of your spending money. As a general guide, you tend to be quite lucky if you can find a catering quote (no alcohol) for under $100 per head.
QUESTIONS TO BE ASKED: • Is there any opportunity to choose our own canapés? This will give you the ability to select cheaper options such as mini pizzas & quiches, but mix in some more gourmet options like salmon and oysters. • What is the most cost effective option for catering – is there any difference between single serve meals and share platters? • Do you charge a fee for serving wedding cake? Would this be charged if we served cupcakes?
STEP 6:
ALCOHOL
ALCOHOL You’ll find that venues tend to approach alcohol very differently – it could be BYO, charge per glass, charge per head, or a possibly a tab behind the bar.
It can be really challenging to predict how much alcohol people will drink, but it’s an important element to think through, as this will be one of your main costs. You also need to consider what you are prepared to offer, as spirits & cocktails will tend to increase the cost dramatically!
discount for a bulk order, and also allow you to return alcohol for a full refund if it isn’t opened. Otherwise, a charge per head is the definitely the second best option, and you can work with the venue on what types of wine & beer you wish to include in the package.
The unknown factor is how much your guests will want to drink – if you plan a Sunday wedding, they may only have a few drinks knowing they need to work the next day. If it is a destination wedding, you can pretty much guarantee people will go all out because they are on holiday! The key to a good wedding is ensuring you don’t run out of alcohol, so you just need to plan accordingly.
Beware of deals that aren’t an agreed set cost - if your wedding turns in to an all night party, there’s a good chance your guests will start drinking wine like water. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing as you want them to have fun, but if you are charging by the bottle, you may find you seriously exceed your estimated cost. Likewise, if you put a tab behind the bar, there’s a chance you might be having so much fun that you start offering espresso martinis to everyone! Very kind, but it will be very scary the next day when you settle the bill.
BYO is definitely the best option if the venue will allow – the supplier will often give you a 10%
• Do you charge per head or by the bottle? • Is there any way we could substitute in a slightly cheaper option for wine? • Could we begin with slightly more expensive bottles, and then look to swap to the cheaper option later in the evening? • Is there any opportunity for us to BYO our own alcohol? If so, do they have any current partnerships with liquor providers that would offer a bulk discount? • Can we bring our own spirits? • Do you have any other cost saving recommendations that have worked in the past? Once you’re comfortable with both catering and alcohol (and you don’t feel like you are exceeding your budget) – lock in the date!
Congratulations – this is one of the most satisfying achievements of the wedding planning process!
STEP 7:
PHOTOGRAPHER
PHOTOGRAPHER Now you have you date, it’s time to lock in your photographer. Good photographers book up quickly, so it’s important to research & lock them in as soon as possible.
Unfortunately photographers aren’t cheap, however this is the only part of the wedding where I encourage you to pay for a good quality supplier. Lots of people can take photos, but it takes a good photographer to take charge on the day, capture the moments you didn’t even realise they were capturing, understand lighting and how it can be used for beautiful images, and basically direct the shoot effectively on the day. You need to ‘click’ with them – they need to understand
what you want, and you need to be comfortable communicating with them. You are going to look at these photos for the rest of your lives, so it is really important that you love the end result. Make sure you take lots of screen shots of photos you adore so you can communicate your ideas to the photographer – visuals are far easier to convey than using your words!
QUESTIONS TO BE ASKED: • How long are your packages for? • Do you back up throughout the day? • Do you operate alone or do you have a second photographer? (I recommend hiring two – helps capture the boys & girls getting ready, as well as two different perspectives on the day) • From your experience, what’s the best approach for running photography on the day?
STEP 8:
CELEBRANT
CELEBRANT Again, finding a good celebrant can be tough. My advice? Go with a referral, or someone who impressed you at another wedding.
I have seen countless celebrant fails – some getting the brides name wrong, some get nervous, and others tend to struggle to build up a welcoming, fun atmosphere. You want someone who can generate warmth, make the audience feel
comfortable, throw in a couple of laughs, and help make that moment truly special. Anyone can have a nice website and give you a ceremony planning guide – it is far better to go with someone tried and tested!
QUESTIONS TO BE ASKED: • Do you provide your own microphone? • Do you have a PA system to play the ceremony songs, or would you require the DJ to assist? • Do you do a trial ceremony before the big day as part of your service?
STEP 9:
FLOWERS
FLOWERS You really can go either way with flowers – you could easily pull your girls together and DIY on the day, or if, like me, you are slightly challenged in the floral skills department, you just need to find a cost effective supplier.
If you decide to DIY, just remember that you’ll need to send someone to the market on the day so you need to plan ahead, and the flowers will take some time to pull together. It may take some organisation, but I’ve seen this done on a number of occasions and it really can be a quick win in terms of saving money. I always recommend incorporating loads of greenery – you can never have enough, and it always looks stunning! If you go with a supplier, learn from my mistake. I contacted five suppliers, gave them my brief, and anxiously awaited the quotes…all of which
varied from $5K to $10K. My partner nearly had a heart attack! Instead, I decided to approach it differently. I looked at my budget, figured out what I could afford, and began asking what they could do for $1500. My supplier came back with some suggestions like using more greenery, using blooms that are slightly cheaper, and even using the bridal bouquets on the tables later on in the evening. The flowers were absolutely stunning, the tables were dressed beautifully, and my bouquet was perfect.
QUESTIONS TO BE ASKED: • What are the cheapest flowers in season? • What is the simplest, most cost effective package you could offer?
STEP 10:
STYLING
STYLING This is your opportunity to add your own flavour to your day!!
Think about how you want your guests to feel when they enter the venue – what do you want your theme to be? Is it rustic and boho, or are you going to go for a more stylish and minimalistic look? The options really are endless, and this part can be quite fun to DIY. There are loads of DIY ideas out there that are cost effective, and some might even be free (like asking grandma politely if you can borrow her antique pink velvet lounge for the day.)
Styling is your key area to save costs – but it takes time and effort. Begin researching Instagram, DIY blog posts, Pinterest, & open your eyes up to objects that are at your disposal. Look at hard rubbish collections, check out op shops, borrow from friends, visit Sunday markets, keep an eye on Gumtree…the options are all out there, but you need to invest some time and effort in to making it happen!
STEP 11:
BRIDAL PARTY ATTIRE
BRIDAL PARTY ATTIRE First thing is first, the wedding dress.
You have always dreamed of looking amazing, but when you start researching traditional wedding dresses, you quickly realise that a starting price of $6K isn’t unusual. Whilst it can be a little hard to swallow, this is going to be a key area where you can cut down cost. You have a few options here – you can look for designer dresses instead of traditional wedding gowns, consider ‘made to measure’ labels that can offer cheaper prices as they don’t have a retail presence, or keep an eye on labels having sales. If you’re still set on a traditional gown, why
not consider looking at one of the second hand labels? You can often find all the top designers at cheaper prices, and the dress has only been worn once! Who would know? Be open to these options, and you could save yourself some serious money. As for your bridesmaids and groomsmen? Shop sales! Often brands will do 20% off your first online order or end of season sales – this can be quite substantial if you are purchasing five dresses! Please don’t buy anything at full price – just be patient and research discounted opportunities.
Bride ON A BUDGET
Did you find this guide useful? Head to brideonabudget.com.au for more wedding coordination tips & tricks