Inviting everyone you have ever met. This is one of the biggest money pits in planning your wedding. For an average cost estimate, you can count on $2,000 in food budget for every 100 guests. Allow for approximately eighty percent of your invitations to be accepted.
When making your guest list, you may need to consider is it more important to have 250 acquaintances or a more intimate affair with closer friends and family. The latter will allow for more amenities.
Not making a budget. Once you have done your research, you will need to sit down with pen and paper and total the costs of your dream wedding. It is at this point that you will prioritze what is most important to you. Then, you will need to meet with the parents and determine the budget. Be specific about who is paying for what, and put it on paper. With a well thought out plan, you will be able to sail through the planning and be confident that the money will be there. Most importantly, STICK to your budget!
I apologize that it has been a while since I posted anything new to this site. It is wedding season and my little fingers have been busy putting together bouquets, so not much time for typing.
Over the course of the next few days or weeks, I will be blogging about the biggest mistakes you can make when planning your wedding. These tips will save you money, time, and heartache so be sure to check by soon, or subscribe to the blog, to get the next post.
Wedding Planning Mistake Number One is something I have termed ‘blurting’. This means doing something before you think about it.
You get engaged, you’re all excited. You call all your family and friends to tell them the big news. Then, you focus on the first order of business.. your wedding dress. So, you run out and spend $1,500 on your dress, only to find out that your budget is $5,000 for the entire wedding and you still have to pay for the venue, the caterer, photographer, florist, invitations, postage, etc. This is blurting.
The solution to not running out of money is to do your homework…RESEARCH.
Sit down with your fiance and decide as a couple what you want. Your top four expenses will be the venue, caterer, florist, and photographer. Get recommendations from other vendors and friends, and go to see at least three of each of these vendors. This will give you a good idea of what your dream wedding will cost. Unless you have deep pockets, you will probably need to do some compromising and trimming. The average cost of a wedding now, and I do mean average..nothing lavish, is $28,000 plus.
Once you have these quotes, sit down with your families, or whomever is paying for the wedding and you will have solid figures to put before them. This will be the basis for deciding a budget.
Educating yourself about the costs will save you time and money. Research is your GPS to get to your destination. Without a map, you will take many detours, and run into many ditches along your road to nuptials. You might even get blindsided, so be prepared by having a solid plan in place, prior to spending money
Outdoor weddings are growing in popularity. Brides and grooms who are seeking a less formal and more intimate ceremony opt for venues that inspire with their natural backdrops.
It was a perfect day for Ben and Tara’s wedding. Their outdoor venue, Maple Lane Farms, in Johnson City, TN, provided a glorious backdrop with it’s surrounding mountains, trees, and pond.
A favorite flower for outdoor weddings, that will be a show stealer, are Gerbera Daisies. Tara favored multi-colored daisies to enhance the color of the surroundings, and to complement the Bahama blue hue of the bridesmaids dresses.
Mandy Patrick of Inspired Images by Mandy captured the colors and the spirit of the wedding in these lovely images.
We met Adrianne when she came to us for a consultation regarding her wedding. We immediately loved her. During the conversation, she mentioned that she would help us do some of her wedding in order to cut down on the cost. Maria and I looked at each other with a look of confirmation in our hearts. “Would you like to work with us all of the time?”, I asked Adrianne. “Yes, I would be interested!” Her reply was like music to our ears.
Our business has been growing steadily, but 2007 was the most challenging year of all, because it was difficult to keep up with the growth. We needed to add new staff, but good floral designers are hard to find. Most people that we come in contact with want to work until they actually work with us on an event and they realize just how hard and involved the work is. We love what we do, but there’s no doubt about it, it’s hard work.
We welcomed Adrianne with open arms. Though she didn’t have floral design experience, she learned very quickly and we could she early on that she had the eye for it. She brought fresh perspective and ideas to the table, and the very best thing is that she took initiative. We didn’t have to tell her every little thing to do. She would see a need and she would take care of it. What a blessing she has been to us professionaly and personally.
We are proud to feature Adrianne’s and Chris’s wedding in our slide show. It’s quite easy to see that they are in love.
Best wishes for continued happiness Mr. and Mrs. Cowan.
Photos courtesy of Advanced Photography
E-harmony, Matchmaker.com, there are many places on the internet to meet potential mates. Not all of these unions are success stories, but many find the perfect match. We have had the privilege of doing weddings for several of these cyberspace, cupid, couples.
Robert and Michelle met on e-harmony. As it turns out, they lived only a few miles from each other. They felt an instant connection and fell in love.
The wedding cake is beautiful and the groom’s cake was perfect, because Robert owns several McDonalds franchises.
Charlie Darnell was the photographer. He did a great job. I regret that I don’t have pictures of the bridesmaids holding their bouquets, or the bouquets out of the canning jar, but Michelle’s choice of amarylis was ideal for this November wedding.
