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
I Do Weddings 
Comments on: "Wedding Planning Mistake Number One" (3)
Weddings can be so expensive if you’re not careful! We have two daughters who are married now. We’re in Australia and so costs might be different, but all the same, both ran to around the $10K mark. One got married in the hills in a gorgeous chapel with reception centre attached. The other got married on a boat in a river and the reception was on the boat as it travelled up and down the river – the city looked gorgeous at night.
Both lovely weddings.
Very well written. Thanks!
You really know what you are talking about! I am in the same line of business and stress the fact that you need to RESEARCH and PLAN before you decide on any major options. Our comapny offers similar ideas and approaches on how to plan the perfect stress-free wedding while staying within a reasonable budget and still making everyone happy! It is nice so see someone who thinks the same way and shares the same great ideas as we do! Very well written blog!