In honor of our new and improved website and blog, I'm dusting off one of my favorite blog posts. Not just because I like it, but rather that it's still very timely. I just chatted with a groom yesterday, an old DJ acquaintance of mine, who is planning a wedding with his fiance for this summer. I asked my a lot of my normal questions and got a lot of "I'm not sure yet" and "we haven't talked about that yet". Obviously weddings are a very exciting, and generally fairly expensive events. It's important to sit down and talk through what is important to each of you - before you start spending for it. Below are a couple thoughts from a seasoned pro - I hope you find it useful.
Planning your wedding can be so much fun...all the choices and options. Venues, photographers, DJs, caterers, dresses, photo booths - the options really are endless. Then there's the deciding...this venue offers draping, but this one let's you choose your own caterer. This one has lots of natural light, but this one has chandeliers. Before you know it you've spun yourself around in so many circles you're ready to hop a plane to Vegas and find some dude dressed like Elvis to help you tie the knot.
Stop and breathe. Here's some helpful advice to help before you go meet "The King".
Know Your Budget. Who's paying for the wedding? You and your partner? Your parents? Their parents? A combination of all of the above? Whoever it ends up being, you need to have a fairly firm number. Once you know if you're working with $5,000 or $50,000 you'll be able to make better informed decisions.
Prioritize. Look at the full scope of your day with your fiance and write down a list of the 5 most important things in your day. Is it the food? The venue? The music? Whatever it is, you'll find yourself being willing to spend more of your budget for those things. That may mean saying "no" to other things that are not as important to you if your budget doesn't allow for it.
Be Confident. With all the options out there it's easy to second guess yourself. When you make a decision based on your priorities and your budget stand by it. You will likely find that everyone has an opinion about your wedding plans, but really the only ones that matter are your's and your fiance's.
Hopefully this helps as you continue planning. Have more questions, or need a vendor that can help you make sense of the chaos? I'm happy to help, feel free to contact me.