This past weekend I attended a wedding at a very prominent venue in my area. Usually, I do not attend weddings that I did not plan because it is an occupational hazard. It seems I always end up in a planning/coordinating position whether I want to be or not. This was no different. I ended up putting out fires and helping out even though there was supposed to be a director on site. Which brings my to the point of this post. You get what you pay for and sometimes you end up paying to much for nothing.
Now how does this apply to planning your wedding or event? My advice is to work within your budget but don't assume that the cheapest (or even most expensive) price for a service is the best. Daily I get calls from brides who are simply working their way down the phone book and asking each planner, "How much do you charge for weddings?" If a planner can just spit you out a price without talking to you first you should be very hesitant to work with them. There is a difference between planning a wedding for 50 and planning a wedding for 400. The guest count is just the tip of the iceberg when thinking about the scope of a wedding. Don't get me wrong price or budget is a major factor in any wedding, but it isn't the only factor. So, these are some guidelines for pricing when you are ready to plan your wedding.
The minimum amount for a wedding with 100 guests is $15,000. I have pulled off wedding for $10,000 but that is for another blog. Please note if you live in metro cities (i.e. Atlanta, Houston, Miami, etc.) add anywhere from $20-50,000 to my minimum.
Your wedding planner, or coordinator should average about 10% of your total wedding budget.
The biggest percentage of your budget should be food/reception venue. This item should be around 35% of your overall budget.
Attire for the bride and groom should be around 12%.
Decor for ceremony and reception which would include flowers, chair covers, linens etc should be around 20%.
Cake or cakes should be around 5% of the total budget.
Keepsakes should be around 2% this covers items like guest book, aisle runner, unity or sand ceremony items.
Transportation should be around 6%
The other 10% will cover items such as officiant gratuity, favors, attendant gifts etc.
The bottom line is this every wedding and couple is different and unique. I have some couples who spend 20% on attire and 15% on cakes. When you sit down with a professional specifically a planner they should ask what is most important to you in your wedding. This will help in ensuring the most money goes to the areas that you care about most.
What do you think? Is price shopping vendors a way to get the best price or should you go into a meeting knowing that things can fluctuate?
Now how does this apply to planning your wedding or event? My advice is to work within your budget but don't assume that the cheapest (or even most expensive) price for a service is the best. Daily I get calls from brides who are simply working their way down the phone book and asking each planner, "How much do you charge for weddings?" If a planner can just spit you out a price without talking to you first you should be very hesitant to work with them. There is a difference between planning a wedding for 50 and planning a wedding for 400. The guest count is just the tip of the iceberg when thinking about the scope of a wedding. Don't get me wrong price or budget is a major factor in any wedding, but it isn't the only factor. So, these are some guidelines for pricing when you are ready to plan your wedding.
The minimum amount for a wedding with 100 guests is $15,000. I have pulled off wedding for $10,000 but that is for another blog. Please note if you live in metro cities (i.e. Atlanta, Houston, Miami, etc.) add anywhere from $20-50,000 to my minimum.
Your wedding planner, or coordinator should average about 10% of your total wedding budget.
The biggest percentage of your budget should be food/reception venue. This item should be around 35% of your overall budget.
Attire for the bride and groom should be around 12%.
Decor for ceremony and reception which would include flowers, chair covers, linens etc should be around 20%.
Cake or cakes should be around 5% of the total budget.
Keepsakes should be around 2% this covers items like guest book, aisle runner, unity or sand ceremony items.
Transportation should be around 6%
The other 10% will cover items such as officiant gratuity, favors, attendant gifts etc.
The bottom line is this every wedding and couple is different and unique. I have some couples who spend 20% on attire and 15% on cakes. When you sit down with a professional specifically a planner they should ask what is most important to you in your wedding. This will help in ensuring the most money goes to the areas that you care about most.
What do you think? Is price shopping vendors a way to get the best price or should you go into a meeting knowing that things can fluctuate?
