Tips for Brides on a Budget

It is "ironic" when a wedding vendor starts the process of getting married themselves. I have been in the wedding industry for years, but as I plan my own wedding, I am stumped. I am stumped by how much there is to do, how many details there are, how many people (aka family members) you have to please or listen to their feedback/criticism, and most importantly I am stumped by the cost of a wedding. 

After I got over my initial shock, I started to organize & budget. I decided that the following are the two most important factors to me, during the planning process: 

a) Have the most unique wedding, without losing my mind in the process
b) Have the most unique wedding, without losing all of my savings in the process

I realized that I will not achieve the first, but I can focus on the second. The average cost of a wedding in DC is $44,856. My budget is WAY lower than the norm. However, I have some tricks up my sleeve, that I hope will keep me in the right path. Throughout this year, I will update you on my journey on how I stay within my budget. Here are two tips I have utilized, and have already cut the cost of my wedding into half: 

1) Negotiate with your Caterers. Food and alcohol is your MOST expensive expenditure. This does not mean that you should penny pinch and drive your caterers crazy. But, consider a different approach or type of event that will be cost effective for your caterers and yourself. Throw out the boring "plated dinner" idea out of the window and try something for fun. For example, instead of having a sit down dinner at our Jewish Wedding, we are doing a Cocktail Style Reception. For us, this includes passed Hors D'oeuvres, various food stations and even a donut bar. Cocktail Receptions are also more fun: they allow you to mingle with everyone, people are fed throughout the entire event (if requested) & you get to talk to all of your guests without being isolated during the plated dinner portion. Alternately, you can do different carving and food stations that is also very interactive. Talk to your caterer. Tell them your budget (be reasonable) and ask what they can do for you. 

2) Find venues that does not require you to use their catering or force you to choose from their preferred caterer. If you are able to find a Venue that does not force you to use their catering, this will be a game changer in your budget. Find a catering company with awesome food (average catering price is $20-$25 pp). Rent chaffing dishes, plates, flatware from a rental company directly (average is $500 for 100 people). You can also find a bartending company that provides you with an open bar and bartender (average price is $30-$40 pp for a 4 hour open bar). You can provide open bar and food for 100 people with a budget of $5500 to $7000. 

Having discussed on how to save and cut corners, here is my final tip of the day for the budget bride: 

Except for your Caterers, Do NOT negotiate with any other Wedding Vendors. I have realized that most Wedding Vendors have non negotiable prices. When you negotiate, they categorize you as a budget bride (not in a good way) that they are not excited to work for. Vendor who read this might say they disagree, but inwardly they cannot deny the truth to this statement. If you are looking at a vendor you cannot afford, look somewhere else. When a vendor is already out of your price range but you decide to splurge on them, you will be end up resentful towards them. You will expect them to go above and beyond, as you are already paying so much more. However, for the vendor, it is the price all of their brides pay. Even though they will try to make you happy, they will not understand why you are requesting so much of them. I have seen this happen MANY times. Wedding Vendors have told me that they hate working with brides on a budget, because they misbehave with them. The reason is, a bride who has already shelled out more than they expected, expect more than their other brides. As a result, vendors who identify you as a budget bride might already have a preconceived notion of how you will behave. Vendors have admitted to me, that if they suspect a bride to be a "budget bride", they will not go out their way to make the bride feel special, as they assume that the bride will not be pleased no matter what. So figure out a budget you are comfortable with, and choose vendors with in those budget (+ or - $500).

HAPPY WEDDING PLANNING!!