ADVICE TIME - Costs

ADVICE TIME

Costs

The horrid part of planning a wedding is realising the cost of everything. Its the dark cloud surrounding such a fab event. Oh well, lets see if you can save some pennies...

Main things to remember:

• The more guests, the higher the cost.

  • Sounds obvious but good to point out!

• First things to book are the most expensive items.

  • The more money, the more important to get right.

• You don’t HAVE to have anything apart from a couple of 'I do's'.

  • Its your celebration so do what you want, not what an ancient tradition says.

• Pinterest and Instagram lie.

  • A successful event doesnt rely on pretty pictures of empty seats.

• Its not a competition.

  • Nobody cares like you do so make it for you, not the pointless comparison.

Its impossible to say how much your wedding could be as the elements vary dramatically. This is even more so for a DIY style event. To make a start, first know your limit. Set your budget and create a plan to keep an eye on it. Then highlight which elements mean the most to you and then plot out which will eat the most dosh (usually venue, food, drink and entertainment) so you can allocate a big proportion to those from the start. To see how the usual breakdown goes check out this handy guide: https://www.brides.com/story/wedding-budget-guide-allocating-funds-staying-on-track

DIY weddings can be more expensive, depending on your taste and the venue. For these, think about:

What is included or what can the venue tick off for you? (Ask away, its worth knowing!)

It may be that they have a couple of props such as easels or arches. They may get good deals with certain suppliers or they just know whats worth doing in their spot and whats not! Use their experience.

Can you reduce the number of suppliers you use? (Can save you money but also a ton of emails this way!)

It may work out cheaper to use the band for your ceremony too or have your caterers also provide the evening snacks.

Do the items you have in mind affect the atmosphere, flow of the day or memories created? (If not, why are you having it?!)

The three key elements to make any event awesome but also a good guide for what’s worth having. For each idea, test it. Do they tick off these three things? If not, scrap it.

The most important elements to cost up and allocate budget to are:

- Venue (inc your accommodation) - Most important as it relates to all your other ideas and spend.

- Food & drink (own or venues) - Average is £100 per person but this is the biggest variation depending on what you choose.

- Images (photo / video) - A big chunk so think about what you will actually look at in years to come.

- Furniture & lighting - Suss out what the venue has first and then step back and assess whats actually going to work.

- Travel (if providing) - Coach or shuttle buses, they might need reserving.

- Entertainment - Bands can be from £1000-6000 so do your homework, a night delving into it is actually fun!

- Decor (quantity depending on venues beauty) - So many choices, easy to over spend! Watch out.

Anything else is probably a nice to have depending on your priorities.

Choosing Suppilers

I wish every supplier listed there prices on their websites as it would make your lives (and mine) easier but if they don't, spend some time gathering info. Try to investigate by being direct and stating what you want and your budget. It means you don’t then have a ton of emails to go through with the back and forth. Be direct and honest about your limits and expectations.

REMEMBER: Set your budget and don't stray. Its not worth it.

If you need some advice or a sounding board for your ideas, see whats worth the spend.... reach out! Email me: info@weddingsbyannabel.co.uk

Getting advice doesnt mean you arent capable, it means your sensible and know its better to learn from others rather than your own mistakes.

Happy planning!

A x