Congratulations to you and your fiancé on your engagement!
This is a very exciting and confusion time. Especially if you have never been engaged, helped someone else out or even looked into a Wedding.
Let's take a dive into some of the things to prepare for.
Picture your Wedding Day, exactly the way you want it.
Close your eyes. Picture walking down the aisle to your spouse.
Are you inside or outside? Are you some where important to both of you?
Inside. Are you in a church or a pretty area?
Outside. What season is it? Is it hot or cold?
Is it just you two, or are you surrounded by friends and family?
What colors are around you?
Do you have a theme?
Now write all of this down. This is very important. This is your wants before anyone else can say or do anything to help you. This is what is true to you.
Determine your Wedding budget.
Do you have someone that is going to help contribute to your wedding? If so, ask if they have a specific number to help you determine your budget. It can feel awkward but knowing what it is can be very helpful, and leaves less guessing and tip toeing around the matter.
Do some general research for prices on some of the things you would like. Catering, Dj or band, dresses, Venues, Photographers, Event coordinators. A Virginia Wedding this year typically cost $29,000- $43,400 just to give you a rough idea. Can you be a budget bride? Absolutely. There are plenty of Bridal pages on Faceboook where brides sell their wedding decor in bulk for cheap.
Research questions to ask Vendors to get a general idea what it is you want or should ask them. Ask if they have any discounts or specials. There is a Wedding Season and many of the Vendors provide specials outside of those time frames. Some Venues have a specific list of vendors they will work with so this is also good to checkout before you get your heart set on a specific vendor or venue. When you get quotes ask them to include the tax.
Make a guest list. This is very important in determining how much you want or can pay per guest.
Once you establish your budget, allow a little wiggle room and make sure you stick to it!
Budget Brides
Look at renting versus buying.
DIY options:
- Wedding Signage
- Wedding Favors
- Ceremony Program
- Bouquet Arrangements
- Table Centerpieces
- Meal Menu
- Invitations
- Ceremony Arch
Wedding Planner
This is not just a person, these are nifty little books you can get to help you keep track. Or you can find a check list online and create your own binder to stay organized. Yes, wedding planing is that extensive and this is why people opt for an actually planner to do it for them. Or they choose a destination wedding for someone else to do it... Side note. My sister did this option and the people did not speak a lot of english, (my broken Spanish and very fluent husband on the phone helped tremendously) the coordinator had a family emergency occur and a lot of things got dropped. Translation didn't happen and they had to rush someone on site to complete and the wedding itself was postponed an hour. FUN! Also documents were in Spanish and had to be translated legally before it was recognized in the United States.
Category Estimated Cost Percentage
Venue & Site Fees $11,320 33%
Catering & Food $7,700 23%
Photography & Video $5,600 6%
Flowers & Decor $2,000 6%
Wedding Planner $1,800 5%
Entertainment / DJ $1,400 4%
Attire & Gown $1,400 4%
Other (Cake, Invites, $2,780 9%
Hair/Makeup)
Break down of average Wedding
Tips
Give yourself at least a year to be able to plan things the way you would want them.
There will be errors a long the way but breathe. These will be laughing moments some time down the road.
This is your wedding, and your spouse. It should be what you want.
Enjoy yourself and checkout my portfolio. I love Weddings. Getting to witness love and tell a story through my lens gives me so much joy.
Just A Vibe Photography would love to tell capture your Wedding Day
