Terms (and any variation of such) that will make any wedding planner break out in hives...

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1. Discount

2. "budget friendly"

3. DIY

4. Cheaper

5. Payment plan

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Bottom line is this...if you are trying to have a wedding but are on a tiny budget, you may want to consider talking to family about contributing or allow yourself more time to save up to cover the costs. That may sound harsh but it's the reality. The average simple wedding of 100 guests costs an average of $45k, without doing some serious compromising on the quality and your vision.

 

If you live in the North Alabama area - check out our post about current wedding costs and what's a realistic budget! Here

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With that said, couples on a smaller budget tend to think that there are corners they can cut to come out...cheaper....(ugh, we're feeling itchy already) but this is rarely the case.

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So here are some common myths so you know what's real and what's hype!

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MYTH: THINGS COST MORE JUST BECAUSE THEY HAVE THE WORD “WEDDING” IN THEM. 

 

Truth: There is a different price tag associated with something for a “party” versus a “wedding”.  A party has the opportunity to happen more than once. A wedding presumably does not.

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As a result, you put more of an emphasis on your wedding day. You want it to be amazing and memorable. It’s why you spend more money on a wedding than you would a birthday party (unless it’s the norm for you to have extravagant birthday parties), right? So why WOULDN’T you expect things to cost differently?

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A product or service associated with a wedding typically is more demanding than that of a simple party. A wedding requires more emails. More calls. More planning. More logistics. It. Is. Different.

 

A wedding requires a higher level of service, and as a result, you should expect it will come with a higher price tag.

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MYTH: IT’S CHEAPER IF YOU HAVE YOUR WEDDING ON A DAY OTHER THAN SATURDAY.

 

Truth: For the most part, this is oh-so-wrong. It’s now pretty common for a wedding to take place on a day such as a Friday or Sunday. Now a weekday, that’s a different story. This myth does have different aspects though, so let’s discuss:

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Vendors: A wedding vendor is going to work just as hard regardless of the day but it isn't going to cost them less to provide their product or service just because it’s not a Saturday. Some vendors who aren’t already booked fully for your date may offer some flexibility on pricing if it's a short notice booking and if they are eager to fill the date on their calendar, but generally don’t expect you will get cheaper prices if your wedding is on a day other than Saturday. 

 

Myth DEBUNKED 

 

Venues: Some venues may offer a discounted rate for days other than Saturday resulting in some significant savings for you and your budget. 

 

Myth NOT debunked 

 

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MYTH: DOING IT ALL OURSELVES WILL SAVE US MONEY

 

Truth:  It’s a funny thing how many people who are DIYing their weddings always end up spending more money than they thought they would. We once had a client that was on a "tight budget" and decided to DIY all of her florals to save money. She underestimated the quantities and had to order more, she had to purchase all of the mechanics and containers herself, she had to spend the entire day before her wedding making arrangements, she had no way to keep them refrigerated overnight, flowers were wilted on wedding day and she had nothing left to replace them with and she had ended up having to pay people to transport and set them all up because she didn't want to ask her family to spend her wedding day working and she mistakenly assumed "my wedding planner will do all that set up". In the long run, she spent more than if she had hired an experienced florist - she was super stressed and cried unhappy tears on her wedding day because doing the flowers herself was not at all as easy and cheap as she thought it would be!

 

Usually DIY never goes to plan and leaves couples with feelings of disappointment and unmet expectations. In the long run, it may cost you a little bit more to hire a pro - but you will get a much better quality and you will eliminate the day of stress & exhaustion of having to do it yourself!

 

Myth DEBUNKED.

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MYTH: HAGGLE, BARTER, OR LOW-BALL WITH VENDORS TO GET A CHEAPER PRICE.

 

Truth: So you interview for a job and the hiring manager says:

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"I know you have years of experience and a skill set that we need here but I'd like you to accept a lower pay, so we can afford you. We realize that you have ten other companies that are willing to pay you the salary you are worth but we would just like to accept less from us!"

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What message does that send? They want you to pass up money that you are worth because they don't value what you do enough to match that! Haggling with vendors on their prices is not advisable- they’ve set their prices because that’s the income they require to do the work they do. In most cases, prices reflect their experience and the work they produce. Bartering, now this depends on what you’re bartering with, but the things that we’ve heard of haven’t been ideal for wedding vendors. If you have a business that you can barter with that they can truly get a benefit from, then by all means go for it. Maybe someone will bite. However, if you’re in the pest control business trying to barter with a photographer, then that’s a big fat no.

 

Finally, we have low-balling vendor prices. We’ve heard of this happening and the outcome isn't so pretty. Saying that you can only afford the bare minimum but want them to provide more or the equivalent of what everyone else has paid full price for? Yikes. In a nutshell: Just don't go there.

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Instead, let them know what your budget is so you can work together to get you as close to your vision as possible while still staying within your financial means. Vendors pricing...it is what it is, and it’s usually already at the lowest point it can be because people in the wedding industry aren’t doing it to make a fortune- they’re doing it because they love weddings! :) 

 

Myth DEBUNKED.

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MYTH: BUFFETS ARE CHEAPER THAN PLATED DINNERS.

 

Truth: Buffets sometimes require MORE food than plated meals do, and so they can end up being more expensive, depending on the number of guests you have and types of food being served. Buffets are an option that entail less serving staff, so they are less expensive in that manner. Of course all of this is dependent on how many guests you have! 

 

Myth sometimes DEBUNKED.

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MYTH: COCKTAIL STYLE RECEPTIONS ARE LESS EXPENSIVE BECAUSE YOU NEED “LESS FOOD” THAN A SIT DOWN DINNER.

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Truth: Yes, cocktail receptions don’t have a full-out meal. They do, however, have a lot more appetizers and small bites, which could add up to just as much food as if you were having meals served. And then, since it’s “cocktail-style”, guests are definitely going to be drinking more. Cocktail-style receptions do require serving staff like sit down dinners do, so you will still be paying for the service. And again, this comes back around being dependent on how many guests you have! 

Myth sometimes DEBUNKED.

 

MYTH: “I HAVE A FRIEND/FAMILY MEMBER THAT CAN DO ___, SO WE WON’T BE NEEDING TO HIRE ANYONE FOR THAT”.

 

Truth: Ah, but of course! Everyone always knows someone who can do photography, planning, DJ, food, etc. BUT it always turns out that those people overcommit and forget that they actually still want to be guests, so they end up

a) slacking on what they’re supposed to be doing  b) backing out altogether, leaving you to have to pay someone or c) causes feuds over one thing or another and relationships are damaged. Trust us and tell the friend/family members that you just want them to be a guest and celebrate the day with you. Neither you or they will regret it. 

 

Myth DEBUNKED.

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MYTH: “MY MOTHER (OR AUNT OR FRIEND, ETC) IS GOING TO DO THE FLOWERS IN SILK TO SAVE MONEY.”

 

Truth: Silk flowers can actually be more expensive than fresh flowers! And they almost always LOOK fake- doesn't matter how good you are at arranging flowers, those plastic “veins” on the flowers are a dead giveaway. Bottom line for this one- silk flowers are NOT going to save you money. 

 

Myth DEBUNKED.

 

MYTH: DESTINATION WEDDINGS COST LESS.

 

Truth: Usually not, but it depends. If it’s you and your fiancé eloping, then yes, it’s going to be less than a wedding. If you’re inviting family members, there are more events that have to be held and more things that need to be taken of. Transportation, rooms, welcome dinners, rehearsal dinners, wedding dinner, breakfasts. Not to mention what it costs for your guests to get there. Get the picture? If you want to do a destination wedding, know that it’s not going to be less than what a wedding would be in your own town.

Myth sort of DEBUNKED.

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