Wedding Planning and a Budget
Planning a wedding is a very exciting time, we see our plans come to fruition, and set the stage for one of the most important moments in our life. What can be a stressful part is wondering about the financial obligations and whether what you are using is worth it or not. We will detail out areas in your budget that you can either spend less on or skip entirely, and then the areas where you will regret not going all out.
What can you live without?
Videographer:
Now, I know, this is going to ruffle some feathers, but hear me out. Videos of your wedding day are AMAZING if you have budget for them, that is an absolute fact. Should you want a video, but don’t have much wiggle room in the budget you could have a friend record the ceremony, first dances, and reception activities (not the drunken ones, think more bouquet toss) and that’s really all you need if that works best for you. With a good cell phone, or a video camera, you can preserve those memories for a lifetime.
If a videographer is a must, search the Lafayette, Indy, Crawfordsville, and surrounding areas to see if you can find a photographer/videographer duo that could maybe offer discounts for bundling services. You also have the option to find someone who is learning the trade and needs to build their skills/portfolio. Having Purdue University and IU nearby provides a good opportunity for you to find a student who has phenomenal potential, but needs to build up their resume (please pay them a decent amount and even offer them some food, they will love you forever). Keep in mind, a student is still learning so it might not be the speed or quality of someone who has been in the game for years, but it may turn out amazing!
Elaborate Cake:
*GASP* “But I NEED a gold encrusted 5 tier red velvet, snickerdoodle, mint chocolate, hazelnut almond, pistachio & rose flavored cake!!” First off, that sounds amazing and now I’m hungry. Second, the unfortunate reality is that those elaborate cakes are the most common culprit of wedding day emergencies. The cakes can end up not how you imagined (rain while bringing it in ruining the fondant so it looks like a swollen mess, but we don’t need to talk about my wedding) can fall apart (slide off the table, be unstable and the whole back half will fall off, the top part will sink in, but we don’t need to get into my older sibling’s weddings) won’t taste good (my little sister’s cake was beautiful and stayed in one piece, but was barely edible) or you can have an insane amount left over that you can then freeze and reheat on your anniversaries for the next 45 years (if you do that google how to do it right, don’t toss it in the microwave and hope for the best… I’m not speaking from experience there either). What can you do instead? A small, scrumptious cake for you and your new spouse to cut at the reception and then desserts for the guests: cookies, cupcakes, brownies, donuts, candy bar, sundae bar, whatever fits your wedding best! Many caterers offer desserts with their catering, that is something to investigate as well.
Keep in mind portion control, you only need to order enough dessert for two-thirds of the total attending guests at most. You’ll still likely end up with leftovers.
When you do go to order whatever dessert you choose; DO NOT tell them it is for a wedding if you don’t have to. You can say party, event, gathering, whatever is applicable. Several places upcharge products if they hear the word wedding, not everywhere does this, but it is real. You have the potential to save if you’re buying 100 cupcakes for a party instead of a wedding.
Now, this is of course just a suggestion, if you have always dreamt of an elaborate, multi tiered cake then ABSOLUTELY go for it!
The Wedding Dress:
Please do not misunderstand me, the wedding dress is a huge deal and you should absolutely buy a dress that makes you feel stunning. You can do that and not deviate from your budget in the process. Shopping used, off the rack, from department stores, and online (order offline well in advance for obvious reasons) are good options to help save you a bunch of money. Be smart with this though, I don’t recommend buying a $50 wedding dress off Wish.com, you don’t want it to disintegrate as you traipse down the aisle. You also don’t need to spend thousands of dollars if you don’t want to. When the budget is a top priority- shop around; typically engagements are relatively long (6-18 months) so keep an eye out for great deals! All of my sisters and I purchased our dresses in Indy or Lafayette, IN. There are plenty of wonderful wedding dress shops in the area, you can get a wonderful deal and also support a local business. Just have fun with it!!
Before you even find your dream dress ask around for a good seamstress with experience altering wedding dresses. Bridal Shops have a tendency to upsell the cost of alterations. Not every store does, but it is good to know going in what your other options are.
Huge Bachelorette / Bachelor party:
Yes, going to Vegas or the Bahamas for a week sounds like a blast, but you can have just as much fun in the nearest city for one night. Get your closest friends together and go do what you want to do, as long as you’re with the people you love it will be epic!!
Bridal Party Gifts:
These are important, just be reasonable on what all you give to them, they’ll appreciate the gifts and the thought behind them no matter what!
Decorations:
This one is tricky, if you are getting married in a bare venue with very little natural elegance then you will need to purchase quite a bit in the way of decorations to get the theme/feeling that you want. If you are getting married in a beautiful banquet hall, elegant barn, or cathedral then you won’t need to worry about decorating as much. Pay attention to the big picture of the wedding and reception space, you don’t need to fill every area with decorations because there will be a lot of guests there and the space fills up fast. Always get the opinion of the wedding coordinator or venue owners if you aren’t sure as to what constitutes enough décor – they’ve seen a lot of weddings in that space, they know what works.
Save the Dates:
Save the Dates are so much fun, and people enjoy getting them! There is a lot of room here though if you are focusing on your budget. You really don’t need to send ‘save the dates’ unless you are having a destination wedding. A good rule of thumb is to only send these to guests who will have to travel quite a distance (3+ hours) for your wedding so they can make travel plans; Grandma 5 minutes down the road doesn’t need one.
Should you need to send ‘save the dates’ so those you love have plenty of notice there is an option for virtual save the dates. You can generate a virtual save the date on Canva, save it to your phone or computer, and send it out to everyone for free!
Services that are worth every penny
Photographer:
Your photographer’s skill is critical; you will look at your wedding pictures all the time. They will be on your walls, on your shelves, on your dresser, screen saver on your phone, and what is hung up at every major event for the rest of your life. You want them to be good. There are too many people who have had an untrained friend take pictures of the wedding and regret it as soon as they get the photos back (this can turn out well, but it is not the norm). We personally know someone who had to go back to the venue and re-rent his suit so they could remake as many pictures as possible with a professional photographer 3 months after the wedding had happened. Pictures are how you will remember the day, get someone who knows what they are doing and has experience in wedding photography. You won’t regret it.
Venue:
The venue is the stage for your entire ceremony/reception. It is in every picture, every memory, it sets the tone and the feel for your entire day. As I mentioned above, a good venue doesn’t take much decorating, this alone will save you money, time, and stress. Many venues have added services that come along with them as well, it may not seem like it, but help with decorating, planning, setting up, and tearing down make a big difference. The Blossom Barn offers quite a few of additional services that are included in the cost of the venue, including but not limited to a wedding coordinator, and all of your tables and chairs.
Officiant:
This one is a bit different from the others on this list, but it needs to be mentioned. If you have a family member or a beloved pastor that you would love to officiate at your wedding, then this can be very intimate or sentimental as well as affordable or even free! If you don’t have someone you trust to officiate your ceremony, please do not go to Weddings-R-Us and snag up the cheapest one you can find. The officiant will run your entire ceremony and that is a substantial part of the day.
Caterer:
Good food makes a great party even better. There are so many wonderful caterers in Indianapolis, Crawfordsville, Lafayette, and all the surrounding areas of Indiana, it’s hard to go wrong! We have a few of our favorites as well, should you book with us we provide a detailed list of all of our favorite caterers and other vendors.
DJ/Band:
The DJ or Band runs your entire reception and a good chunk of your ceremony. A good DJ can get all of your guests up and shaking their booties! To increase the likelihood of hiring a quality DJ look at reviews, talk to them to get a sense for their style, talk to people who have booked them in the past. It’s well worth the time spent to find a good DJ or Band. Pay a professional to take on this role and move on stress free and filled with joy. Again, there are lots of amazing options in the Central Indiana area to pick from, we also provide the information for a few of our favorite as mentioned in the caterer section.
There you have it, those are the most common areas that you can focus on. Save where you want and spend where you need to. If you have any questions about anything not on this list, just ask us at the Blossom Barn, we have a lot of experience in wedding planning and can answer any questions that you might have!