Coping with the Cost of Weddings

You may have seen the news that the average wedding now costs over $29,000. The Knot’s Real Weddings Study showed that in 2013, the cost of weddings hit an all-time high. If you’re planning your Arizona wedding, you might be worried about how you’ll cope with these rising costs. Here are a few ways to handle the cost of a wedding.

Set a Budget

Whatever you can afford, setting a budget will help you stick to it. The worst part of any wedding spending is the part you haven’t prepared for. Knowing what you can afford to spend on all the elements of your wedding — from cake to venue, dress to entertainment — can make planning less stressful and keep you out of lasting debt.

Work with a Planner

You might think that doing it yourself will be cheaper, but that’s often not the case. An experienced Arizona wedding planner will be able to negotiate discounted rates. She will also know the ins and outs of planning, and know where to cut corners if your budget is getting tight.

Don’t Compete

The best way of handling rising costs is to not get hung up on competing with other couples. Creating your own wedding that is perfect for you as a couple can help keep costs down. This means doing what you really want for your big day, not what you feel you have to do because somebody else did it!

If you want more advice about keeping on top of wedding costs, or want help planning your Phoenix wedding, give us a call today!

 

Photo: Flickr / lotsemann

3 Ways to Beat the Post-Wedding Blues

You’ve married the man of your dreams, had the wedding you’ve always wanted, but you feel a bit flat. You aren’t alone in these feelings – the post-wedding blues are a common ailment for newlyweds. Here are three ways to beat them.

1. Plan a post-wedding get together. Much of the depression after a wedding comes from missing your friends and family. While you have them all together in town, try planning a few post-wedding meals with smaller groups.
2. Prepare for married life. Don’t just plan a wedding, plan a marriage. This means clearing clutter from your house (you need to make room for the great gifts you’ll get!) as well as thinking about things to do as a married couple.
3. Don’t let planning take over. It’s easy to let every free second go to wedding planning, but try to resist. Working with a wedding planner can help limit how much you need to do, giving you time to do other non-wedding things.

If you’re looking for a great Arizona wedding planner, give us a call today!

4 Things to Remember When Planning Your Wedding

While you might be jumping straight into thinking about the details of your big day, there are four important things to remember from start to finish.

1. Wedding planning is hard work. Putting together all the details, and making the big parts work, is a challenge. A professional wedding planner can help make it easier on you, but the hard work will still need to get done.
2. Know your wedding budget, and what it can buy. Keeping your budget in mind is crucial, and will make the entire planning process much easier. It’s also important to know what your budget can realistically buy, as it will save disappointment.
3. Trends don’t dictate your wedding. Whether you want to take advantage of a great trend you’ve seen or want to steer clear of all trends, it’s perfectly acceptable. Trends can be fun additions, but they can also be budget busters and distractions from what is most important.
4. You’re doing all of this because you love each other. The stress and cost of a wedding can be a challenge for any couple. Remembering the real reason you’re doing all of it — and that’s it’s not just n average party — can help keep you much more relaxed and focused.

If you are looking for an experienced Arizona wedding planner, get in touch today! We can help you turn the wedding of your dreams into a reality!

Planning a Summer Wedding? Keep Your Guests Cool

Summer’s almost here, and that can mean plenty of sunshine for your wedding day, and plenty of heat. Whether your guests are used to Arizona’s climate or are from out of town, you’ll want to help them keep cool through your big day.

The most important part of this is often providing them with enough water. If your guests get dehydrated, they can start to feel ill, or even have a serious health problem. Water doesn’t need to be boring, though. Consider giving them a selection of infused waters, such as lavender, lemon, cucumber, or mint.

You’ll also want to make sure they have a cool place to rest out of the sun. This is crucial for any elderly, pregnant, or very young guests, who might be more susceptible to the effects of the heat.

Summer weddings are great, and summer can be the perfect time for any type of celebration. Much of keeping your guests cool and comfortable comes down to preparation, which an experienced wedding planner can help you with. To find out more about what we can do for your Arizona wedding plans, give us a call today!

Should You Ban Smartphones From Your Wedding?

It’s a dilemma every modern bride has to face — what to do about all the smartphones that will show up with your guests. Some brides welcome the addition, while others are horrified by them.

Like any cell phones, smartphones can be a source of guest rudeness at a wedding. As long as cell phones and pagers have been around, there have been problem guests who didn’t turn their ringers off before coming in.

Of course, with smartphones, the distractions can be even greater. Plenty of brides have looked on in horror as guests tried to do a sneaky check of their texts, Facebook, or sports scores.

One other aspect of smartphones is the camera, and this is what can really divide opinion. Some couples love that their guests will have an easy way to share candid photos of their big day. Others worry it’s too much of a sometimes not entirely good thing. (You might not want to see photos of your new husband drunkenly doing a robot dance before you get to see the photos of him saying I do.)

Whatever your decision, there are plenty of easy ways to handle smartphones at your wedding, and ways to politely remind guests what you expect of them. To get more advice about wedding day worries, and how to plan the perfect wedding, get in touch today!

Where to Begin Wedding Planning

If you’ve recently gotten engaged, you might not know where to begin with your wedding planning. There’s so much to think about — the dress, the venue, the guest list — you might feel a bit overwhelmed. Well, take a deep breath and read on.

1. Make a list, or a few lists. When your head is spinning, thinking about everything that needs to be done, start writing those things down. After you get a list together, you can begin to prioritize everything, which can make planning much easier.
2. Figure out a date, or a few dates. As you start planning your wedding, you might find out that your favorite venue is already booked on your preferred date. If you have a few alternatives in mind, you can be more flexible.
3. Enjoy it, stress and all. It might be a bit overwhelming, but wedding planning is also extremely exciting. It can be great fun as you come up with ways to celebrate the love between you and your fiance, and plan an amazing event with all your friends and family.
4. Ask for help!! You don’t need to do this alone. Talking to a professional wedding planner can be a huge help. We’ve chosen this career because we love planning weddings and know how to make it as stress-free as possible.

If you’re starting your wedding planning, get in touch with me to see how I can help. Whatever your budget, I can help plan your Arizona wedding. I also offer a free one-hour consultation where you can ask me all your wedding questions!