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

Are You Leading on Uninvited Guests?

Unfortunately, no matter how big your wedding, you won’t be able to invite every single person you know. Most brides fill their guest list pretty quickly with family and close friends, so it’s unlikely that friend from kindergarten you reconnected with on Facebook last month will be able to make the cut. Even though they might assume they won’t get an invitation in the mail, you still shouldn’t lead them on.

There are a few ways brides accidentally lead on their uninvited friends. One of the biggest mistakes is talking about the huge wedding you’re planning. If you’re chatting in the office about how huge your wedding is going to be, it’s only natural for your co-workers to think they’ll get invited.

Another common faux pas is giving out too much detail. If an acquaintance asks about your wedding and you know they aren’t going to be invited, be vague. Offer up the basics, which is probably what they’re asking for, rather than times and locations.

Whatever you do, be ready to stick to your guns. If somebody can’t be invited, know why and be ready to explain it to them. You’ll be far less uncomfortable explaining it to them before your big day than when they show up and can’t find their non-existent escort card!

Planning your Arizona wedding can be a struggle, and working with an experienced wedding planner can be a huge help. To find out what we can do to help you, give us a call today!

What’s Your Wedding Planning Timeline?

Wedding planning takes time, and this time can be a big part of why the average engagement is just around a year. Creating a wedding planning timeline can help you keep track of how long you’ll need for everything or how to fit everything into the time you have available.

Provided you don’t have any time limits for setting your wedding date, look to give yourself a full year to plan everything. Choose a few possible dates, and begin checking out venues and vendors.

Around nine months before your wedding date, begin to prepare for your invitations. This includes shopping for the stationery and gathering up all the addresses you’ll need.

At six months, you’ll need to finalize arrangements with vendors and order your wedding cake. You should also begin choosing your wedding favors and gifts, which you’ll need to order around four months before your wedding date.

In the final two months before your wedding, be ready for lots of last-minute preparations. This includes vendor meetings, dress fittings, and rehearsals.

Of course, the best way to create a custom wedding planning timeline and make wedding planning much easier is to work with an experienced Arizona planner. To find out how we can help plan your wedding, give us a call today!

Involving Friends in Your Wedding Planning

Are you feeling overwhelmed by everything you have to do for your wedding day? Well, you don’t need to do it alone. Along with working with an experienced Arizona wedding planner, you have also probably had some offers of help from friends and family members. You shouldn’t be afraid to take them up on their offers, or to give them some ground rules.

Favors are an excellent part of your planning to get help with. If you aren’t too concerned with what you give your guests, ask a friend to find a few options for you to choose from. If you do want something fairly specific, or want to do a DIY favor, ask for a few friends to be a wedding favor assembly line for a weekend. It can be great fun, and help you get a big part of your wedding work done with less stress.

You can also apply the same idea to parts of your decoration. You also don’t need to limit this to people who are in your bridal party. While your bridesmaids will have their own tasks in helping you prepare, your other friends may still want to pitch in to be a part of your big day.

If you need some more guidance about what you can get help with, or if you’re looking for a fantastic Arizona wedding planner, give us a call today!

Creating Your Own Rustic Style

Rustic weddings are popular, and one look at Pinterest can leave your head swimming with ideas. There are ways to get the rustic wedding you want without relying on multitudes of Mason jars, though!

• Type of Rustic: There are lots of variations on the rustic theme. Decide at the start which you prefer – do you want the rustic style of bales of hay or do you want something that’s more modern country? Find the key to your rustic inspiration and keep that with you throughout planning.
• How Much Theme: As with any theme, you can have different levels of the theme. It can be a slight influence, or inspire every aspect of your day. Knowing how themed you want your day to be can help you decide whether to stick with tradition or theme on individual parts.
• Non-Wedding Inspiration: With such a popular theme, it’s easy to just look at other rustic weddings. However, to get the theme that is best for you, try looking outside wedding inspiration boards. Check out home design ideas, rustic-style restaurants, and other types of events to get new ideas.

Whatever type of rustic wedding you want, working with a wedding planner can help you find the perfect style for your own wedding. To find out how we can help plan your Arizona wedding, give us a call today!

 

Tricks to Stay In Your Wedding Budget

Whether you have a few hundred dollars or a hundred thousand dollars to spend on your wedding, you’ll want to stay within your budget. Keeping within your set budget can be a challenge, but there are a few simple ways to make sure you don’t get blow it.

• Read everything and ask questions. Before you sign any contract or make any payment, read over the contracts. Don’t skim as you go, and don’t be afraid to ask somebody else to have a read through, too. If there is anything you don’t understand, or find confusing, ask about it. It’s better to get things clear up front than find out you missed something that will cost you loads down the line.
• Don’t compete. This is your wedding, not the friend’s wedding you went to last year. Don’t worry about keeping up with anyone else. Create the wedding that is right for you, that you love, and that your guests will see as a real reflection of you as a couple. Trying to compete will only cost you money for things you don’t really want.
• Work with a great team. Doing things yourself might seem like it’s the best way to stay in your budget, but you’ll be missing out on professional discounts, expertise, and insider knowledge. Working with a great wedding planning team can also help keep you on track.

To find out more about how we can help with your Arizona wedding planning, get in touch today.

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!

The Details That Will Make Your Wedding Day Special

One thing that separates the good weddings from the great weddings is the details. When you plan your wedding, you’ll naturally put most of your thought and time into the big things, but save some time for the little things. These additions can help really impress your guests and give your whole wedding a great flow.

So what are these all-important details? Well, they’re the pieces that you don’t normally think about. When you go to a wedding, chances are there will be certain parts untouched by the décor. The bar, the bathrooms, and even the front door are all going to be used by your guests, but are often ignored when it comes to décor.

Adding a special touch to these places, along with things that are more directly part of your wedding like escort cards and the cake table, will give a unity to your wedding. These transform your venue in a special way – it’s not a venue where your wedding is being held, but all a part of your wedding.

To find out more about planning the perfect Arizona wedding, or to get tips and help with your big day, give us a call today!

Avril Lavigne and Chad Kroeger’s Gothic Wedding

Rather than go with a traditional wedding style, musicians Avril Lavigne and Chad Kroeger opted for a Gothic themed wedding.

The two Canadians chose a medieval castle near Cannes, France, for their venue. The wedding party was held over three days, and the couple had flown their friends and family in for the destination wedding.

Their theme was also shown in their attire. The couple opted for an all-black style, including Avril’s gown. She also carried a bouquet of black roses and wore a black veil.

Both Avril and Chad wanted a great theme for their wedding, and Avril said she really wanted it to be over the top. As any bride knows, planning a theme wedding can present a special set of challenges.

If you’re planning a Phoenix wedding and want some help or advice getting your theme together, give us a call today. We’re experienced Phoenix wedding planners who can help with your big day!

4 Tips for a Great Fourth of July Themed Wedding

Have you been enjoying the Fourth of July holiday? Maybe you’re thinking it would make a great theme for your wedding. Here are four of our top tips for making the theme work for your big day.

1. Keep it subtle. Most themes work best when applied carefully and this certainly applies here. You want people to know that it’s a wedding with a Fourth of July theme, and not a Fourth of July party that happens to have a wedding.
2. Keep it relaxed. An Independence Day theme will work best when you don’t get too formal. A casual, relaxed atmosphere can capture the fun of a summer holiday.
3. Don’t feel limited by date. While the Fourth of July only comes once a year, a Fourth of July theme can be used on any date.
4. Don’t feel limited by colors. Keeping red, white, and blue as your main colors will help your theme, but don’t get locked into bright reds and blues. Pastel tones, faded hues, and other shades can give your theme extra depth.

If you want more tips for the perfect wedding, whatever the theme, get in touch with us today! Working with an experienced Phoenix wedding planner can make your wedding dreams come true!