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Did you just cringe a little when you read the title of today's blog post? I know I did writing it! But let me assure you that it is possible to stay in your budget and still have the event that you are dreaming of. Sometimes, yes, you will need to be flexible and have an open mind! What is marriage but about being flexible and having an open mind when it comes to spending the rest of your life with your special someone though??
So I'm here to say...
YOU CAN DO IT! (Also, I can help ;})
In my DIY Guide I go through the different major (and minor) vendors for your big event. I list them in an order that the average couple would consider the highest budget hog to the lowest. The order for that is...
Venue
Photographer/Videographer
Catering (if your venue is not all inclusive)
DJ or Band
Flowers (first Florists then Floral Alternatives)
Beauty Vendors (hair, makeup, nails)
Officiant
Wedding Coordinator
As said, this is just the average order of spending that precious budget! It will for sure be dependent on what you and your partner value and also what kind of event you want to have.
Lots of factors go into what you will want to aim for for a budget. In some cases you will have a pre-determined amount that you want to (or can) spend. In other cases you will want to research the types of vendors you want to see average pricing and then determine what you can comfortably afford from there. In either case it's LOTS of emails to reach out to local vendors because most of the time vendors don't just list their prices on their website. When they do it's obviously a huge plus when deciding budget!
There are many ways to stay in your budget. Some of these ways may include different financing options, including interest free credit cards which can help with those initial up front costs! This is not for everyone, but it's certainly helpful to be able to pay the costs of hosting a big event over the course of a year instead of all at once. Of course you may also be planning your big event with PLENTY of time, in which case vendors can be a bit more flexible as far as deposits and such - VERY dependent on the vendor!
If sending lots of emails sounds daunting I would LOVE to be the person to do this for you! Whether you need budget help or not. So now you're probably wondering how MY SERVICES could possibly fit into your budget (find them here: https://www.chelseaevelynconsulting.com/coordinationconsulting). I'll tell you exactly what I told my most recent clients...I don't do wedding and event planning for the money. I do it because I absolutely love it. I don't have a reason to "meet the industry standards" as far as coordination pricing goes and I hope that I never try to fit that "norm". What I want you to know is that just because I don't charge as much as someone else DOES NOT mean that I don't know what I'm doing and that I'm not great at what I do (yes tooting my own horn). It is as simple as what I already said...I love what I do and whether I make $100 or $1,000 or maybe someday even more than that...it doesn't change HOW I do my job or how I FEEL about doing my job. If charging less turns a couple off...I get it, but I certainly hope that someone would at least get to know me and what I can do for them before they judge my abilities because I DO fit in their budget. Hiring a wedding coordinator may seem like a luxury but like my photographer (and friend) said recently, "It's more of a necessity that feels like a luxury."
Phew, I kind of went up on a soapbox there for a second didn't I? Well now you know! I want my services to fit into your budget and then I want your other vendors to fit into that budget too! So let me help, even if that's through the purchase of my DIY Guide and not through other services.
Either way, I hope that you can stress less and plan happily!
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