Just Engaged? Let the fun begin!
2022, THE BUSIEST YEAR YET.
12/14/2021
Before you start looking at designs, invites and vendors there are a few things to think about!
Below I have listed some of my top questions I love to ask couples who are just beginning their wedding planning process!
- What is your budget?
- What are your priorities?
- Do you have a venue?
- Have you put together a guest list?
- How involved in the planning process do you want to be?
Many people think that budget is the first thing to think about but in our opinion we go for “how many guests do you plan on inviting?”
Guest List
Having a guest list in place is key, and our first starting point! When you have a guest list you have a good idea of how many people you really need to invite to your wedding! A guests list can give you an idea of what your actual guest count might be. I like to tell my couples to put your guests list in Excel and add three columns: YES, MAYBE and NO. When you go down your guest list you can quickly figure out who can make it who can't, who would most likely willing to try and who wish they could be there but you know won't be able to go. Add up the YES and MAYBE column and you have your tentative guests count.
Budget
Let's talk numbers, shall we? When it comes to weddings (California Weddings for example) each guest can cost between $1,000 too $1,500. So, for instance, if you're inviting 100 guests, you can expect to spend anywhere from $100,000 to $150,000. But don't worry, if your wallet doesn't match your guest list, you can easily adjust how many folks you invite while still keeping the things you want!
Although some couples we work with don't have a budget in mind, we like to have some guidelines to avoid any last-minute surprises. Please don't rely on those national average websites; they're often way off! Instead, talk to a local wedding planner to get a better idea of what to expect.
For example, if you're planning a summer wedding with 100 guests at a private estate in California, you can expect to spend around $125,000.
- Here's a sample breakdown of some expenses:
- $15,000 for Flowers,
- $28,000 for Catering
- $2,500 for a DJ
- $15,000++ for a Planner (This is full service and many planners offer difference packages)
- $20,000 for venue (If you are staying multiple nights and includes the Event Fee)
- $125 for Event Insurance (A MUST) for 1 Million Dollars in Liability
- $15,000 Rentals (This includes your must have such as kitchen for catering, chairs, tables, glasses, flatware, dishware and lighting.)
What are your priorities?
We have worked with so many couples and many times priorities are always different! We have some couples that want to make sure they have a band or the design is something that want to focus heavily on. When it comes to priorities we want to make sure we allocate a good amount of the budget in these areas as they are the most important to you on your wedding day! We may also ask the questions of what do you not really care about at your wedding.