Now that you have a clear overall idea of what your major heads of expenditure are going to be, what you need to look into next is what are generally the two biggest costs in terms of weddings: the Guest list and the Venue.
Don’t forget that while shaving off a dollar a plate for food or favors may seem like a small amount, when you multiply it into the number of guests and look at the collective expense and realize how those same expenses could have been avoided altogether, you will realize that every penny helps.
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Speaking of massive expenditures, let’s look at what is generally the steepest of all wedding expenses – the Venue. Picking out a great venue is usually not just difficult, but extremely time consuming If you are thinking of getting married during wedding season, in addition to inflated prices, you also would have to worry about availability, which means no matter what you have planned the very first thing you need to finalize is the venue itself.
When it comes to picking out a venue there are two budget safe ways to make it work.You can either decide to go for a Public Venue, like a local library, or even a park where you can book the entire spot for a minimal council fee, or go for a full-on wedding venue that already has all the decor and stuff set up so that you don’t have to spend too much on top of the already steep venue price.
Or better yet, try to go for a venue where you don’t have any costs at all, like your grandfather’s barn or your uncle’s apple orchard. That way, instead of spending money on a venue, you can splurge a bit on the flowers and decor and have them craft the fairytale you wanted and save money at the same time!
Now that we’ve dealt with the big ‘where are we going to do this’ issue, all we have to worry about is who we want there when we do. Now I am, of course, talking about the ‘Guest List’, which, if we are honest, is almost always never-ending. The best way to deal with this particular predicament is by setting a maximum limit before you start making your lists.
Let’s say your maximum number of guests is about a hundred and fifty people. What you now need to do is draw up a bunch of lists, and start jotting down, in order of importance, friends, family, colleagues, and wedding party attendants. Once you have shortlisted these people, make a few quick calls as to who among them you have to invite with a plus one.
Keep in mind that your number of guests will dictate the number of plates and favors, meaning almost all of your wedding expenses will be shoveled into this particular area. So when you start listing people, make sure you aren’t just trying to keep everyone happy, and are instead inviting the people whose presence will make you happy.
Once you have dealt with them, move on to the courtesy invites, like the one you have to extend to your boss, or your Maid of Honor’s fiancé. Remember: just because you don’t particularly like them doesn’t make them any less of a priority, because in the end these are people who are owed an invite. So be gracious and just try to keep the courtesy calls at a minimum.
And just like that, you have efficiently dealt with the top two wedding dilemmas that are known to bring brides to their knees. Well, don’t just stand there! Go grab your notebook, make your lists, and look into your venues. You may be halfway there, but it’s always best to be prepared before you move on to the more intricate details of food and decor.