The Reception Cost
The most expensive part of the wedding; experts recommend allocating roughly half of your budget for your reception. Think about all the guests who will attend, especially if your wedding ceremony itself was more private.
Some people pay professional musicians to play live, while others hire a DJ. To save money, some people ask a friend to run an iPod or to create a looping slideshow that combines images and music.
Catering Costs
Include alcohol and champagne in this package and it becomes quite cost prohibitive. Sparkling wine can be substituted more cheaply for champagne.
Cake Prices
While it may seem like a deceptively simple piece of the wedding, the average wedding cake can cost over five hundred dollars if professionally prepared.
Even if a friend or family member volunteers to bake it, they will still put in a lot of time, energy, and money preparing, especially if your guest list is quite extensive.
Wedding Attire Cost
The wedding dress is usually what breaks the bank, but is the most important piece of a traditional wedding, and what people will be talking about years afterward. Many men are skipping tuxedos and wearing a jacket with a button-up shirt and tie that they may already own.
Wedding Photographer Prices
This is an expensive option because the photographer is the person who will allow your memories to live forever, which is why so many people spend a large portion of their planning time interviewing photographers or visiting a variety of studios. You don’t need to pay for proofs, however, as many photographers will offer you a CD that contains the high-resolution images of your wedding.
Rehearsal Dinner Cost
Renting the hall and paying for the food cause this to be a potentially pricey option.
Invitations Prices (and save-the-date cards)
This includes the price of envelopes as well as stamps, which many people forget about. An increasing number of people are sending out e-vites or creating websites that provide the guests with the information about date and place.
Wedding Ring Prices
Diamonds are the recurring favorite jewel for wedding rings, but many people are using their engagement rings to double for the wedding ring itself or are having them engraved. Still others are considering options such as utilizing ancestral jewelry, like a grandmother’s ring.
Transportation Cost
Paying a limo to escort you and your intended to the ceremony racks up a chunk of change. The wedding party may also need escorting.
Flower Prices
Flowers provide a splash of color and class to the ceremony and the reception, but they can also cost an arm and a leg, since they need to be fresh and purchased from a florist. Choosing flowers in season means that they don’t need to be flown in and will cost less.
Happy Beginnings,
Mike
