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Man were we in for a surprise recently when our eldest daughter decided she wanted to get married? We had no idea of costs and we soon found out that we would have to plan her wedding on a very tight budget.
When our eldest daughter announced that she was getting married we wanted to make her special day the best ever. Most parents want this for their children and of course the bride wants nothing less than for her special day to be just that.
We knew that there were costs involved but had no idea of the amount to which the prices of wedding services had gone up.
Once we found out what we were in for we either had to cut down our little girl's dreams or find a way to make her dreams come true on a tight budget.
There are a million and one things to think about and organize when planning a wedding:
- There are the avenues for the Church (ceremony) and reception.
- The all important Bride's dress, headdress and veil, the bridesmaids outfits and in our case the Maid of Honors dress.
- What will the bride wear for her going away outfit?
- Plus of course shoes and accessories to go with all the outfits.
- What will the Groom and his entourage wear?
- The flowers for the bouquets, the church, the reception hall, the lapels and the tables all need to be organized and paid for.
- Then there are the wedding bands, the invitations, the photographer, the video, the priest and the drinks.
- The wedding cake.
- The catering.
- The list goes on and on – it is endless.
Of course there is also the issue of who pays for what? This can be a major problem if one of the families does not have the same budget as the other. There is the all important issue of not only who to invite but, just as importantly, who not to invite.
Who will sit where and who will make speeches and in what order?
It was clear we needed help.
But in finding help we soon discovered how expensive wedding services were. A wedding planner can ask up to 10% of the total cost of the bill so we had no option but to plan our daughter's wedding on our own. Operation " Wedding On A Tight Budget " was launched.
Fortune mum does not have a regular job (note how careful I was not to say she does not work – that could have meant me planning a low budget divorce!).
Our original quote including wedding planner came to a little over $ 36,700. This was far more than we could ever afford. We also learn that the average cost of a wedding is just under $ 30,000.00 so we were not overly extravagant with our plans.
Our budget (bride's side) was about $ 12,000.00, maybe $ 15,000.00 at a push whilst the groom could afford to put in $ 7,000.00 and as he had no parents to help that was pushing it for him.
My wife went to work and organized everything exactly as my daughter wanted it plus managed to organize a fantastic honeymoon for them. The overall cost came in at $ 17,587.62. No sacrifices were made and no details left out. We were all guided and the savings the groom made were put towards spending money on their honeymoon.
How did my wife do it? Well she had a lot of help from the internet where she got some practical tips from an e-book she purchased for less than $ 40.00. Packed full of innovative, practical and simple ideas this book was what helped make our daughter's special day a day to remember.
So if you are planning a wedding on a tight budget remember to look around and make sure you are getting the best value for your hard earned dollars.
As a bride you deserve the best and as parents we kinde owe it to them to give them a day to remember without breaking the bank.
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Source by Walter Lorkin
