Marriage

Sticker Shocked Brides: Cutting Out the Essentials for Your Wedding Day

by Kenneth Huber in 18.02.2010 11:55

I own a Philadelphia wedding company that offers Photography, Videography and Disc Jockey. My company serves over 200 weddings a year. Many brides come to me and one of the first things they say is they never realized everything costs so much. It really is a matter of quality. It is not that everything is so expensive, it is just relative.

In the Delaware Valley, the average wedding cost is between $25,000 and $30,000. That would include 150 to 200 guests at a very elegant reception site, with a Videographer, Photographer, and Disc Jockey. It would also include the dress, the flowers, a limo, etc. If you are able to afford more, you can upgrade the reception site a bit and perhaps get a live band. If you are on a tight budget, I would suggest a Fire Hall or VFW and cutting out "unessentials", which would include not getting a limo and going minimal on flowers. I have heard some brides mention not having a Disc Jockey and hooking up an iPod. I feel that is a huge mistake, no one is going to dance to an iPod and set of speakers. First off the sound quality would be horrible. Guests at weddings don't remember the food, they don't remember the flowers, and they don't remember the ceremony. What the guests remember is if they had a enjoyable time, and that is absolutely the reason you need a superb Disc Jockey or band.

Some brides would argue that having a professional videographer is not an essential service. 15 years ago I would have agreed with you. In recent years, with the introduction of Hi-Definition cameras, professional quality audio equipment, and an array of Hollywood quality video gear. Wedding videos have made giant leaps and became as essential as photography. I would even argue that wedding videography is more important than photography. Imagine watching a movie quality video of your parent's or grandparent's wedding. Seeing your relatives in their prime and seeing relatives that might be deceased enjoying themselves in a wonderful occasion. The sights and sounds of the day would probably be priceless to you. Whereas, how often do you look at your parent's or grandparent's wedding album? Have you ever seen it? Many of my clients that come to me on a very limited budget for Disc Jockey and Photography services and say they do not want video. After viewing a couple demo videos of prior weddings, I am usually able to change their minds. When I talk a bride into getting video for her wedding, she thanks me as soon as she watches it. The most common response from these clients is, "Our wedding went by so fast, it was amazing to relive each moment watching our wedding video. Thank you so much!" If you book a Photographer that offers both Photography and Videography, I'm sure they would make you a deal on the price and possibly help with some type of payment plan to help you to be able to afford getting both services. I offer monthly payment options to help my brides afford the wedding of their dreams, after all it is or should be a once in a lifetime event.

If you are on a very limited budget and are looking to eliminate services, the first thing you should eliminate is limousine service. It is not a vital part of the day, you can have a relative or friend take you where you need to go. Floral arrangements are also not extremely important. Your local supermarket can supply some surprisingly nice floral arrangements for your bouquet and bridesmaids, usually at a fraction of what a flower shop would charge. Wedding invitations don't have to be extravagant, after all, they are going in the trash almost immediately after they are opened. There are many places online where you can get invitations real inexpensive. A local invitation place will be more expensive than finding a source on the internet. Wedding favors can be done yourself at a very inexpensive price. There are many other spots that you can get away with saving some money, but entertainment, photography, and videography are the most essential services for a successful wedding and memories.

Ken Huber is the owner of http://www.kjken.com.

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