A DAY dripped in decadence, filled with flowers, packed with fancy plating, and arranged with ease is an expensive wedding for a bride to want.
As prices appear and estimates trickle in, it becomes hard to keep this dream alive, but is there a way to achieve it on a budget?
Between the number of guests, hiring an event planner, caterers, design, and decor, wedding expenses add up quickly.
According to The Knot Real Weddings Study, the average cost of weddings in 2021 was $28,000, and $34,000 if you’re counting the ring.
The bigger the wedding, the higher that number goes.
For a bride on a budget, it’s easy to get discouraged by these numbers that make you think you need to pay more for elegance.
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But elegance is a style, not a tax bracket.
Lisa Gorjestani, the owner of Details Event Planning, explained a few ways brides can make their weddings look expensive without incurring unnecessary costs.
The successful business owner founded her company in 1997 after working as an event manager for several high-end restaurants.
From Southern California to Hawaii, London, and Stockholm, Lisa has traveled days at a time to work on some of the most lux and magnificent weddings.
“Our service is really “A to Z” we are very active each and every step of the way,” Lisa tells the US Sun.
Not only do she and her team work on the finer details like scouting venues and securing vendors, but they also create the budgets, as well as plan, and execute every part of the weekend festivities.
In some situations, a bride and her fiancé may not have the means to pay for an event planning service such as Lisa’s.
So, she laid out the dos and don’ts when planning a luxurious wedding on a budget.
“Understand what might be necessary for a backup plan,” Lisa begins.
“Tenting can be very expensive. Not necessarily the actual tent, but what you will want to put in it – draping, chandeliers, and greenery can get very expensive,” she says.
Although the inside decor is essential to any wedding aesthetic, only certain details should be prioritized expenses.
Lighting is everything.
“Do NOT cut lighting. Lighting is very important in creating your ambiance and should not be overlooked,” Lisa explains.
Figure out what lighting works best for the time of day you choose.
No one wants to be squinting into the sun to see you and you don’t want to be struggling to see your fiancé either.
Lisa also suggests not spending too much time on your toasts, anywhere between two to four minutes is more than enough.
“A long series of toasts will carve into your dance time,” she says.
Following Lisa’s suggestion on setting a time limit for toasts, she recommends cutting a traditional champagne toast altogether.
“This is always the #1 place to cut. Guests can toast with their drink of choice,” she proclaims.
While cutting back on some individual wedding details will help minimize a hefty bill, labor fees have only continued to increase.
Lisa adds: “After the pandemic, unfortunately, all expenses have increased quite a bit, namely labor which factors in most of the line items on a budget. Hourly fees have nearly doubled.”
However, you always have the option of asking a friend, family member, or close mentor to officiate the ceremony.
Anyone has the ability to get ordained online, and this could make the ceremony even more sentimental and personal.
Strict budgets won’t cause the wedding to look cheap if you’re smart about your spending.
Lisa believes that music should be a top priority.
“Music is the main contributor to the energy of an event. You want your guests to leave thinking “that was the most fun wedding I have ever been to,” she explains.
A fancy centerpiece and no music won’t make your event feel lush, and your guests aren’t going to leave thinking so.
But, what will add an expensive aesthetic is the wedding backdrop.
“Select a ceremony venue that has a gorgeous backdrop – a beautiful tree, mountain scape, oceanside or historical building,” Lisa recommends.
She also explains that a beautiful backdrop in nature will allow you to cut down on flower costs.
If hiring a wedding planner isn’t doable, then your budget will be your best friend.
“It is very important to follow this budget for every line item so that you are not surprised later in the planning to see that you are already over budget,” Lisa says.
This budget should be made before the planning process even starts.
But there’s no need to be too minimalistic.
Lisa suggests you add a miscellaneous column for “fun little extras,” you may have leftover money.
“Hire a planner for at least the final month. Let them deal with all the final logistics and running the wedding so that you can relax and fully enjoy,” she adds at the end.
Although it may seem financially responsible for you to avoid this expense, in the long run, it could help avoid surprise ones.
