Let’s Talk Budgets
As seen on Let’s Bee Together
Budgets are important to have when planning for events, especially for something as monumental as a wedding. Spending can spiral out of control very quickly – everything you see if beautiful, everything you touch is lovely, every cake you taste is delicious – these costs can add up very quickly, and before you realize it, you are way over your head. I get it.
I’m going to share with you some of my tips for staying within your budget. Yes, this means you’ll need to compromise, but think of it this way, you’ll learn to compromise with yourself and your future husband/wife.
Here are some categories you can save on to help stay within your budget:
Vendors
Don’t only seek out the well-known, high-end vendors. As good as they are at what they do, many other vendors are up-and-coming that are eager for your business and will go above and beyond to meet your satisfaction. For this inspirational shoot I purchased a cake from the newly opened bakery, Anna’s Sweet Treats PDX, I later shared the cake at a friend’s BBQ and everyone loved it! She offered high-end value for a fraction of the cost. If you’re a bride or groom that’s dying for a beautiful cake, but can’t fathom the price. Then look for an upcoming baker that will mimic that cake for you.
Wedding dresses
We all know this is one of the essential piece to a wedding. We also know designer dresses are expensive! I know this, I paid for one and now it’s just sitting in my closet asking to be worn again, but it’s owner gained some weight and can’t fit into it anymore…that’s neither here or there. I offer you a few suggestions:
- Find a new designer, like Krustallos Couture, who will work with your budget and still offer elegance (or any other word that describes a wedding dress)
- Facebook Market. This is not a joke! I found many beautiful gowns for half the price, all in great condition.
- Search for second-hand bridal dresses in your area. They carry beautiful, barely-worn dresses that cost less than a new one on the rack.
Now I know this one is a hard sell because the dress is so important, but believe me, you do not need to look for a brand new dress costing $1000 and up. With some time and research, you will be able to find one used or never worn for half the price.
Invitation suites
I have to be honest on this one, I’m not sure how much customized invitation suites cost, but I can tell you that they are heavenly to see. This experience allows you to talk to an actual person who will make your dream invitation become a reality. I was fortunate to work with Invitobella, LLC and she is the sweetest person! Her suites were elegant and dreamy, it definitely set the tone for our wedding shoot. You can always look at the big sites like Minted, but it’s more personable when you get to work with an actual human being instead of a monitor.
These are just the few areas where you can save some money during your wedding planning. Venues, caterers, and florist’s prices are less variable. If you’re ever stuck, consider hiring a planner, who can take care of the gritty details for you. They also have connections to vendors in the industry which means they might be able to help you with pricing. I’ll touch more on this in another blog.
Final note
This is not a selling point, but a fact. Find the right wedding photographer and even if you have a minimal design or an okay venue, the photographer (me… haha), will be able to give you photos that will transform your 5, 10, 15 thousand dollar wedding into a 1 million dollar wedding.
Cheers!
Rithy Tamba | Oregon Wedding Photographer
Thank you to my vendors for helping pull this shoot together!
Photographer: rtfaithphotography
Invitation Suite: Invitobella, LLC
Dress: Krustallos Couture
Arch: PNWood Crafts
HMUA: Katarina Tiley
Venue: Lightroom PDX
Floral: New Seasons Market
