When you’re trying on your dress, you’re tempted to buy the matching veil, tiara, necklace, and handbag. You’re caught up in the moment, and the bridal consultant is fitting you with the finest matching accessories in the store. Before long, you’ve got an extra $2,000 tacked on to your original purchase!

Think about this:

Before you buy everything at a wedding store, check online! You can look on wedding message boards for brides selling their gently used accessories, eBay can also be a good place to find a veil. In fact, at the time of this posting, there were over 16,000 listings for wedding accessories! Your veil/tiara combo is bound to be in there somewhere. 

I would go to a wedding store and try on veils to help determine the length you want first. Then, you can narrow your search a lot more easily online. There won’t be any “Oh no! It’s too short!” incidents.

You can also find small business owners who make veils in different designs. We were browsing the internet looking for some non-typical wedding veils, and we came across Kristen Elizabeth. She designs and makes lace wedding veils. Here’s one of her designs:

Veil by Designs by Kristen

Happy Planning!
Southern Event Planners
Memphis, TN Wedding Planners

Photo by Visio Photography

Yes, we do mean “bring your own beer.” Many couples (and famlies!) don’t realize how much money can be saved by providing your own alcohol. If the average bar tender (in Memphis, TN) runs about $150 for a night, can you imagine what the alcohol markup will be for your event?

We always try to suggest that you bring your own alcohol. Figuring out how much of each type can be daunting, but all you need to do is go to your local liquor store and ask for a little help. Before you go, you need to think about this: how many of your guests are wine drinkers? How many are beer drinkers? What about mixed drinks? Percentages are ok to give the liquor store attendant.

You shouldn’t feel like you need to have an open bar. If you want to, go for it! If not, guests are perfectly happy with beer and wine. It’s ok to set limits.

If you’re providing your own liquor, let the caterer know. They may employ a bar tender to work your event, or you may need to fine your own. This is an important question to ask: what will the bartender provide, if anything? Make sure you have bottle openers, cork screws, napkins, ice, cups, stir sticks, and any other accessories you want. The bartender may provide some of these, and the caterer may provide the rest…just be sure to cross your T’s and dot your I’s!

So, you’ve decided to bring your own alcohol. Who’s going to bring it to the reception location and when?

Many people forget to take into account their guest list when creating a budget. This next tip is true for any party.

The guest list can affect your budget. You’ll spend more money with a guest count of 200 than with a count of 100. Food cost isn’t the only thing that you need to consider when increasing your guest list. Here are a few other things that need to be changed as well:

• Church/Ceremony Space – If you have a larger count, you need to have the right amount of space to accomodate everyone.
• Reception Space – The same thing goes for the reception: more people equals more needed space.
• Reception Seating – You’ll need more chairs for more people
• Tables – You need to create more seating space and if you’re serving a meal, you’ll need space for people to eat.
• Centerpieces – If you have more tables, you’ll need more centerpieces.
• Tablecloths and Linens – With more tables comes added tablecloths. Don’t forget to add those! If you’re using chair covers, those need to be increased as well.
• Dishes/Utensils – More people? More utensils! You’ll need to let the caterer know you’ll need more plates, forks, knives, glasses, etc. If you give them the final guest count and they supply the dishes, they’ll know what to increase. If you’re renting everything seperately, you’ll need to update your rentals.
• Cake – You’ll need to increase the serving size of your cake, add more cake plates, and maybe add on a few more napkins if you’re not using linen napkins.

Brides normally think of the typical items to increase (programs, favors, etc.) but they forget about the technical additions. Hopefully this list will help!

Happy Planning!
Southern Event Planners
Memphis, TN Wedding Planners

How do brides and grooms alike determine what their wedding budget should be? Easy: what can you afford?

Wedding Change Jar - Mookie Gifts.com

Some couples drop change into a Wedding Fund jar, some create a savings account, and some just like to wing it. Try to set aside a certain amount per month or a certain percentage of each paycheck. You could even determine a target amount that you want to spend for your wedding.

Your style should help in determining your budget. If you’re the kind of couple that likes to party and celebrate, you may want to have a bigger budget for a bar, band or DJ, and larger guest list. More guests equal a higher price tag. If you’re a more simple, relaxed couple, you may want a smaller budget to share your wedding day with close family and friends.

Either way, once you figure out what you can afford, stick to it! You came up with that amount for a reason.

How did you determine your budget?

Happy Planning!
Southern Event Planners
Memphis, TN Wedding Planners

With the economy being down like it has been, people are scrambling to save money. Weddings are no exception! We have some tips on how to create and stick to your budget. A few DIY projects may be featured this month too!

Our first post will be on Friday and we’ll talk about who traditionally pays for what. Does the groom pay for the flowers? Does the bride’s parents pay for the transportation? Come back on Friday to find out!

If you have any questions regarding your budget, ask us and your question could be answered in an upcoming blog post!

Happy Planning!
Southern Event Planners
Memphis, TN Wedding Planners

On Monday, I wrote a post about the most expensive wedding invitation ever made. Now it time to give you a few tips on how to save some money on your stationery.

Tip #1:
One way you can shave off a few dollars is by choosing to use digital printing. You have endless options with this type of printing, and it’s quicker and less expensive than your other options.

Tip #2:
If you don’t want to sacrifice the print but you still want a great effect, try thermography printing instead of engraving. It’s cheaper and it’s very similar. The quality may not be super neat and clean, but you’ll have raised lettering.

Tip #3:
Save money on the type of paper that you choose for the invitation. This can be done by selecting a standard paper. You can dress it up with designs or colors from digital printing. Textured papers are going to be more, and the little add-ons add up in the end.

Tip #4:
Choose a standard letter sized invitation. This way, you won’t be charged extra postage for odd envelope sizes.

Tip #5:
Simple invitations are the way to go. If you add that extra bow across the top, or other embellishments, you’ll have to pay for the extra labor and assembly (or do it yourself). Plus, you also run the risk of increased postage. Always take a sample invitation to the post office and have them price the postage for you. That way, you’ll know exactly where you stand.

Tip #6:
Use a postcard as an RSVP card. You can save money on return stamps. Postcard stamps are now 28 cents. Standard stamps are 42 cents. If you send out 100 invitations, you could spend $28 on RSVP postage, or you could spend $42. You cut costs by over half!

Tip #7:
Skip the lined envelopes. Yes, they look nice, but no one really pays attention to the inside of the envelope. Focus on what people are going to look at the most!

What steps did you take to save money on your stationery? Were you a DIY Bride? Leave us a comment and let us know!

Happy Planning (and saving!),
Southern Event Planners
Memphis Wedding Planners