The Who, What, Where, When, Why and How’s of planning a wedding can be so overwhelming. They’ll make you wonder if you should simply elope.
If you’re like most couples though, you’re so much in love with your mate; you simply want your wedding day to be one to remember, so you place a lot of value in its preparation.
Value: Let’s talk about that for a minute. The word value is defined two ways: important or meaningful; significance liking or affection; favorable regard. The value of your wedding day.
Another definition: monetary or material worth, as in commerce or trade. The value of a good meal, or good entertainment. There are two types of value in every wedding and they have to be in sync.
Imagine being invited to a wedding reception at an elegant ocean side resort somewhere, only to discover their serving pizza and kool aide, (and 20/20 ripple for the toast). The photographer is making the guests pose for shots and the flowers are dandelions, and the music is protruding from a dusty set of speakers that are crackling due to a blown speaker. That wedding should have been in the back yard of Uncle Ned’s farm.
The venue, the caterers, the photographer, the flowers arrangements and the entertainment all have to be in perfect order to set the mood, and create the ambience of an enchanting experience with lasting memories for you and your guests. You have to set the “standard of value” from the onset of the planning stage, and stick with it. Then, set a budget using percentages in order to purchase professional wedding vendors.
A good rule of thumb is as follows: (Based on a $10,000 budget)
35% is going toward the venue…real estate is expensive.
15% will be for a professional wedding photographer.
10% toward the flower arrangement,
25% towards the catering company (food & beverage), and
15% toward a professional wedding entertainment.
Make sure that the photographer and the entertainment are wedding professionals and are familiar with the requirements set forth.
Though their least paid, they actually carry 80% of the responsibility of the success of your special day.
The photographer:
Do your homework. If he/she takes a shot, and it’s blurry, or dark or whatever, there’s no going back. His responsibility is two fold. He has to take good shots that are memorable, and after the event put them in a elegant delivery system.
The entertainment:
Again do your homework. There are “professional wedding entertainment” companies and then there are DJ companies (plug and play). Know the difference!
A wedding entertainment professional specializes only in weddings and will work with you weeks and months before your date. He will spend hours planning your sound track and ensuring everything that is required by you will be in place! He knows the special requirements of ceremonies and receptions. He will work closely with the other vendors. For instance, he will ensure the caterers have the champagne poured for the toasting, and the photographer will be advised of the special events that are required during the reception. A good wedding entertainment company knows how to work the crowd without being a over powering or an embarrassment to you.
Invest wisely! By quality! It’s your big day!
Written by
Skip Barrus DJ/MC
Founder of the SCDJA