Venue Selection

Oftentimes Couples have a dream venue in mind and will do anything in their power to host their wedding there. They throw budget out of the window ( afterall...sometimes it's Mom and Dad's money) and get the venue and food selection of their dreams.

But what if you are paying for your own wedding and you are stuck between choosing the venue of your dreams (one that is higher than your comfort level in terms of budget) and picking one that you feel more comfortable affording but doesn't meet some expectations?

Here's the deal. A wedding planner can help you stay on track of budget and allow you to feel more comfortable about your decision. Realistically, a wedding budget is a sliding scale. If you spend too much in category A...you need to scale back in category B.

I had this discussion with one of my Brides today. She fell in love with one of the venues we visited and yet she wanted to keep visiting other venues that were on the very other end of the scale. After each meeting she would look defeated because at the lower pricepoint...she just wasn't feeling the same way as she did with the more expensive venue. I could tell that price was prohibiting her to make a decision and allow herself to fully fall in love with that venue.

So I made her a deal....book the venue that you have fallen in love with and let me worry about your remaining budget. If we cut back on other area's...and become a little more thrifty or creative...you get the location of your dreams and we will stick within your OVERALL wedding budget.

She agreed and they signed on the dotted line this evening. The couple was beaming afterwards! So happy.

The moral of this story....look at the overall budget. Dont get caught up in the budget of each and every item right up front. Venue will be the largest price tag. So you need to be cautious and stay within your means...but don't settle too much. Get the venue that makes you feel amazing when you walk in the doors, the way your guests will. And then use your remaining budget wisely....if you go for the venue that was less expensive but doesn't have that "wow" factor...you will feel that way every time you walk into it. Afterall...guests always remember the food and atmosphere at a wedding.

The general rule of thumb is that your venue will be half of your overall budget. So if your venue is costing $20,000....your safe to say that your overall Wedding budget will be $40,000 . But these days...you can really get creative and help lower your other costs...especially with the help of a creative and talented Wedding Planner ;)

~Kelly.