Always a hot topic when wedding planning begins, is where to save and where to splurge? Everyone has their own must-have list, but what about all those other items… how important to you are they? Flowers: They are stunning, add so much to the ambiance to the day. So, should you splurge on expensive peonies? If you love them, yes! Peonies are incredible, they’re so dainty, full and luxurious…. and expensive. They can run over $15 PER BLOOM. They’re only in season a few short weeks, here locally, but of course you can have them imported ($$). Either way, you can blow a floral budget really quick on lots of them. So, how to save? Splurge on the brides bouquet and save on the bridesmaids bouquets and centerpieces! Why? Well, for starters your bouquet will be in 90% of photos that include you! Allll those family formals, bridal party photos, photos of you and your new spouse…. there’s that bouquet! Also, in your detail shots, I use the bouquet to add a floral element to many photos. So… you should love your bouquet! If one of your must-have’s is peonies, but your budget is tight? Just put them in your bouquet, it will make it special and you’ll love it.  You can add ranunculus and garden roses for a similar effect in other areas of decor… also, greenery is HUGE right now! Opt for more greens in your bouquets and centerpieces, or better yet, some garland! Ooooh, I love some garland! The bar. In the south, if you have booze, you foot the bill. I know cash bars are popular elsewhere, but not here. So, you still want to have the cocktails flowing, but the budget is tight…. don’t serve hard liquor. People can get just as loose on champagne, beer and wine. If you really want liquor, pick a specialty drink… maybe you love bourbon, so just serve it and skip the vodka, rum, etc. We skipped the liquor at our own wedding and I know it saved us tons! Also, providing kegs of a few kinds of beer can save you tons over buying bottled beer. (we did this too, and had them hid behind the bar, with the bartender…. no one was doing keg stands!) Also, when we got married, I made a spreadsheet of everyone and marked if they were a wine or beer drinker… and calculated how much booze to buy based on that. Over half our guests didn’t drink and if a catering company had handled my alcohol, they would have likely charged me per head and not not taken into account that over half my guests didn’t even drink.   Favors: Skip them. They’re cute little trinkets that no one really wants. They find a way into people’s back seats or kitchen drawers to die. I love a good coozie, but dang, I’ve got buckets full of them! Floor length linens. Why are high-water table cloths still a thing? Stop renting them, they look ridiculous.  It’s like showing your spanx because your dress is too short… undergarments aren’t meant to be seen, and neither are table legs. The only exception is a nice wood table. And don’t get me started on paper/plastic table cloths (throw away kind)…. they are only appropriate at back yard bbq’s and even then, I don’t like them. (if your wedding is a back yard bbq, still rent full length linens… it’s not that expensive!) Venue: Your venue is probably your biggest expense. When selecting your spot, think or ask about these things: Must I use their catering? Can I bring my own alcohol? Will their be a cake cutting fee? Is there a cork fee for bringing my own wine? Do you get full use of the space, or will it cost extra for a spot to get ready? Does the venue offer tables, chairs, etc.? These will all impact your bottom line.   What did you or are you splurging or saving on?

I think a lot of brides see hiring a planner as a luxury…. an expense that could be spared when your budget gets tight. Let me be the first (or one of many!) to tell you that’s the one thing you SHOULD NOT CUT! 99% of the time that I’ve had a chaotic wedding, it’s been because the bride did not hire a coordinator. Please don’t assume your aunt Susie wants to put out all your centerpieces, cute signs and deliver you lunch…. she’d rather be sipping mimosa’s with you and getting her nails done. Promise.   1.They’ll save your sanity. A good planner will make sure your wedding day goes off without a hitch…. and if a hitch happens, you probably won’t know about it until you’re back from the honeymoon! They are the little elves behind the scene running interference for you… so that you don’t have to play coordinator between all your vendors! This may not sound daunting, but trust me… you have enough to deal with on your wedding day that dealing with the band or catering shouldn’t be one of them… mimosas and getting your hair done are all you should worry about! 2. They’ll give you quality recommendations Want to know who the best band is? The best baker? Florist? They’ll be able to guide you.     3. What should your layout be at the reception? Making sure you’ve got ample space for the dinner tables, cocktail rounds, dance floor and DJ can be a headache! Sure, the venue might have some suggestions… but a planner will understand what you want and offer different options.   4. Timeline planning I do a lot of timeline planning with my brides now, but ultimately, I’m not coordinating with all the vendors… your planner is! They’ll be the one to let the DJ know when plan on introducing you when portraits are finished. They’ll be the ones to let the catering company know what time to arrive and be ready with cocktails. 5. They’re there for YOU. Yes, venues have a coordinator on site, but they are there to run the house… not your party. They are there to make sure salads go out, clean up at the end of the night, turn on the lights and unlock the doors…. not make sure your linens are perfect, your mom knows where to be, herd groomsman and tell your DJ knows what time to arrive.   Trust me. The day before our wedding, we spent the entire day setting up (transforming a camp into a wedding venue)…. or that was the plan. When the rentals that were supposed to arrive at 2PM didn’t show until 7PM it threw a huge kink in our day. It caused me to not shower before my rehearsal and rehearsal dinner…. and be up at 8AM on the phone with the emergency line for the rental company wanting to know why I was short 25 chairs for my sit-down dinner! We spent hours after the rehearsal dinner setting up since all the tables and chairs showed up during dinner… instead of celebrating with my friends and family. I was not happy, and really wish I hadn’t had to be the person dealing with that snafu… not to mention, I didn’t get ready at the venue, so I had to trust that the 25 chairs chairs did in fact show up, and were set up appropriately. It was stressful…. stress that could have been alleviated if I’d hired someone to deal with those headaches for me.   Do yourself and all your vendors a favor…. and hire a planner!