Valentine's Day
As long as I have been planning events there has been one universal truth, on February 15 my phone will be ringing all day. Excitement is in the air and newly engaged couples will be anxious to start planning their special day. The energy is palpable. Who wouldn’t be excited? Who wouldn’t want to yell from the mountain tops and tell everyone your exciting news; and make sure your friends and family to save that date. So when I answer the call it always pains me when I advise the couple on the other end to pump the breaks a bit; we’ve got some work to do.
Work? It’s a wedding, it should be all about fun and throwing caution to the wind. Sorry to be the party pooper but it is my responsibility to make sure you have the wedding of your dreams not the nightmare for years to come. The first step. The thing you should do before you do anything else. No looking at venues or googling centerpieces. No dress shopping or cake tastings. The first step is that you, as a couple, set a budget for your party. Ug, doesn’t that sound boring?
There are so many emotions that go into planning a wedding. The very last thing that needs to be added to the mix is stress over the financial aspects of your big day. So, have the talk now. What do you as a couple feel comfortable spending on a wedding? Do you want to pay for everything in cash or are you comfortable creating debt to be paid off over a bit of time. Before a single contract is signed you should set forth a dollar amount; an ultimate spend for everything.
Something to remember when setting and keeping to your budget. Think of your wedding as a business. There are deadlines, people in charge (let’s hope that is only the two of you), timetables, and many, many moving parts. You want your business to be the very best it can be so set it up for success