Your Wedding Budget

Did you know that the average cost of a wedding in the United States is now $25,631?  And that is the cost before the honeymoon expenses are figured in!  Of course, not all weddings need to be that expensive, and our Lake Tahoe weddings are priced to meet all budgets, from a few hundred dollars to several thousand.

Now that you have set the big day you need to figure out your budget.  Once the budget has been determined you can start prioritizing and figuring out what is important to you in your wedding.  If others are helping pay for the wedding, an early determination of who is paying what will help all go much more smoothly.

• The Dress: Is a Vera Wang wedding dress what your heart is set on?  Or, is Kate Middleton’s $400,000 dress more like it? Many women start dreaming of their wedding dress from the time they are a young girl so many aren’t willing to cut any corners in order to get the right dress. But, there are many economical choices should you so desire.
• The Venue: You want a drop dead beautiful location for your wedding, but are you willing to pay the cost? Or, will you switch your ideal wedding from a $10,000 day rental fee to one that will cost you several hundred?  Lake Tahoe wedding venues may just look expensive due to the million dollar views, but the price tags don’t come close!
• The Guest List:  Are you planning on having 100′s of guests or just a handful? The higher the guest count the higher the price tag, so determine if this is one area you don’t want to scrimp on.
• The food:  Do you want a full sit down dinner, appetizers or just champagne and cake?  Any option is a great one so don’t feel obligated to feed your guests steak, lobster and Dom Perignon unless that is what your budget allows. Do you want a cake that would make the Cake Boss drool in envy? Lake Tahoe is blessed with great bakers who have many size (and price) cakes to choose from.
•  The flowers:  You can get fabulous fresh wedding flowers to meet all budgets as well as artificial or silk flowers that can be rented. Determine if this is an area you can cut your budget on or if you want to go all out on costs.
•  The reception:  Where do you want your reception to be held?  At a restaurant, the town hall, the beach or a park?  Lake Tahoe has many reception venues as does any other location so don’t limit yourself to just what you know.  Your wedding planner will be able to make suggestions to meet your budget.
• The music:  Is your heart set on that band who had a #1 hit last year or would you be just as happy with a DJ or even a CD Player? This is another area that has a broad range of excellent choices. \
• The photography:  Is a disposable camera enough or would you like to hire a professional?  For many couples, this is one of the most important expenses since photos, along with the memories, are meant to last. Maybe you have a family member that is a professional and offering you the photos as a gift.  Great..that frees up the money you would have spent to go into another area. Do you want videography?  Lots of decisions to make, so the sooner you know what path you’re taking, the better off you’ll be on keeping on budget.

Start a list and decide what is most important to you in your wedding and work your way down to what is the least important.  Decide on what your budget is and start planning.

Your wedding planner can help you put these seemingly daunting tasks into perspective and help you plan the perfect wedding day!