Weddings 2013….. The Time to Plan is Now!

Hello Readers!  I apologize for being away for so long.  Needless to say, I have been a very busy wedding coordinator lately!  2012 is well underway, and as I write this, I am currently working on a wedding for this coming Saturday, May, 19th.  Pictures will be posted on my website soon!

Time certainly has a way of getting away from us.  Although we are finding ourselves in the latter spring months of May 2012, it is time to for those of us in the wedding business, to begin to look at Weddings 2013!  I have recently been contacted about weddings for the following year, and I say, YIPEEEEEE!  It is so good to see brides and grooms planning well in advance.  Stress be gone I say!  So what should you be doing right now to prepare for your wedding in 2013?

First and foremost, like I’ve stated in the past………..START WITH YOUR GUEST LIST!!  What? What about the venue you say?  Ok while it is true you need to book your favorite venue way, way, out, I still suggest that you begin with how many people you intend to invite to your big day, and how might your budget begin to accommodate all your friend and family?  Remember brides, although you and your fiance are understandingly excited to share your love with ALL of your friends and family, your budget might be slapping you in the face with a reality check!  So with that being said, review the numbers….how much to you REALLY have to spend on your wedding.  Let’s throw out a number………….say you have a budget $20,000.  Sounds like a lot right?  STOP.  Now think carefully.  Is the venue of your dreams going to take a good $6,000 or more just to rent the space?  In many areas that number and HIGHER is very realistic.  Then how are you going to feed everyone?  Are you going to spend at the very least upwards of $55.00/plate for every guest?  100 guest and that’s $5,500.  Honestly, many popular venues charge over $100/plate, so you can already be at around $16,000 and you haven’t included anything else………..flowers, pictures, your dress, bridesmaid’s dresses, tuxes…etc..you get the picture.  So…….how is that 500 guests at your wedding looking now?

The problem with falling in love with a venue first is, that your emotions are understandingly running very high.  You want the romance, you want opulence, and frankly you want to impress your guests!  But how many guests is your budget willing and able to impress?  All too often I have seen couples rent a venue that is way out of their budget and THEN agonize over the guest list because they cannot possibly feed and entertain everyone they know!  What a shame!  Why put yourself through such stress.  Start with the guest list.  If inviting 300 people is the most important thing to you…then figure out at the very minimum how much it’s going to cost you to invite so many of your friends and family.  Then look for a venue that is large enough to accommodate a large crowd, but doesn’t eat away at your overall budget!  If the venue is more important than inviting every living soul on the planet, then by all means…..rent the Queen’s Palace if your budget allows.  But whatever you decide….DO NOT RENT SOMETHING THAT CANNOT COMFORTABLY ACCOMMODATE YOUR GUEST AND YOUR BUDGET!!!!.  Why rent a $6,000 venue to 50 people?  I guess if your budget can do it…then perfect…but if not be more realistic and work from the ground up!

So brides and grooms of 2013, and beyond.  Start with your guest list NOW.  Take the time to really think about  what is most important.  Do not OVER accommodate if your wallet won’t allow!  You will both be more relaxed, calm, and confident as you head down the path of planning your wedding.  As always, I congratulate all of you, and if you are planning a wedding in our lovely town of Murphys, Ca, then by all means, give me a call!  I’m here to help!