Getting engaged is one of the most exciting and happiest times of your life. At the same time, it can be very emotional and overwhelming. Are you a Los Angeles couple and planning for your wedding? You may not be very knowledgeable about the cost of items or what the normal procedures are. So many event planners to choose from, but how can you make wedding planning Los Angeles precise and up-to-the-minute? Ease the pressure of planning your wedding and be confident about making your dream wedding a reality. Here are some tips:
Have an honest conversation with your fiancé or fiancée (and your parents, if they are involved) about the budget for your wedding. Who will be contributing for the funds? And how much are they comfortable contributing?
Be realistic about your budget because you might be surprised about the numbers. Most people don’t have an inkling about the real cost of weddings, you will have to consult your event planner. However, be prepared because costs can easily change from what you’ve initially discussed. It’s actually very hard to know what the different items are especially if you don’t have a background in events. The Internet can provide information about what is normal, but note that it varies depending on location. A downtown Toronto wedding costs different from a wedding in the GTA, a Texas, New York City or Montreal or Alberta wedding.
Make a list of the vendors you’ll need to hire for the occasion. Note according to priority – the event coordinator, venue, photographer, florist, cake, DJ, etc. You have to know where you want to spend money and what items you can cut down.
Consider that 40- 50% of your budget typically goes to food and beverage. The rest of the funds are divided to other areas depending on your priority list. If you spend more on photography and stationery, you’ll have to cut back on décor and the DJ. Not all weddings fall into these divisions, though, but it’s a great place to start.
Write down a list of every person you absolutely want to invite to the party. You should have an idea of the largest number of your guest list. Ask your parents about who they would like to invite, too.
Categorize your guest list according to “family”, “closest friends”, “friends”, “work associates” and “think about” options. It will help you get a “feel” of the crowd at your party, depending on whether you’re family- heavy or friends-focused. Keep in the mind that the larger the crowd at your party, the more limited your venue space is going to be.
The “feel” of your wedding party is based on the venue and it is the largest expense (with food and beverage, etc) on the event. How do you want your venue to be? Formal or casual, modern or traditional, rustic or elegant or a mixture of either or all?
Make a list of the venues you like, along with further searching on the Internet. From your choice, you can develop a theme. Contact the venue; ask for the availability and the cost. Make appointments for site visits and consult your Wedding Planning los Angeles so you get a feel for what to do and proceed from there.
