Sticker Shocked Brides: Cutting Costs For Your Wedding Day

By Author: Kenneth Huber
Total Articles: 1
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I own a Philadelphia wedding company that offers Photography, Disc Jockey and Videography. My company serves over 200 weddings annually. Many brides come to me and one of the first things they say is they never realized everything costs so much. It really is a matter of quality. It is not that everything is so costly, it is just relative.

In the Leigh Valley, the average wedding cost is between $25,000 and $30,000. Which would include 150 to 200 guests at a very nice reception site, with a Videographer, Photographer, and Disc Jockey. It would also include the flowers, a limo, the dress, etc. If you can afford more, you could upgrade the reception site a bit and perhaps get a live band. If you are on a tight budget, I would suggest a VFW or Fire Hall and cutting out "unessentials", which would include not getting a limo and going minimal on flowers. I have heard some brides mention not having a Disc Jockey and hooking up an iPod to a boom box. I feel that is a huge mistake, no one is going to dance to an iPod and set of speakers. First off the sound quality would be horrible. People at weddings don't remember ...
... the food, they don't remember the flowers, and they don't remember the ceremony. What they remember is if they had a fun time, and that is absolutely the reason you need an accomplished band or Disc Jockey.

Some people would argue that having a professional videographer is not an essential service. Years ago I would have agreed with you, with the quality of the videos from years past. In recent years, with the introduction of Hi-Definition cameras, professional level audio equipment, and an array of movie quality video gear. Wedding videography has made quantum leaps and became as essential as photography. I would even argue that wedding videography is of more importance than photography. Imagine watching a professional quality video of your parent's or grandparent's wedding. To see your relatives in the prime of their lives and seeing relatives that may be deceased enjoying themselves in a momentous occasion. The happenings of the day would probably be priceless to you. Whereas, how often do you look at your parent's or grandparent's wedding album? Have you ever seen it? Many of my clients that come to me on a tight budget for Photography and Disc Jockey services and say they do not want video. After viewing a couple demo videos of past weddings, I usually am able to change their minds. Every time I talk a bride into getting video for her wedding, she thanks me as soon as she sees the video. The most common response from these brides is, "Our wedding day flew by so fast, it was amazing to relive each moment watching our video. Thank you so much!" If you book a Photographer that offers both Photo and Video, I am positive they would work with you on the price and possibly help with some type of payment options to assist you to be able to afford getting both services. I personally offer many various payment options to assist my brides afford the wedding of their dreams, after all it is or should be a once in a lifetime event (for most).

If you are on a tight budget and are looking to save on services, the first thing you should eliminate is limousine service. It is not a vital part of the day, you can have a friend or relative take you where you need to go. Floral arrangements are also not extremely important. Your local supermarket can supply some extremely nice floral arrangements for your bouquet and bridesmaids, usually at a fraction of what a flower shop would charge. Invitations do not have to be extravagant, after all, they are going in the trash almost immediately after they are opened. There are many places online where you can get invitations real cheap. Going to a local invitation store will be more expensive than finding a source online. Wedding favors could be done yourself at a very cost effective price. There are many other spots where you could get away with saving some money, but disc jockey, photography, and videography are the most essential services for a successful wedding and the memories.
Ken is the owner of Ken's Entertainment Group, a Philadelphia based wedding company, which specializes in Videography, Disc Jockey and Photography services.