Weddings can get expensive! While there are many things you can do to cut costs, there are some areas you should leave to the professionals - and we'll tell you why.
A DJ - You may think you don't need a DJ as your cousin has speakers and you can just make a playlist and hook that up. Here's the problem, most people don't realize a DJ's job is more than playing music. The DJ helps run the show by announcing what is going on and having a schedule. A few examples are for the ceremony - if your DJ is doing the ceremony music, he knows exactly what songs to play during what spots and with no delay - there is nothing worse than that awkward silence while waiting for the song to play. Or worse, the wrong song plays. They also announce to be seated for dinner, line up and coordinate the grand march, announce dances and keep you on schedule.
And of course, music-wise, they can feel they vibe of the crowd and play songs based on that to keep people dancing all night!
Photographer - I am sure you know of someone who has a good camera and who will take pictures for you at a really good deal. However, this is one of the biggest days of your life. You cannot recreate or redo these pictures. Your photographer has one shot to capture everything beautifully for these pictures you will have for the rest of your life. A wedding photographer that does many weddings a year and has a portfolio that you love is well worth the money. They will know the angles, timing, lighting, etc. on how to capture your day beautifully. An experienced wedding photographer will also help with making a schedule and sticking to it. Getting all the photos you want on top of all family photos, etc. can be stressful, this is where a professional can help.
When you get those wedding photos back, they should take you back to your wedding day in the most amazing day. You should want to cry happy tears, not sad ones because you hate how your most special day was captured or you didn't get that photo with your grandma.
Hair and Makeup Artists - You deserve to look and feel like a million bucks on your wedding day. Sure, your sister might be great at doing makeup, so why is a hair and makeup artist worth the cost? A hair and makeup artist has probably done a wedding before with multiple people who need to have both hair and makeup done, so they know how long it is going to take for each person and how to schedule it in the most efficient way. There is nothing worse than starting the day off running behind and being rushed because you didn't start hair and makeup early enough or allow enough time for each person.
A hair or makeup artist also has experience and knows what products work best. You don't want your hair to fall or your makeup to become cakey throughout the day. A wedding day is a long one and you should look and feel your best until the very end. The cost of the artists using the best products is worth it alone.
Wedding Coordinator - So we may be a bit biased, but after months of wedding planning, one of the biggest things we want for our clients is for them to enjoy their wedding day and be able to just be the bride and groom that day. A day of coordinator can help in so many areas of the wedding and let you enjoy and let your family and friends just enjoy the day. On your wedding day, you don't want to be answering calls and texts from vendors and questions about where should the DJ set up, where should the photobooth go, can you go find the best man for pictures, or who is going to help us pack up all of our decor at the end of the night. Your job on your wedding day is to get married, take pictures, and enjoy the day with your family and friends. Hire a day of coordinator to do the set up, take down, and everything in between so you can relax and know everything is being taken care of!
Late Night Food - It may seem like you've already spent so much money on food and desserts, why would you spend more for late night snacks? In our experience, the late night pizzas or subs or whatever you decide to do, are good for a number of reasons. For one, people are starting to get hungry again by that point and in most cases those pizzas go faster than the desserts or free beer. Second, it's at this point in the evening people have been drinking and this is a good way to get some food and slow them down a little bit. And lastly and most importantly, if people have been drinking it's a good idea to get them some food to sober up a bit before leaving your reception.
These are a few areas we suggest you bite the bullet and splurge a little on. It's helpful to make a list of what is important to you at your wedding and prioritize where you want to spend more of your budget. You can also find a list of ways to save money on your wedding here. It's important to remember that is it your day, if you want to splurge on a horse-drawn carriage for your grand entrance and save by not doing guest favors, you can do that! Do what's most important to you to have on your best day ever!
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