Weddings can be expensive, and you need to be smart with how you will allocate your budget so that you can still have the wedding of your dreams without being in debt. You need to sit down with your future spouse and decide what you want to prioritize for the wedding.
There are those who want to spend a lot of money on the wedding dress and the rings, while there are those who would also like to give importance to the venue and the food that will be served at the wedding.
But lately, more and more couples have come to realize that the wedding photographer is one of the most important aspects of the wedding. Because after the wedding is done, when all the guests and supplies have gone home, and even when years have passed, it will be the pictures that will serve as a concrete reminder of one of the best days of your life.
If you are looking for ways on how you can save more money so that you can afford the best Raleigh Wedding Photographer for your dream wedding. Here are also some tips to budgeting for your wedding photographer and other wedding expenses.
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Have your ceremony and reception in one place
– unless you are hell-bent on having a church wedding, why not look for a venue where you can hold both the ceremony and venue in the same place. Maybe you can find a hotel that has a small chapel or function room that can serve as the place for the ceremony, then move quickly to another area for the reception. Or you can opt for a garden wedding and just have the caterer set up the venue with everyone seated on the tables for the reception while there is an aisle for you to walk on during the ceremony part.
Check to see if you can have the wedding during the off-peak season
– if you are not eyeing a particular date for your wedding, you can just have it during the off season. If you try to book a venue or suppliers during the peak season, such as December, guaranteed that the prices will be higher than usual. So opt for a month and day, such as a weekday so that you can bargain with the suppliers on the prices.
If you like being creative, why not go DIY for some parts of the wedding
– it’s becoming more and more popular for brides to create some do-it-yourself for their wedding. It might feel like a lot of effort, but it’s also a way to be more involved and more in control. Check out Pinterest for some ideas on what you can do at your wedding so that you cut down on costs and allocate that money for your wedding photographer. One option is to print your own photo book.
Pick flowers that are in season
– flowers for a wedding can be expensive, especially if you choose flowers that are not in season. So do your research, because there are some flowers that are more expensive, such as peonies, compared to more common ones, like roses.
Cut the guest list
– don’t be pressured to invite everyone you know at the wedding. Just choose the ones that you are closest to and who you’d really like to be there on your very special day.
These are really good tips. Wedding are so expensive these days. We went pretty small, and used our budget mainly for the reception. We also most skipped that too, but looking back I am sure glad that we didn’t. What fabulous memories.
Totally agree with these, we did a lot of this to keep costs manageable. We upset a few people by limiting the guest list but hey ho, they got over it… mostly. We got married on a Thursday which was half the price of Saturday… again, guests were a bit grumpy about it but tough! haha We didn’t have bridesmaids so less dresses and flowers etc, there are loads of little things you can do to make a big difference to the budget!
I wish we had a better photographer for our wedding! I really think that is worth more than other aspects. Great tips for those who are planning and I do encourage that people put more money into a great photographer and use these tips.
I have to agree with you on a lot of this. Weddings are expensive. We have been married for 125 years now so I can’t even imagine the cost of one now. But honestly I think there are spots where you can trim budget and be economical and save but photos are super important. Do your homework and check them out before hand. Don’t go with the least expensive or the friend of a friend unless they are exceptional. You look at your wedding photos for the rest of your life!! Remember that!
I wish I could go back and re-choose a photographer. Mine was so formal and I love the more candid type of photographers. There are so many great photographers out there who can really fit into a budget, they just need a chance!
Such great tips. I’m forever amazed by how expensive weddings can be these days. I love the idea of using flowers that are in season. I went to a wedding this summer and they had picked wildflowers from the bride’s family farm. They were whimsical, pretty, and added a really special touch to their big day. x
Fantastic tips. Weddings are so expensive but having the best photos are so important too. I wish I could go back and get a better photographer for our wedding.
These are great tips, When I renew my wows I will make sure to get a good photographer, it is important to have someone you can trust and you know the pictures are going to be good, The memories when you look at your pictures are always be best. Great article
We had our wedding during the off season. We wanted a specific date and time which happened to be early afternoon during a week day. It worked out really good, our venue and photographer were cheaper that way.
Weddings are soooo expensive. Your pointers are great. It certainly helps to have wedding and reception in one place. One of my SIL’s is a photographer and does weddings. I have heard from stories….
These are really good tips. When we got married, believe it or not, the photographer we hired tried to ditch us without calling on the day off that he won’t be showing up. It was so stressful. It’s also hard to cut down the guest list. We ended up with 20 tables. I like the part where you said do the wedding and reception at the same place. Coz’ ours was 3 locations, 1 church, 1 location for photography, then one for reception. Some people got lost. Haha.