Wedding Planner Q & A: Budget Bride Etiquette - Cher Goggins

WeddingDay has reached out to leading area wedding planners for advice, answering your top questions and helping make your wedding "recession-proof," fabulous, and unforgettable, no matter your budget! Our wedding planners took on a myriad of issues from planning the size of your guest list to knowing what not to skimp on. As always, WeddingDay is here to help plan your perfect wedding-log on to weddingday-online.com to send us your questions.
 

Q: WHAT COULD A WEDDING CONSULTANT DO FOR ME DURING THESE RECESSIONARY TIMES, AND WHAT WOULD IT COST?

A: So often brides and grooms think hiring a planner is a luxury suited only for celebrities and those with endless budgets. Oh how false this idea is. During these recessionary times, it has been common to find ways to maximize your dollars on a budget. A wedding consultant is the key to optimizing your budget to result in the most fabulous event. A professional consultant will help curb your impulse to randomly purchase items that have no rhyme or reason, allowing those funds to be better used to create a more ideal experience and atmosphere for you and your guests. Having an expert's guidance to show you where your dollar is best spent, is a valuable tool to have in your back pocket. Professional consultants should offer a variety of packages and hourly price ranges, from budget creation to full event management. An experienced consultant will be able advise you as to which services best fit your needs.

Q: WE'RE IN A RECESSION—IS THROWING A LAVISH WEDDING INSENSITIVE?

A: Lavish is the key word and is something that can be determined differently by different people. An event can be lavish, with out spending lavishly. There are so many resources in this environmentally aware world today where items can be recycled, reused and resourceful, while creating a phenomenal event sensitive to the economy and the environment. Many people are sensitive to today's economic times, and while one wedding may be over the top to some, it is well within budget to others. Often, we find that brides and grooms opt out of wasteful ideas such as insignificant favors and instead donate to charities and other causes. If your wedding is within your budget, and does not put you or your parents in the poor house even before you return from the honeymoon, consider yourself happily ever after.

Q: YOU'VE GOT TO CUT COSTS—SHOULD YOU TRIM YOUR GUEST LIST, OR DOWNGRADE YOUR WEDDING DETAILS?

A: With budgets tightening these days, we are finding this to be a common decision most clients wrestle with during their planning process. Downgrading your details or trimming your list should be something you decide based on your personal theme and atmosphere that you would like to achieve with your celebration, and should be decided in the very beginning of your planning. If look, style and over the top food and beverage are what makes a dream wedding for you, then it may be that your guest list is limited to those friends and family closest to you. However, if you prefer to have all who know you celebrate your special day with you, then you may have to settle for minimal decor, entry level buffet and a cash bar. These are all decisions that your planner should weigh out with you during your planning process and guide you as your decisions are being made.

--Cher Goggins has spent the past decade turning bridal dreams into reality as one of the premier wedding specialists in the area. As owner of Merry Me! Events, her motto is, Happy you, Merry Me!