Needs VS Wants When Planning For Your Wedding
Needs
When planning your wedding, you should sit down with your spouse prior to your wedding and discuss what you want in your wedding vs what you believe you need. Some of those things may seem obvious but others you may look over in regret not doing in the end. In this article, we wil discuss the needs and wants when it comes to vendors.
As mentioned, some vendors may seem obvious such as a reception venue. I mean, duh! You need an actual place to get married and have your reception. The main thing you must decide here though is if you want to get married at the same place you have your reception or will it be two different locations. If you are having a catholic wedding, 9 times out of 10 you will have your reception at a separate location. When it comes to the reception venue, you will want to ask them a few questions such as; Do they provide a full bar? Do they provide food? Do they have other preferred vendors? The more they offer, the better!
Another need would be a photographer. You may say, no no I don’t NEED a photographer. But think about it! Even if you didn’t hire a professional photographer, you still ask your friends and family to snap photos on their phones… because you know it is important to have photos! All I am saying is, if you want photos, you should probably just budget for a professional to handle it so your guests can just enjoy themselves.
The food. Of course, the food is important. Whether you’re doing a buffet, plated meal, brunch, desserts… it is all super important because your guests expect to eat at your wedding. It all started with the wedding at Cana. Jesus converted the water into wine and they ate food in celebration of such a delightful occasion!
The attire is important and a must! BUT it doesn’t mean you need to spend a fortune. Try a resale shop or the clearance rack first. Don’t forget though, you only get married once (hopefully) so if you find the dress or suit of your dreams, I say, get it!
Even though I believe a DJ is a must, there are different ways in which you can save money there as well. Check out my How to Pay for a Wedding & Get out of Debt blog.
Wants
Now that I listed some needs for your wedding, let’s talk about wants. In my opinion, some things that may fall under the “want” category would be Save The Dates, an expensive cake, expensive rings, attendee and wedding party favors, a florist (make your own), and professional decorator. Now, you may or may not agree with me on these but I will give a brief explanation for each one.
Save The Dates. For Save The Dates, you will order too many and be stuck with them OR your attendees will lose them anyways and ask you about the date again. I recommend just creating an email or Facebook message stating your tentative date and just telling them to save the date. Spend the money on your actual invites instead!
Expensive Cake. I spent a whopping $190 on our cake to feed 200 people. We ordered a small 2 tier cake for ourselves that was simple because you spend all of 5 minutes looking at it before it is demolished. The rest of the cake was plain sheet cake. Everyone loved it!
Expensive Rings. Obviously, this one depends on the person. It was actually me that wanted a moissanite ring and my husband wanted me to get a real one. Some of the moissanite rings I have seen are GORGEOUS!
Party Favors. No. No. No. Any wedding I have been to, the favors are something that can be thrown away anyways. You spend hundreds of dollars and they are unappreciated. We have no party favors and nobody said a word about it.
Florist. Again, this is your opinion and choice in the end. If you are DIY savvy, I say make your own. I have seen some beautiful DIY creations.
Decorator. You asked your wedding party to be a part of your Big Day for a reason. Now, put them to work! Make a fun time out of it with mimosas and have your party help you decorate.
I could go on and on with more Needs and Wants because there are hundreds! For now, I hope this is a good start for you.
