Money: A Top Marriage Stressor ($25)

 

This award winning games does not require a financial planner background. This simple to use game will get you and your partner (or parents!) on a new level of understanding about your ATTITUDES on money...spending, saving, security.

 

No matter what your money views, there is no "right or wrong." A few big "a-ha" moments may greatly help your wedding and married life. read more

Wedding Discounts for Marriage Preparation

 

You take driving lessons, cooking classes, get coaching on sports, but somehow the most complex, life long relationships are assumed to magically work.

We are teaming up with wedding vendors to offer you wedding discounts for qualifying marriage prep purchases (books and classes.) Get Details

We're Going to Be One Happy Family...or else!

 

A very unique book written by a nationally respected marriage and family therapist, along side his GenX daughter.

 

A mother loved our book so much, she bought over a dozen copies to give to everyone in the family! They used the guidance from beginning to end to reduce conflict and avoid the "emotional landmines" that are sure to arise in wedding planning. read more

Wedding Vendor Quotes

 

Wedding vendors and couples are in a fascinating co-dependent relationship. Without wedding vendors you don't have a wedding but without engaged couples, wedding vendors can't exist. Engaged couples are trying to maximize their savings while wedding vendors are trying to maximize their profit. Couples may or may not shop around, but wedding vendors know what people in their industry are charging and the games wedding vendors play. How do you know if your wedding vendor is trying to rip you off or is too good of a deal?

 

The number one complaint of wedding vendors is when engaged couples first ask, "how much do you cost?" They sometimes feel like you would feel if instead of being asked, "What do you do for a living?" you were asked, "how much do you make?" The notion that money is more important than their skills, background, or that they could even give you a fast number without knowing the details (when, where, how many people, what exactly you want from them.)

 

What To Know Before Getting Wedding Vendor Quotes

 

It's reasonable for you to want to know how much a wedding vendor costs and to ask right away to ensure you're even talking to the right person. If you have a Wal-Mart budget, you don't want to feel embarrassed or waste time talking to a posh boutique. But how do you ask without sounding crass or feeling stupid that your entire wedding budget is HALF of what they're quoting you for ONE service? (Yes, the invitations I found in a magazine turned out to be literally HALF of my entire wedding budget!! Needless to say, I found other invitations.)

 

Step One is to really work through your wedding guest list, not to have final names and numbers, but to avoid the SINGLE BIGGEST STRESS OF WEDDING PLANNING!

 

Almost all wedding stress and drama comes back to bad decisions, bad communication, false assumptions, lack of communication, or just plain ignorance around how early decisions greatly impact later decisions in wedding planning. You lock in a wedding location and you've just set up a whole list of financial obligations and restrictions including who can be invited. I cringe when people create world war three in their families around the guest list simply because they locked in the big wedding vendors before clearly communicating and thinking through those decisions. "My budget won't allow a bigger wedding" is not ultimately a valid argument when, if you had the wedding guests first, you would have fit your budget to reflect the wedding guest size instead of the other way around.

 

Step Two is to do your homework on how much weddings cost.

 

We have a very rough breakdown for you, knowing things are VERY regional and you may want to ask local couples (or ask your parents to ask their friends who recently had kids who got married) for more accurate numbers. These numbers are national averages accumulated by theweddingreport.com. The estimated average cost of a 2009 wedding is between $21,000 and $25,000, with the 2008 average wedding guest list size being 145 (a drop from 2007 when the economy was better.) Keep in mind the wedding industry claims couples go on average, 50 percent above their budget!

 

Step Three is to work with national averages

 

Better than national, find any regional average, look at all the PER PERSON expenses and then begin to find vendors that generally fit an "average" budget. You may want to rearrange where you spend your money, knowing in the end you'll have easily 10-20% more than you budgeted for in miscellanous. If you separate the PER PERSON expenses from the flat rates, you'll find your wiggle room.

 

Sample Wedding Vendor Quote Question: "I'm interested in how much your wedding cake costs for a guest list of about 125 people. The national average I see is $334, or about $2.30/slice. We would rather spend closer to $1.50/slice if we can. Please let us know what, if anything, $1.50/slice would look like, or what your minimum slice cost is and what would be included (choice of flavors and fillings.)

 

Sample Wedding Vendor Quote Question: "I want to invite 150 people and am playing with the numbers. I love your reception location but the cost is on the higher end for my budget. Can you tell me what other couples have done for food because I know I have wiggle room on what I serve if I can make the numbers work on your space. I'm also wondering if your location may require fewer flowers and decorations or other line items on a typical wedding budget so I can get the math to work out.)

 

Per Person Expenses include

invitations, ceremony programs, engagement announcements, invitations, RSVP cards, reception menu cards, save the date announcements, table or place cards, thank you cards, decorations at reception (size of reception depends on guest size), reception bar service, food, reception location (bigger space = more money), reception rentals (tent, table, chairs, etc), table centerpieces, wedding cake

 

Wedding Vendor Quotes are almost always needed from:

officiant, rehearsal dinner, ceremony location fees, reception location fees, catering, bakery, photographer, videographer, music, florist, planner, transportation.

 

Wedding Vendor Quotes you can pretty easily find online include:

invitations, beauty treatments, accessories, officiant (often listed on their website), wedding favors, wedding gifts, accessories (including guest book, toasting flutes, cake topper and server set)

 

Accessories and Attire = $1,705
	2009
Cufflinks	$59
Cummerbund, Tie, Pocket Square	$51
Shoes for Bride	$86
Shoes for Groom	$77
Tiara, Combs, Hair Pins, Garter	$66
Tuxedo/Suit	$314
Veil	$97
Wedding Dress	$841
Wedding Dress Preservation	$114

Beauty and Spa = $324
	2009
Facial	$60
Hair Service	$77
Makeup Service	$61
Manicure & Pedicure	$50
Massage	$76

Ceremony  = $1,701
	2009
Aisle Runner	$82
Ceremony Location	$1,268
Other Accessories or Decorations	$240
Ring Pillow or Box	$56
Unity Candle	$55

Ceremony Officiant average = $181
	2009
Justice of the Peace	$172
Officiate	$187
Ordained Friend, Family Member	$124
Pastor, Minister, Rabbi	$175
Priest	$247

Entertainment $895/musicians, $1,295 DJ, $1,731 band
	2009
Band at ceremony	$605
Band at reception	$1,126
Dance lessons	$405
DJ at ceremony	$643
DJ at reception	$652
Musician/s at ceremony	$384
Musician/s at reception	$511

Flowers = $1,222
	2009
Boutonnieres, Corsages	$116
Bridal Bouquet	$148
Bridesmaid Bouquets	$148
Ceremony Flower Arrangements	$274
Flower Girl Flowers	$80
Flower Petals	$87
Reception Flower Arrangements	$369

Gifts and Favors = $1,301
	2009
Gift/s for Attendants	$267
Gift/s for Parents	$246
Gift/s for the Bride	$250
Gift/s for the Groom	$240
Wedding Favors	$298

Honeymoon = $6,124
	2009
Accessories	$301
Airline Tickets	$856
Camera, Video Camera	$424
Cruise Package	$1,629
Hotel, Resort	$1,212
Luggage	$397
New Clothes	$419
Spa Treatments	$432
Tours & Shows	$454

Invitations and Paper = $1,070
	2009
Bridal Shower Invitations	$78
Ceremony Programs	$118
Engagement Announcements	$148
Guest Book	$54
Invitations & Reply Cards	$269
Reception Menus	$130
Save-the-Date Cards	$108
Table or Place Cards	$91
Thank You Cards	$74

Jewerly = $5,833
	2009
Anklet	$208
Bracelet	$190
Brides Wedding Band	$1,032
Earrings	$185
Engagement Ring	$2,939
Grooms Wedding Band	$829
Necklace	$173
Watch for Bride	$277
Watch for Groom	$425

Parties / Rehearsal dinner = $2,049
	2009
Bachelor Party	$291
Bachelorette Party	$299
Bridal Shower	$305
Engagement Party	$380
Rehearsal Dinner	$774

Photography and Video = $3,785
	2009
Engagement Photographer	$601
Engagement Videographer	$707
Wedding Photographer	$1,415
Wedding Videographer	$1,062

Planner or Consultant (ave $962)
	2009
A La Carte Services	$797
Day-of-Coordinator	$636
For Getting Started	$600
Full Service	$1,816
Month-of-Direction	$931

Reception = $11,457
	2009
Hotel Room for After Reception	$252
Other Accessories or Decorations	$252
Reception Bar Service	$2,309
Reception Food Service	$3,299
Reception Location	$2,636
Reception Rentals (Tent, Table, Chairs, Etc.)	$1,881
Reception Table Centerpieces	$294
Toasting Flutes	$98
Wedding Cake	$334
Wedding Cake Topper and Serving Set	$102

Transportation (ave = $394 )
	2009
Antique Car Rental	$454
Horse & Carriage Rental	$439
Limo Rental	$474
Motorcycle Rental	$312
Regular Car Rental	$289