Value: Finding What Really Matters For Your Wedding
So let's talk about budgeting for a minute.
What do you value? We know about what percentage of your budget should go to various things, like the venue or your dress, but how do we figure out what the actual numbers are? Where should we spend big and where should we try to save? It all comes down to one thing:
Value
It all depends on what things you value. What's important to you? There are a lot of things you could spend money on for your wedding, but you should only go for the things that matter to you. Some things are a necessity, like the venue or your dress. Others are unique luxuries, like releasing a bunch of butterflies OR doves after your wedding ceremony. Don't do both. It won't end well for the butterflies.
Let's take photography, for example. It might sound odd to hear me say this as I am a photographer, but the amount of money you spend on your photographer should depend on how much you value having photography. If you're someone who values photography as a fine art and/or a story-telling medium, then you should make sure there's enough money in the budget for you to get the photographer that you know will give you exactly what you want. If, on the other hand, photography simply isn't that important to you, then you should spend the money somewhere else.
Maybe you've always wanted to dazzle everyone with a lavish, flowing wedding gown. If that's the case, then by all means spend what needs to be spent to get the dress of your dreams. If you're not a fan of the big, poofy princess dress and you want your wedding to be more about the people sharing the day with you, then it's better for you to just get a nice but simple dress and spend your money on making sure you have great food at your reception and an excellent DJ to make sure your guests have a great time.
There are no right or wrong answers here. Again, it all comes down to what you value. You should spend your money on the things that are important to you.
P.S.: If you'd like a bit of information about the value of hiring a photographer, you can find that here!
