Wedding Guide

WEDDING PLANNING WITH
Bride
ON A BUDGET
THE
STEP GUIDE FOR
11THE OVERWHELMED BRIDE

So, you’re recently engaged?
Congratulations!
“
“
A wedding is a party, not a
A wedding is party, not a
performance. At the end of
performance. At the end of the day, if
the day, if you are married
you are married to the one you love,
to the one you love, then
then everything went perfectly.
everything went perfectly.
””
This is one of the most exciting times of your life, so make sure you take the
time to enjoy it (and drinks lots of champagne!) It’s always a bit daunting when
you first start thinking about planning your wedding – I mean, where you
do you even start? There’s so much to consider – venues, photographers,
music; it can be a little overwhelming!
Don’t worry – we have been discussing this at BOAB, and we thought we
would put together a little ‘step by step’ guide to planning a wedding, so you
have a bit of direction and a mini check list to work through.
The other thing you will start to notice is just by mentioning the ‘w’ word,
the quotes become super expensive. If you have unlimited funds for your
wedding this guide probably won’t be useful for you. However, if you are
looking to create a beautiful wedding within a realistic budget, I think you’ll
find this particularly useful. Our job is to help you identify the quick wins &
cost saving opportunities, so I have included a few key questions you can ask
along the way.
Ready? Let’s do it!

CONSULT YOUR PARTNER
At the end of the day, every wedding needs to begin with a discussion
between you and your fiancé about what you would like.
It is so important to ensure you are both on the
same page before you start discussing your ideas
with others. Bed down the basics as a couple,
and just like that, you have taken your first step
in the right direction. This conversation will save
you a lot of time and effort, as there is no point
researching a wedding in Bali if your man flat out
refuses to go! You may not agree straight away,
but it’s a really positive step in the right direction.
QUESTIONS TO BE ASKED:
• What type of wedding would we like?
• Would we consider a destination wedding?
• Do we definitely want a big wedding?
STEP 1:
CONSULT YOUR PARTNER

DEFINE YOUR BUDGET
This doesn’t necessary need to be finalised at this step, but you again need
to understand how much money you realistically think you have to spend.
Essentially the amount of money you are willing to spend on the wedding will
define the type of wedding you can actually consider.
QUESTIONS TO BE ASKED:
• Are our parents in a position to contribute?
• What savings do we currently have?
• How much could we realistically save, and how long will this take us?
• Will these factors affect the date of the wedding?
STEP 2:
DEFINE YOUR BUDGET
Again this can be a tough conversation,
but it’s a fantastic way of establishing your
boundaries and understanding what is
realistic. They say the average wedding in
Australia costs $65K, but I think that is a
substantially inflated estimate. As a rough
guide, and in speaking with friends who
have previously been married, a sit down
wedding for 100 people at a venue tends
to cost around $30K - $35K. However, this
can be reduced should you be willing to put
time and effort in to cost saving initiatives.
Bear in mind if you’re really struggling, you
could ask for money contributions instead
of wedding gifts, and then put that towards
the overall cost at the end. Not ideal, but
it can sometimes help as a buffer…this is
when some people decide it is far easier
to elope!

THE GUEST LIST
This is always the most difficult part, and it’s probably best to acknowledge from
the beginning that this will realistically end in some sort of disagreement.
QUESTIONS TO BE ASKED:
• Are we inviting cousins? • Are we inviting work friends? • Are we inviting partners?
• If parents are contributing, do they have a say in who is invited?
STEP 3:
THE GUEST LIST
Important tip: this task is best tackled with
wine! Try to maintain a positive outlook as you
essentially begin to rank the friendships of your
friends and family! Sometimes it is easier to apply
a general ‘rule’ to guests so it doesn’t come down
to individual people.
I remember some friends applied a rule of ‘only
immediate family’ – this initially sparked some
controversy, but they stayed strong, and the
family came to terms with their decision. It’s
very important to have a united front for these
decisions…even though it would be far easier to
blame it on the bride!
Next step is to work through your list of friends,
which really can be a little brutal. Just remember
that if you have 100 people, and they have partners,
you essentially have 50 couples to invite. Divide
that by two (yours & your partners friends), and
you have 25 couples each. Including family. Keep
that equation in mind because it really can help
with your decisions – if you only have 10 couples,
who would be your nearest and dearest?
If you’re still struggling, here are a few thought
provoking questions that can often help: Have
you caught up for dinner with them in the past 12
months? Would they give you a buzz for a chat?
Would you take them out to dinner for $120 a
head? Would they know your surname, without
checking facebook? Will their presence have an
impact on your day?

STEP 4:
VENUES
Now that you have an idea of numbers, it’s time to start venue shopping.
First things first, start researching venues that can hold your numbers.
If you have a large number of guests, you’ll tend
to find it rules out quite a number of venues. This
step can take a little while, but once it is locked in,
everything else tends to fall in to place.
When speaking to the different venues, remember
that it is completely acceptable to say that you
are trying to cut costs as much as possible.
Don’t be embarrassed as this conversation could
literally save you thousands. It is also important
to arm yourself with questions to ask – this will
demonstrate that you are well researched and
serious about locking in a venue, meaning they
should hopefully offer some sort of deal or
discount to secure your business. I have outlined
a few questions below, but you can certainly add
a few of your own.
Quick tip – try to find a place that can hold the
ceremony as well as the reception! If you can keep
the two at the same location, you immediately
save on the cost of hiring a second venue as well
as transportation…not to mention just making life
easier for yourself!
When you have finally shortlisted a couple of
venues, they should be able to provide you with
an initial quote outlining a break down of all the
elements, and they will want you to put down a
deposit to secure the date. This is where you sit
down with coffee and work through the quote line
by line to ensure you are comfortable with the
cost and see if you can identify any savings. We
will review catering and alcohol in the next few
steps, but this initial draft will help you understand
any additional costs you weren’t aware of such as
styling, on-site accommodation, catering staff etc.
QUESTIONS TO BE ASKED:
• Can they hold your number of guests? • Do they offer any discounts for
certain days of the week or time of the year?
• Are there different prices for sitting vs standing? • Are there any additional
costs for accommodation or venue hire? • What dates do they have available?
• What time is the curfew? • Do they have any noise restrictions?
• Do you have any discount agreements with suppliers?

STEP 5:
CATERING
CATERING
For the purposes of this guide, I am going to assume that the vendor is providing
the catering, however if they aren’t, be sure to keep an eye on my DIY blog posts.
When it comes to catering it can be challenging
to get the cost down – the venue will usually have
a set price per head, and perhaps offer a couple
of options to fit within your budget. You might be
able to swap prawns for mini pizzas, but this cost
will essentially take up a sizeable amount of your
spending money. As a general guide, you tend to
be quite lucky if you can find a catering quote (no
alcohol) for under $100 per head.
QUESTIONS TO BE ASKED:
• Is there any opportunity to choose our own canapés? This will give you the ability to select cheaper
options such as mini pizzas & quiches, but mix in some more gourmet options like salmon and oysters.
• What is the most cost effective option for catering – is there any difference between single serve
meals and share platters?
• Do you charge a fee for serving wedding cake? Would this be charged if we served cupcakes?

ALCOHOL
You’ll find that venues tend to approach alcohol very differently – it could be BYO,
charge per glass, charge per head, or a possibly a tab behind the bar.
It can be really challenging to predict how much
alcohol people will drink, but it’s an important
element to think through, as this will be one of your
main costs. You also need to consider what you
are prepared to offer, as spirits & cocktails will tend
to increase the cost dramatically!
The unknown factor is how much your guests will
want to drink – if you plan a Sunday wedding, they
may only have a few drinks knowing they need to
work the next day. If it is a destination wedding,
you can pretty much guarantee people will go all
out because they are on holiday! The key to a good
wedding is ensuring you don’t run out of alcohol,
so you just need to plan accordingly.
BYO is definitely the best option if the venue will
allow – the supplier will often give you a 10%
discount for a bulk order, and also allow you to
return alcohol for a full refund if it isn’t opened.
Otherwise, a charge per head is the definitely the
second best option, and you can work with the
venue on what types of wine & beer you wish to
include in the package.
Beware of deals that aren’t an agreed set cost - if
your wedding turns in to an all night party, there’s
a good chance your guests will start drinking wine
like water. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing as you
want them to have fun, but if you are charging by
the bottle, you may find you seriously exceed your
estimated cost. Likewise, if you put a tab behind
the bar, there’s a chance you might be having so
much fun that you start offering espresso martinis
to everyone! Very kind, but it will be very scary the
next day when you settle the bill.
• Do you charge per head or by the bottle? • Is there any way we could substitute in
a slightly cheaper option for wine?
• Could we begin with slightly more expensive bottles, and then look to swap to the
cheaper option later in the evening?
STEP 6:
ALCOHOL
• Is there any opportunity for us to BYO our own alcohol? If so, do they have any
current partnerships with liquor providers that would offer a bulk discount?
• Can we bring our own spirits?
• Do you have any other cost saving recommendations that have worked in the past?
Once you’re comfortable with both catering and
alcohol (and you don’t feel like you are exceeding
your budget) – lock in the date!
Congratulations – this is one of the most satisfying
achievements of the wedding planning process!

PHOTOGRAPHER
STEP 7:
PHOTOGRAPHER
Now you have you date, it’s time to lock in your photographer. Good photographers
book up quickly, so it’s important to research & lock them in as soon as possible.
Unfortunately photographers aren’t cheap,
however this is the only part of the wedding
where I encourage you to pay for a good quality
supplier. Lots of people can take photos, but it
takes a good photographer to take charge on the
day, capture the moments you didn’t even realise
they were capturing, understand lighting and how
it can be used for beautiful images, and basically
direct the shoot effectively on the day. You need
to ‘click’ with them – they need to understand
what you want, and you need to be comfortable
communicating with them.
You are going to look at these photos for the rest of
your lives, so it is really important that you love the
end result. Make sure you take lots of screen shots
of photos you adore so you can communicate your
ideas to the photographer – visuals are far easier
to convey than using your words!
QUESTIONS TO BE ASKED:
• How long are your packages for? • Do you back up throughout the day?
• Do you operate alone or do you have a second photographer? (I recommend hiring two – helps
capture the boys & girls getting ready, as well as two different perspectives on the day)
• From your experience, what’s the best approach for running photography on the day?

STEP 8:
CELEBRANT
CELEBRANT
Again, finding a good celebrant can be tough. My advice? Go with a
referral, or someone who impressed you at another wedding.
I have seen countless celebrant fails – some
getting the brides name wrong, some get
nervous, and others tend to struggle to build up
a welcoming, fun atmosphere. You want someone
who can generate warmth, make the audience feel
comfortable, throw in a couple of laughs, and help
make that moment truly special. Anyone can have
a nice website and give you a ceremony planning
guide – it is far better to go with someone tried
and tested!
QUESTIONS TO BE ASKED:
• Do you provide your own microphone?
• Do you have a PA system to play the ceremony songs, or would you require the DJ to assist?
• Do you do a trial ceremony before the big day as part of your service?

STEP 9:
FLOWERS
FLOWERS
You really can go either way with flowers – you could easily pull your girls
together and DIY on the day, or if, like me, you are slightly challenged in
the floral skills department, you just need to find a cost effective supplier.
If you decide to DIY, just remember that you’ll
need to send someone to the market on the day
so you need to plan ahead, and the flowers will
take some time to pull together. It may take some
organisation, but I’ve seen this done on a number
of occasions and it really can be a quick win in
terms of saving money. I always recommend
incorporating loads of greenery – you can never
have enough, and it always looks stunning!
If you go with a supplier, learn from my mistake.
I contacted five suppliers, gave them my brief,
and anxiously awaited the quotes…all of which
varied from $5K to $10K. My partner nearly had
a heart attack! Instead, I decided to approach it
differently. I looked at my budget, figured out what
I could afford, and began asking what they could
do for $1500.
My supplier came back with some suggestions
like using more greenery, using blooms that
are slightly cheaper, and even using the bridal
bouquets on the tables later on in the evening.
The flowers were absolutely stunning, the tables
were dressed beautifully, and my bouquet was
perfect.
QUESTIONS TO BE ASKED:
• What are the cheapest flowers in season?
• What is the simplest, most cost effective package you could offer?

STYLING
This is your opportunity to add your own flavour to your day!!
Think about how you want your guests to feel
when they enter the venue – what do you want
your theme to be? Is it rustic and boho, or are
you going to go for a more stylish and minimalistic
look? The options really are endless, and this part
can be quite fun to DIY. There are loads of DIY
ideas out there that are cost effective, and some
might even be free (like asking grandma politely if
you can borrow her antique pink velvet lounge for
the day.)
Styling is your key area to save costs – but it takes
time and effort. Begin researching Instagram,
DIY blog posts, Pinterest, & open your eyes up
to objects that are at your disposal. Look at hard
rubbish collections, check out op shops, borrow
from friends, visit Sunday markets, keep an eye
on Gumtree…the options are all out there, but you
need to invest some time and effort in to making
it happen!
STEP 10:
STYLING

STEP 11:
BRIDAL PARTY ATTIRE
BRIDAL PARTY ATTIRE
First thing is first, the wedding dress.
You have always dreamed of looking amazing, but
when you start researching traditional wedding
dresses, you quickly realise that a starting price of
$6K isn’t unusual. Whilst it can be a little hard to
swallow, this is going to be a key area where you
can cut down cost.
You have a few options here – you can look for
designer dresses instead of traditional wedding
gowns, consider ‘made to measure’ labels that
can offer cheaper prices as they don’t have a
retail presence, or keep an eye on labels having
sales. If you’re still set on a traditional gown, why
not consider looking at one of the second hand
labels? You can often find all the top designers at
cheaper prices, and the dress has only been worn
once! Who would know? Be open to these options,
and you could save yourself some serious money.
As for your bridesmaids and groomsmen? Shop
sales! Often brands will do 20% off your first online
order or end of season sales – this can be quite
substantial if you are purchasing five dresses!
Please don’t buy anything at full price – just be
patient and research discounted opportunities.

Bride
ON A BUDGET
Did you find this guide useful?
Head to brideonabudget.com.au for more wedding coordination tips & tricks