Posts Tagged ‘Budgeting’

What next for Newly Engaged Couples?

January 13th, 2012 No Comments
rule

Wedding Planner, Coordinator, Birmingham, Lichfield, Staffordshire, Derby, Nottingham, Leicester, CoventryCongratulations to everyone that is newly engaged! I have had many questions and enquiries in the last couple of weeks about how to start to plan so here is my advice to get you off on the right path. Being engaged really is the most fabulous feeling and you want to tell the whole world. My advice is to do just that!! Take some time to enjoy this time before you throw yourself into your wedding planning. Once you start although it’s really good fun it can also get pretty full on.

Having a few weeks or months to bask in the enjoyment of being engaged with nothing to do is just lovely. It seems many of you get very overwhelmed with the idea of trying to organise and plan everything. Taking this time will allow you to calmly think about what you want. You will certainly reap the rewards in the long term.

Many couples are tempted to go straight out and start booking the first suppliers they meet. Beware! think it through first. Unless you have to get married in a few weeks or months there is no rush to get it all done at once. Choosing who helps bring your wedding day to life is very important. They have a massive effect on you and your day.

Planning a wedding is a great achievement especially when your guests come up to you and tell you how much fun they had and what an amazing day it was. It will end up this way if you spend some time thinking it through before you start to get bogged down in all the practical side of planning.

Having a clear picture of what you want will be useful to not only you, but your suppliers will thank you too. They will be able to offer you the service or product you need because you are clear on what you want from them.  You budget will thank you because you will know what to spend your cash on. If you are not careful you can run out as soon as you get engaged and start to buy lots of pretty things that you may not need once you have had chance to think some more.

 

How do you start to plan?

If you follow The Wedding Genie philosophy you do it your way and you choose activities and personal details that your friends and family can take part in and will understand. There will be elements of your personality that really make your wedding stand out above others that your guests have been too.

Here are my ideas on how to organize your thoughts and come up with a wedding day vision that is clear, what you really want and shouts of YOU!


What Do You Really Want?  Choose Your Priorities

The first thing is to just take some quiet time and sit and think about how you imagine your perfect wedding day to be. Close your eyes and visualise what it looks like, what it feels like, even how it smells. Yes use all your senses and then write down what you thought of. It doesn’t have to be detailed notes just ideas and feelings. You’ll be surprised at what you come up with. Irrespective of the venue you choose there will be a theme or style or feel that comes out of your brainstorming. Sit down together as a couple and do this. Remember it’s a day for BOTH of you. Men are great at the practical side of wedding planning and usually have really good input. Decide on what you absolutely have to have and what you don’t! Make a list of these and make them your priorities. You might need to compromise but it should be a joint effort. There might be four of five major things on your list like, great photography, fab food, a live band. Whatever they are this will be the foundation for your budget.

 

What time of year is your most favourite? – Choose a Date

Do you love winter and the way you can dress up for the weather, real fires, smells of the winter, warming drinks and food with candle light? Are you a summer bird who loves the outdoors,the heat and anything bright? How about a time that means something to you? The time of year you first met maybe. Your first holiday, when or where you were proposed to.It should be all about You – Your stamp on the day

What kind of person are you? Do you love quiet gatherings with fabulous food and great company? Are you a party animal who is the life and soul of a night out? Are you artistic with a love for the eco friendly. Whatever you are the best weddings reflect you both! One of my lovely brides I am working with now was deciding whether to have favours or not. She has come up with a brilliant idea that suits the situation she is in, reflects her new husband to be’s job and completely involves her family who are extremely important to her. I can’t tell you what it is but it will be perfect and her guests will be very moved by this small detail.

Wedding Planner, Coordinator, Birmingham, Lichfield, Staffordshire, Derby, Nottingham, Leicester, Coventry

Who Do You Want to Share Your Day With? – The Guest List

Choosing the people you want at your wedding is necessary before you can choose a venue. If you only want to have a very small intimate affair that’s fine. If a large wedding is your dream that’s great too as long as your budget stretches to feed and entertain everyone. Think carefully about who you want to share your day. Guests really do make the day. BUT they have a great effect on the budget.

 

Where Would You Like to Be Married? Choose a Ceremony Type and Venue

If your absolute desire is to marry in a Tipi Tent in the middle of a field then why not do just that? I know I am a wedding planner and should know better that you have to marry legally in a building with walls and foundations and the relevant licence. Well how about getting married quietly in your local registry office and having a celebrant marry you “again” in your Tipi? Your ceremony can be exactly what you want it to be, involve as many friends and family as you like, say and do what suits your personalities. If you think outside of the box you can do whatever you like. This way you will be legally married and have the ceremony your really yearn for.  What’s more you get to do it twice!

Alternatively choose between a church and civil wedding ceremony. I think you have to decide what would be typical for you and your partner’s idea of a perfect ceremony. If the idea of a civil ceremony puts you off because they are not that personal dispel that thought immediately. I got married this way and we took the time to make up wedding vows that really meant something to us. I said a lovely poem to my husband that I was so moved by from a film would you believe. Our family thought the ceremony was the best part of the day. I guess what I am saying is when your wedding planning takes over go back to basics and really understand why you are getting married and make the ceremony mean something to both of you.

Photo by Rosie Parsons

What are your favourite colours and interests? Your Stamp on The Day

This maybe dictated by the time of year you choose to get married but anything goes now and as long as you are careful you can have pretty much anything you like. For instance if you love the winter but also lean towards bright colours you can choose to use bright splashes of colour against a black and white background or autumnal colours with splashes of bright colours to lift the theme. If you don’t really have a favourite colour then how about a fabulous classic look, creams, and greens. Lush foliage with soft shades of cream gives a classy sophisticated feel to the day.

For a theme for the wedding why not try and involve your hobbies or interests. You may be a film buff or a foodie or absolutely love flowers. Whatever this can be highlighted in your day.

 

What will it cost? The Budget

Whether you put your budget here, or at the top of this list it has to be one of the first things you determine. It is imperative you set this and think about how you are going to achieve it. Work out where the money is coming from. Is the wedding going to be funded by yourselves or a mix of donations from your and fiancés parents. You could argue that before you even start to visualise your day you should set a budget. To my thinking having a clear idea of what you want and then looking at your budget to see if it will afford you this vision is a good exercise. This way you at least have a list of needs and what are important and then you can allocate this budget according to what is the most important.

Wedding Planner, Coordinator, Lichfield, Staffordshire, Birmingham, East Midlands, Derby, Nottingham, Liecestershire

If you do this now you will have  a great foundation for your wedding planning.

 

  • The Date
  • Your Priorities
  • Your Guest List
  • A Venue and Ceremony type
  • Style
  • Budget

The last piece of advice is don’t panic take your time. Just do these steps first. Make sure you take time out from your wedding planning too. It can take over your life. You must have nights or weekends where you don’t talk about it. Please enjoy the planning, if you just pace yourself it will be fun. If you want some help just to make it clear why not book one of my bridal workshops. It’s a fun way to start your wedding planning and you will go home with everything you need to make your wedding planning a breeze.

Until next time, happy planning.

 

The Wedding Genie Dream Team – Soundsfishy

July 21st, 2011 No Comments
rule

Wedding Planner, Coordinator, Lichfield, Staffordshire, Birmingham, Leicester, Nottingham, Derby, Coventry

 

Following on from my blog yesterday on budgeting, Ian Fish my favourite DJ of all time just happened to be thinking of the very same thing and writes about budgeting for entertainment. I thought I would add this little extra post this week so you can go and read what Ian has to say when you are looking for a DJ and entertainment for your wedding celebration.

 

Enjoy! Click here

 

Until next time, happy planning.


 

Wedding Budgeting

July 20th, 2011 No Comments
rule

Wedding Planner, Coordinator, Lichfield, Staffordshire, Birmingham, East Midlands, Derby, Nottingham, LiecestershireToday I want to share with you how very important it is to really think about your wedding budget. I know you are probably sick and tired of hearing us all harp on about it but it’s vital that you think about it at the beginning of your planning. Over the last few weeks I have been working with new clients who have defined their budgets and decided exactly how much they want to spend. The budgets have been good and when you are thinking about that kind of money you think it will stretch incredibly far!

But when I start to discuss the costs of the various areas of the wedding it is very easy to see that many couples have no idea of what things like venues, photographers or even dresses cost. Why would they? It’s not like you go and organise weddings and parties all the time.

A budget of even £20,000 sounds so much but if not spent wisely it soon gets eaten up. First and foremost the venue and food will eat half of your budget, or very nearly half of it. Of course it is entirely up to you what you want to spend your money on, but please have realistic ideas of what things cost and how many people you can invite with that amount of money. I also ask the question. Have you written down in black and white what you have costed so far? Most of the time the answer is no but I have it totted it up in my head. Well let me tell you when you put it in a spreadsheet and you clearly see the figures it is quite a shock.

If the aim of this blog does nothing more than make you concentrate on the building blocks of your wedding, such as

  • Venue hire
  • Reception food and drinks
  • Wedding dress
  • photography

I will be happy. If you don’t have anywhere to hold your wedding, or anything to feed and water your guests and of course you have to look and feel like a bride then have the wonderful day recorded then you truly have to start thinking of your wedding planning all over again. All the lovely bits around the edges such as decor, flowers and entertainment is secondary to the main criteria noted above. Of course this is my opinion, photography for instance, may be low on your list but I can guarantee on your wedding anniversary you will want to look back at your wonderful wedding day. Whether this is in the form of a DVD or album you will certainly want it to capture it.

Wedding Planner, Coordinator, LIchfield, Staffordshire, Birmingham, Derby, Nottingham, Leicestershire, The Midlands,

In short I am saying get a spreadsheet, make one, download one or look at the Wedding Genie Wizard planning tools. If you want to use a notebook then do so but be sure to use something to document your costs and keep them up to date.

Enter the estimated costs against each area and then add the whole lot up. From then on you can see what monies you have left and how you want to spend it. Using the national average of what you should spend on a wedding can be a starting point but it is your money so spend it on what you want to make your wedding day the best you can have.

My whole wedding philosophy is work out what is absolutely crucial to both of you and apportion your budget accordingly. You will then be sure that you spend the money on things you really want. It is such an eye opener on what things cost this spreadsheet will focus your attention and keep it focused.

For more information on how to budget for your wedding click here. If you want help just give me a call.

This week I had an enquiry from a lady that is trying to plan a wedding blessing. On their original wedding day they only had two weeks to plan and missed out on getting their families together and wanted to live the day again to experience things I guess they missed the first time around. When she came to looking at costs she was overwhelmed, her words, and quite rightly thought she might be better off getting expert help to make sure her budget was spent wisely. Even if you only talk to someone you know who has got married recently for advice it will be worth it. Get your budget right and the rest will follow.

 

Until next time, happy planning.

 

 

 

How To Start Planning Your Wedding

February 26th, 2011 1 Comment
rule

If you are recently engaged or just starting to plan your wedding here are a few of my top tips for getting you started. Before you do anything at all you have to “Set Your Priorities” and fix a Budget! If you follow the Wedding Genie blog you will know that these two stages are crucial in wedding planning. If you don’t know what you want from your day and how much you want to spend it makes the wedding planning journey quite a rocky road.

The wedding is all about the two of you and your relationship. From the very beginning make sure you sit down and talk about exactly what each of you wants on your wedding day. Often brides do tend to take over a little and the groom doesn’t get much say. It’s his day as much as yours so do take this into account. By spending some quality time together you can really decide what it is you both want. After all you want to have a wedding day that meets both your expectations and celebrates your relationship.

If you are still not sure about involving your man I have it on good authority from, I am Staggered that 32% of men deal with a wedding planner! Now I bet you didn’t know that! Men can be great organisers and they are fabulous at sorting out things like the transport, food, suits and having a more objective view of a guest list. You will be surprised, this year already I have seen so many men accompanying their fiance’s to wedding events and being totally involved in the wedding. it really is the year of the groom.

Set Your Priorities

Make a list of the three or four things that you categorically must have for the wedding. This means from the start you are both on the same page. Marriage is about compromise and sharing so taking the time to listen to each other right from the beginning is the best start.

Once you have your list keep it at hand, it maybe a fabulous dress for you and your fiance may want to turn up at your venue in a super sports car, you both want fantastic photographs and great food. Whatever your priorities are write them in a notebook that you can carry in your handbag. Armed with your priorities if you are tempted to spend when you shouldn’t you can check your list.

The next thing is BUDGET!

Once you know what you want from your day you can portion your budget to the areas that you both want to spend money on. Remember it is your money and you can spend it how you like. There are no fixed rules for setting a budget, there are suggestions from planners like me based on our experience but these are a guide. The one thing we will all advise is to have a contingency in your budget. Perhaps 5 -10%

Here is a list of the main areas bearing in mind an average wedding costs around £20,000 with 80 – 100 guests. Of course you don’t have to spend any where near this to have a fabulous wedding. Thinking outside the box and shopping around can really save you money.

Ceremony 3% £600.00
Reception including food & drink 45% £9,000.00
Outfits 10% £2,000.00
Florist 8% £1,600.00
Entertainment 8% £1,600.00
Stationery 3% £600.00
Wedding Cake 2% £400.00
Wedding makeup/hair 2% £400.00
Transportation 2% £400.00
Photographer/Videographer 12% £2,400.00
Other
5% £1,000.00

What you must do though is start a notebook or a spreadsheet and document all of your spending. If you don’t I can guarantee you will run up your own national debt. You may be tempted to think that if it’s in your head then you can keep track of it. Definitely not! this is the best way of letting your wedding budget spiral out of control. I had a lovely bride last year and she said don’t worry I know in my head what I’m spending. I asked her to go home and write down the items and their costs. Once they were in black and white she was mighty surprised by how it really looked and what it added it up to.

Always remember it is your money and you can spend it on what you like. If you need to spend more on one area than another, that is perfectly fine, just cut back somewhere else.

Wedding Budgets are only scary if you don’t have one or keep a track of them. If you want something to help you keep on track click here for my specifically designed wedding tools. They will be available at the Genie Shop very soon.

Until next time, happy planning.

Wedding Genie Planning Tools – Purchase on line

February 11th, 2011 No Comments
rule

Today I received an email asking me if I sold some of the wedding planning tools you can get from my bridal workshops online. Most certainly! I have a great budget calculator that not only records your spending and divides your budget into suggested amounts, but tells you when you are over budget! It also allows you to record all the details of your photographer, cake maker, stationer etc. I tried to have something designed that allows you to have all your wedding planning information in one place. Most budget calculators only add up this is a mini wedding planning database.

The key to wedding planning is being super organised, so organise like a professional and keep everything recorded. Make a note of things as they happen, that is the secret. Over the months whilst you are planning your wedding you will accumulate the most amount of paper and information you have ever seen. When I visit some brides I see it stored in carrier bags, in big boxes, or dotted about here an there. Using my budget calculator with it’s own little built in database all you have to do is open your excel spreadsheet and there is all the information. Of course you still need to keep all your paper work such as receipts but if you put the vital information in your spreadsheet it will be there at your fingertips.

Record all your notes here

Along with the budget calculator you also get a copy of my Guest Management spreadsheet. You can make a note of all your guests as they RSVP, record who they are, what their dietary requirements are and it also adds up automatically so you know who is coming to the wedding in a heartbeat. When you need to let your stationery company know your guest list so they can print your invites just send them a list of guest names easily copied from your guest management spreadsheet.

On the CD is also my handy planner, a 12 month countdown for you to carry around and tick the tasks off your list as you do them. My top wedding tips and instructions on how to use everything. All this for £10! I can email you the files so you can start to use them instantly or if you prefer post the CD for an extra £1.50. All you need to do is email me at and ask for the Wedding Genie planning tools. I will send you a link to pay by paypal, you don’t need an account so super easy.

In a  couple of weeks you will be able to buy my wedding planning tools straight from the website. I hope you find them useful. It’s a little piece of The Wedding Genie to have at home with you. If you want to book on any of my Bridal Planning Workshops I would love to see you. The next one is March 27th, Sunday 10.30am till 1.00pm. Click here to book. There are more budgeting tips here.

Until next time happy planning.


Wedding Budget Tips – Let’s Eat Cake

November 3rd, 2010 No Comments
rule

Saving for a wedding can be tough, especially at the moment with all the budget cuts.This week The Wedding Genie blog is going to concentrate on showing you how to save money without compromising on style. There are plenty of areas that you can save money on if you just take time to check them out.

Your wedding cake for instance can be a very costly item. There are some fantastic options on the high street. If you think that these are boring options where you can’t inject your personality then think again. Take a look at these lovely styles from Marks and Spencer. would you believe that this cake is the same but decorated three different ways.


You can even choose different flavours such as fruit, chocolate, sponge or an assortment of all three. With prices from £50.00 – £199 and various sizes to suit all numbers of guests it definitely is worth looking at.


These are gorgeous too, £199.00 to feed 100 guests and they are chocolate!

If traditional is more your style then check out this lovely option below, you can decorate the cake using flowers that match your wedding theme. There is even a video to explain how to put the cake together.

The web site is very user friendly and answers all the questions you can think of. Waitrose is another high street option that you can use too which also has a super selection. If cupcakes are more your style then both websites offer a good choice. One of the best things about ordering your cake from these stores is you don’t have to book months in advance so for last minute weddings they are a great option too.

If you have any budget saving ideas you want to share then send them to me and I will feature them on the Wedding Genie blog. Email or call me we love to hear from our readers.

Until next time, happy planning.

Wedding Budgeting Tips

March 17th, 2010 3 Comments
rule

At the Wedding Genie we are committed to helping couples start married life with a strong foundation. We really hate it when we hear how the wedding budget escalated, and the day after the wedding couples are hit by the reality of a huge debt that is going to take months, or even years to pay off. We ran this blog last year so we thought for anyone who has recently become engaged, Congratulations! it would be very useful. We have added a few more tips to help.

To start you off here are our top tips for planning and managing the finance, how to keep track of it and ideas on how to save.

  • Where is the money coming from? – Who is paying for the wedding? - You may have savings that can be used for the wedding budget, but often most couples don’t have enough for the whole wedding. Your parents may want to contribute so now is the time to tactfully ask them. Once you announce your engagement I am sure they will have started to think about how you will finance the wedding, so this conversation won’t be a surprise to them. If they are worried about how much they want to give, you can suggest they pay for certain items perhaps the photography, the dress or the cake. It is sometimes better to get them to contribute to these areas rather than the reception, that way you will have more control over the guest list and food etc.
  • Open a separate Bank Account - This way you can identify exactly how much cash you have at anytime. Keeping it separate from your normal household account will encourage you not to spend it. At the moment the interest rates are very low and there is not a great return on your savings, but there are some deals around to entice you with short-term bonuses that offer a good rate of interest. Always check how long these special deals run so you can move your account when they are over.  Perhaps if you are getting married in the next twelve to eighteen months it may well be worth taking out an ISA. This is a savings account where the interest on your savings is tax free. The allowance is £3,600 cash per year each. It can go up to £7,200 if you have stocks and shares. Take a look at The Money Saving Expert for the best deals and tips on saving. There is also a great budget calculator that Saffron Building Society have set up to help work out what you spend. It then calculates automatically what you left, therefore how much you can save each month. Their Wedding Saver Account is guaranteed to be in the best 10 available in the online market.
  • Save Regularly Each Month - Set up a standing order so you know for sure the money is going into your savings each month. It will really help when you see your money start to grow. Work out what you can save comfortably, that way you will be more inclined to leave it in the bank, and not spend it because you have left yourselves too short.
  • Cutting down on some everyday spending can boost your savings – For instance buying coffee everyday really adds up. A latte can cost around £1.80 and if you buy three a week thats £5.40, over a month its £21.60 and over a year its a whopping £259.20. You can take your own lunch to work to cut down costs, and if you go out for dinner a couple of times a month, cut this down to once.
  • Wedding Magazines – These are quite addictive and very expensive, if you want to splurge, choose your favourite and not two or three different types. Your friends may have just got married and they may have some to loan you.
  • Set up a Spreadsheet to keep track – If you are computer savvy set up a simple spreadsheet split up into all the areas of cost such as, photography, cake, dress, reception, stationery etc. Apply the amount you want to spend against each item, total everything so you can see what the budget is. If you do not use a computer do the same in a notebook. Keep all of your receipts so you know exactly what you have spent, and keep an eye on when payments are due. Don’t forget you won’t have to pay for everything all at once so you will have time to save. A deposit is generally needed in the early days to secure a supplier, then payments are split according to time frames set out by the terms and conditions of your suppliers.
  • List and Stick to your priorities - If you read our blog regularly you know we talk about setting your priorities and writing them down. Keep them with you. When you want to start spending get them out and look at what they are then compare them to what you are about to buy. Do you really need the item and is it a priority?

These are just a few ways of tackling your budget. We cannot stress highly enough the importance of working out your budget and most of all writing it down. In the cold light of day the figures you have been thinking of may add up to much more than you thought.

For more information on budgeting read our tips and advice or call us to see if we can help with our budgeting service. A new pair of eyes is often all it needs to look at your budget from a different perspective. I guarantee we can find ways of helping you save money and perhaps moving funds around so that photographer you really wanted is affordable.

If you have any ideas for saving or tips let us know and we will post them on our blog.

Until next time, happy planning.