Price Shocked Brides: Cutting Out the Essentials for Your Wedding Day by Kenneth Huber

Price Shocked Brides: Cutting Out the Essentials for Your Wedding Day
by: Kenneth Huber

I own a Philadelphia wedding company that offers Videography, Photography and Disc Jockey services. My company serves over 200 weddings a year. Many brides come to me and one of the first things they say is they never realized everything costs so much. It really is a matter of quality. It is not that everything is so expensive, it is just relative.

In the Delaware Valley, the average wedding cost is between $25,000 and $30,000. That would include 150 to 200 guests at a very luxurious reception site, with a Photographer, Videographer, and DJ. It would also include the dress, the flowers, a limousine, etc. If you are able to afford more, you can upgrade the reception site a bit and perhaps get a live band. If you are on a very tight budget, I would suggest a Fire Hall or VFW and cutting out "unessentials", which would include going minimal on flowers and not getting a limousine. I have heard some brides online mention not having a DJ and hooking up an iPod. I feel that is a huge mistake, no one is going to dance to an iPod and set of speakers. First off the sound quality would be horrible. People at weddings don't remember the food, they don't remember the flowers, and they don't remember the ceremony. What they remember is if they had a enjoyable time, and that is the reason you need an accomplished DJ or band.

Some brides would argue that having a professional videographer is not an essential service. Years ago I would have agreed with you. In recent years, with the introduction of Hi-Definition cameras, professional level audio equipment, and an array of movie quality video gear. Wedding videography has made quantum leaps and became as essential as photography. I would even argue that wedding videography is more important than wedding photography. Imagine watching a Hollywood quality video of your parent's or grandparent's wedding. To see your relatives in the prime of their lives and seeing relatives that may have passed away enjoying themselves in a wonderful occasion. The sights and sounds of the wedding day would probably be priceless to you. Whereas, how often do you look at your parent's or grandparent's wedding album? Have you ever looked at it? Most of my clients that come to me on a very limited budget for Photography and DJ services and say they cannot afford videography. After showing them a couple demo videos of prior weddings, I am usually able to change their minds. When I talk a bride into getting Videography for her wedding, she thanks me as soon as she watches it. The most common response is, "Our wedding day went by so fast, it was wonderful to relive each moment watching our video. Thank you!" If you book a Photographer that offers both Photo and Video, I am certain they would make you a deal on the price and perhaps help with some type of payment plan to assist you to be able to afford getting both services. I offer monthly payment plans to assist my brides afford the wedding of their dreams, after all it is a once in a lifetime event (for most).

If you are on a very limited budget and are looking to save on services, the first thing you should cut out is limo service. It is not a vital part of the day, you can have a relative or friend drive you where you need to go. Floral arrangements are also not extremely important. Your local supermarket can supply some surprisingly nice floral arrangements for your bouquet and bridesmaids, usually at a fraction of what a flower shop would charge. Wedding invitations do not have to be extravagant, after all, they are going in the trash almost immediately after they are opened. There are many places online where you can get wedding invitations real cheap. A local wedding invitation store will be more expensive than finding a source on the internet. Wedding favors can be done yourself at an extremely cost effective price. There are many other spots where you can get away with saving some money, but entertainment, photography, and videography are the most important services for a successful wedding and the memories.

About The Author

Ken Huber is the CEO of Ken's Entertainment Group, a Pennsylvania based wedding company, which specializes in Videography, Photography and Disc Jockey services.

http://www.kjken.com