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Madison, Milwaukee Wedding Planner

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budget

Say Yes to the Dress! But then..

December 11, 2018 By Sarah Davidson

I’ve been working on writing a book for brides-to-be on my wedding planning experience, and whether or not that book ever happens, or my own blog happens, I need to share something with you immediately.

Luckily for me, my dear friend/mentor/colleague has found a way for me to flex my creativity by allowing me to join her team of wedding planning experts and contributing to our blog. So here I am to share some news that shocked even me, who is barely phased by anything nuptials-related:

You need to have your dress hemmed (probably altered in some way, too) and it’s really expensive.

Photo: Katie Ricard

I have been meticulously keeping track of every dollar spent on my wedding versus what I had actually budgeted for in a spreadsheet (because hello, planner here!!!) and this was way over what I had anticipated. Double what I had anticipated. I had even looked at their website at cost estimates to get a rough idea for my budget. Lo and behold, I needed something extra done and that doubled the cost. Yikes.

This has come at an extremely fortunate case, however, because I knew something would “pop” up. In fact, it’s something I tell all my clients to budget for and I call it the “oops!” fund. It’s for those cases, like my own, that happen even after you think you budget everything but something, anything, just happens. If you don’t end up needing to use it, then luckily you! No problem and you have a small nest egg to start your new life together.

I am starting to wonder though, how often we all run in to these scenarios, any scenario, that causes us to spend a little more on our wedding than we expect—and let’s face it, we all do it because it’s the most important day ever!!!—but we don’t share it.

Let me know what your surprise cost was! I’d love to hear from you.

All the Best,
Loni 

Featured Photo: Ash and James Photography

Filed Under: Lessons Learned, Practical Planning Tagged With: budget, wedding dress, wedding planning, weddings

Wedding Transportation – What Should I Consider?

April 12, 2017 By Sarah Davidson

In case you haven’t noticed, the couple riding off into the sunset with cans and a “just married” sign tied to the back of their car has pretty much died off – sorry guys. However, there are lots of other great options that exist as far as wedding transportation goes that you should consider. What are the questions you should ask yourself when considering what you need and don’t need, both for you and your guests? Let’s break it down:

How big of a pain is it to get to and from your venue?

This is probably the number one thing to consider when deciding if you’ll provide any sort of transportation for your guests. Your downtown museum location is stunning, but is there parking on-site? Have you found the perfect park, but it’s miles away from anything else? Sure there’s always options and your guests are (hopefully) smart grown ups who can fend for themselves. However, in situations like these it might be worth the extra splurge to ensure that everyone makes it on time and doesn’t have to start the evening frazzled.

Know your crowd.. are they coming to party?

Yes, drinking and driving is a real issue. If you think your guests are prepared to party hard all evening it may be worth arranging transportation to get everyone home safe. In addition to safety, the added bonus of allowing your guests to be able to enjoy themselves without having to cut themselves off can also be worth it. They’re likely to stay longer, kick back a few extras, and dance like they’ve never danced before. Who wants to miss that?

What are your guests’ transportation situation outside of the wedding?

Will many guests have cars in town and be driving in anyways? Or will they have flown in and be vehicle-less? If a majority of guests will fit within one category or another, this might be the swaying factor in determining your decision.

What does your schedule look like for the day?

Now let’s talk about you for a bit. Do you need to arrange something for yourself for the day? Short answer – it depends. Do you want to try and hit up a few locations for photos with a group? It’s probably faster, more efficient, and fun to shuttle around in a party bus. Does your venue offer plenty of its own beautiful scenery that you can take advantage of? Then you probably don’t need to spend the money. Vintage cars or carriages make for beautiful photos, but it might be more worth it for you to spend that extra couple hundred dollars elsewhere. It’s up to you!

Transportation is often a budget item that’s considered, and really tends to depend on how other items of the big day shake out. There are tons of suitable options out there for every style and budget, as long as you know where to look. Happy planning!

Featured Photo: Sep+ Stell

Filed Under: Practical Planning, Vendors We Love Tagged With: budget, business, events, money, planning, transportation, wedding

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