There are so many expenses when it comes to planning a wedding…it can be a little (or sometimes a lot) overwhelming! Many brides have to prioritize what they want to invest in. Below I’m going to give some ideas of a few key investments that go a long way when it comes to your wedding design. My hope is that this will help you to invest in areas of your decor that are high impact, and help you avoid spending a lot of money where it doesn’t matter.
1. Invest in your bridal bouquet over other florals
I cannot stress this one enough! As far as florals go your bouquet should be the biggest priority. When I’m photographing a wedding a gorgeous bouquet can spruce up bridal details, reception details, and even the portraits! Your bouquet is a huge focal point, so I highly recommend investing in your dream bouquet and then spending less when it comes to bridesmaids bouquets as they won’t be photographed nearly as much.
2. Go with greenery over blooms
Greenery is beautiful and photographs very well, but is much less expensive than blooms. I recommend actual flowers for your bouquets, but when decorating other aspects of the day you can use greenery to save money while still making a big visual impact! If having blooms at your reception is super important to you, consider having your head table decked out, and using greenery for the guest tables.
3. Have one well done installation instead of small vignettes of decor
If you are hoping for a heavily detailed reception but the costs are adding up, focus on one big focal point instead of trying to decorate everywhere. For example, invest in a beautiful large hanging chandelier or unique lighting elements but do shorter simple centerpieces on 1/2 your tables and candles on the other 1/2
4. Invest in decor that can be double purposed:
An Example of this could be having a beautiful arch for the ceremony that could be reused at the reception for a photobooth backdrop
5.Avoid spending money on tiny details:
Customized favors, personalized M&M’s etc….it all adds up and at the end of the day, your hardwork in the the tiny details can often go unnoticed.
Bonus tip:
This may sound cheesy coming from a photographer, but if you’re working with a limited budget I HIGHLY recommend splurging on a seasoned photographer (and videographer if you are wanting a wedding video). A good, experienced, photographer can make a simple wedding look like it cost so much more than it actually did. And, at the end of the day the guests will go home, the food will be eaten, the flowers will wilt, and you’ll be left with your memories and your photos. Your wedding photos are your first heirloom and they are a part of your legacy as a couple – So, invest in that legacy, you’ll be glad you did!
