How to Save Money on your Wedding or Party and still afford to have your cake and eat it too!!

One couple told us that all they had left after the expense of their wedding was receipts, and could not afford a wedding book or album.  

We said, "No, that's not true.  You have your photos and you will have your memories.  After you have been married for a couple of years and have paid off the wedding expenses, we'll still be here and we'll be more than willing to help you create the book of your dreams."

We have clients who contact us several years BEFORE their wedding, and some twenty years AFTER.  Whenever it is the best time for you, is when it will be done.

Custom Photo Book knows that when it is time for you to share your story within the pages of your own personalized coffee table photo book, then it will happen and the words will be right, the images beautiful, and the memories sweet.

 Whether it be for your wedding, anniversary, new baby, or family companion, we will be here to help you create the heirloom book of your dreams.

Until then, take care of those precious photos as you would gold.

Don't let this be a conversation you have late in the evening after your party is over... 

Thank you honey for not spending too much on the entertainment.

We did a lot of worrying and went through a lot of hassle trying to make sure everyone had a good time, but I guess you were right.

I thought the peanut butter sandwiches cut into hearts went over real well, didn't you?

I still have some stuck to the roof of my mouth.  But you're idea of not providing a dance floor, really saved us a bundle.  I'm sure the few who danced on the carpet in their stocking feet got a kick out of the static charge.  I know I'm still tingling.

Hmm...I wondered why grandpa kept clutching his chest.  Now, that strobe light your brother brought caused some neat dancing effects, especially when that one guy would break dance on the floor.

Honey, I think he was having a seizure...

Really? He had some pretty good moves.  I thought he was a professional you hired.

REMEMBER!!  

You wouldn't let me spend any money on the entertainment!!!

Have this one instead!

Thank you for having the

Copen Cabana host the party!

Survey Says! After the wedding is over...

•  72% of all brides say they would have spent more time choosing their reception entertainment. 

• Almost 100% say they would have spent more of their budget on the entertainment. 

• During wedding planning, brides say their highest priority is their attire, followed by the reception site and caterer - reception entertainment is among the least of their priorities. Yet, within one week after their reception, 78% say they would have made the entertainment their highest priority. 

• When asked, 81% of guests say what they remember most about a wedding is the entertainment. 

• 65% of all couples that chose a band to entertain at their wedding said, if they had it to do over again, they would have chosen a disc jockey. 

• Entertainment is often only 5% of the Wedding Budget, but TWICE as many guests will remember the entertainment more than anything else. 

 

DID YOU KNOW? "...almost 40% of a person's budget is spent on the food  and beverages!"	It never fails to amaze us that the national average spent on a wedding is around $20,000, and that people continue to allocate so little in their budget to its most important aspect - the entertainment.
Wedding and party cakes, many a work of art, range from $5 to $30 per slice, and watching their demolition is almost sacrilegious, and can bring tears to the stoutest heart.  It can cost from $750 to $4,500 just to serve 150 people a piece of cake.  Now you know why there are so many tears shed at weddings.  On the average, almost 40% of a person's budget is spent on the food and beverages!
	Thousands of dollars worth of food is devoured within 20 minutes, the expensive flowers start to droop, and the decorations you agonized over for months are given just a passing glance, as spilled drinks on tables are hastily mopped up.
That doesn't even begin to cover the invitations, wedding dresses, bridesmaid gowns, tuxes, flowers, catering, party decorations, wedding albums, favors,  facility rental, limos, wedding planner, or even the...uh...uh...that's right, the wedding entertainment. Why is the entertainment always last on the list?	DID YOU KNOW? "Entertainment is often only 5% of the Wedding Budget, but TWICE as many guests will remember the entertainment more than anything else."
	Then the entertainment is expected to make up for a restless crowd, uncomfortable in their formals, suffering from eating too much, shirt collars and girdles are feeling too tight, and new shoes are pinching sensitive toes.
The entertainer is expected to wave a magic wand and make sure everyone has a grand time, feels great, and goes home remembering the best party they ever attended.	SAVE MONEY:  "Choose vendors who provide a gift registry so friends and family can help you offset your costs."

Well, it is doable with a personable and highly energetic entertainer... like us for an example. We can create the magic because we have the professional equipment and experience to work the crowd, so you and your guests can relax and have a great time.

What your guests WON'T Remember:  Your guests won't remember what the flowers looked like or how the food tasted, and many won't remember how the tables were decorated.  But they will remember if they had fun at your party, and enjoyed the entertainment.   So, don't cut corners when it comes to your entertainment or your memories!  

Favors to help people remember your event.  Choose favors that help people remember your event, yet that are valuable and utilitarian enough that they can be used for something else later.  You might consider a custom designed movie poster, personalized with your photos and date of wedding, just the right size for a dart board.  Make it unforgettable not just for you, but for them as well.  

Be pro-active and speak directly with all of your party vendors, and ask for alternative options for less expensive food and beverages, floral arrangements, decorations, party favors, videography and photography for your event.  Want to save a good amount of money quickly and easily?  Then choose vendors who provide a gift registry so your friends and family can help offset the cost.

How to get people to show up at your event.  Remember the comment about pinched toes in the above Helpful Facts and Suggestions?  There is nothing worse than spending thousands of dollars on food and beverages, and only half the people decide to show up for your event!  Decide how "formal" you want your party to be, and if it doesn't matter to you that people wear comfortable clothes, then be sure to include this information in your invitation.  The more freedom you give your guests, the more apt they are to attend your party.  You want people to have a good time and interact by dancing, participating in the party games, and such.

Save Money on your photography and videography.   "Photojournalistic" is a coined phrase which means "NOT STAGED" (i.e. Candid photos taken without being in set positions.  Portrait photography is staged not candid).  If you don't mind spending thousands of dollars for a Photojournalistic photographer, then skip to the next paragraph.  But if you'd rather put your hard earned money toward something which will last a lifetime and become an heirloom, please consider a professionally edited digital video archived on DVD or a professionally designed and printed Coffee Table Magazine Style Wedding Photo Book, containing your favorite pictures, written vows, text annotations, toasts, and more.  

If you really like the photographer's work but not the price, ask if the price can be reduced by having fewer pictures taken and/or less time spent at the event.  Some photographers and other vendors will give a discount if the event is held during the weekday rather than on a prime weekend. Want to save even more?  Schedule your portrait photo shoot several days or weeks prior to the wedding, then schedule the photographer to take only the candid photos during the actual ceremony.  Not only can this save money, but VALUABLE time as well, and you won't feel as rushed to get to your reception.

With the advent of the digital age, it is amazing some of the candid photographs which can be taken by friends and family. If money truly is an issue, enlist the help of your friends and family, set up a schedule and list of events that you don't want forgotten, and have them take as many pictures as they can, so you can pick the best of the lot.  

Save Money on Food and Beverages...it's Easy!  Instead of providing fancy foods and desserts that are unrecognizable, consider having plenty of good food on a buffet that you can get at a more reasonable price, rather than doing a "sit down" dinner.  Don't have an open bar, which can put a big hole in your pocket.  If need be, have a cash bar and have people pay for their own liquor or ask them to bring their favorite. They're less apt to get inebriated, especially if they have to pay for or provide, and your conscience will feel better.

Want to make your Wedding even LESS STRESSFUL?  Consider having your wedding ceremony on one day with just immediate family and a few select friends, take your honeymoon, get your household in order, and then have the reception a month or two later.  This gives everyone time to rest, additional plans to be made, and the expense of the event is spread out over a period of time.  

It is so important to take TIME days, weeks, and months BEFORE the wedding to just sit and do NOTHING, which will help free your mind from worry and anxiety.  Don't use up all your vacation and budget for your honeymoon.  Set aside a couple of personal days to give you an added break in between the stress.  Use your DO NOTHING TIME to spend just on you, by going away for a special weekend, which could be:

• to a spa that includes a relaxing massage or facial.  

• a fishing trip where only the fish are biting and not the in-laws.

• a beach trip where all you do is soak up the sun.

• a bed and breakfast where you're pampered for the weekend.

• a dude ranch in the mountains to help remind you there are still things bigger than your Wedding, and it's all a matter of perspective!

• Remember:  The list is endless, but it's up to you to seize the JOY and RELAX!

Take a holistic view of your event, and understand that each aspect needs to balance the next.  Having a seven tier cake sitting on top of a folding card table scotch taped with crepe paper just doesn't "cut it".  Renting a huge space at a convention center or fancy hotel for only 50 guests just doesn't make sense, or worse yet having a bunch of people in your allocated space but hiring a DJ with only two speakers and sound system that barely holds up in a living room environment is not a very good idea.

But most of all, sit down with family and friends, especially those who have hosted parties, listen to their suggestions, and brainstorm about ways that you can cut costs but still get what you really want. You might be surprised at some of the options that present themselves.

And, PLEASE move the Entertainment and Professional Photography consideration to the top of your list. These truly are the most important.  For more proof.... check out the survey at the top of the left column.  If you don't believe the survey figures, then ask your friends and family what they remembered most at the last party they attended.

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