Holiday Contest ~ Our Thank You To The Troops (Philadelphia, New Jersey Wedding Planner)

Holiday Contest For The Troops

Dates: December 15th, 2009 – January 2nd, 2010

At Events by Monroe, LLC we appreciate all our troops overseas do for us, and our hearts go out to those families who have a member overseas fighting for our liberties, and won’t get to spend Christmas together.  Being in this business we know just how much is involved in planning a wedding, and can’t imagine how hard it must be to do the planning with your fiance out of the country.  As our thank you to the troops we are holding a contest.  Whoever sends us the best story will win a full service wedding planned Events by Mornoe for free.  This means we will help you plan your wedding from start to finish for up to $5000.00 of service, which is generally more then enough.   To enter please send emails to renee@eventsbymonroe.com with the following information:

• Your address.
• The name of you and your fiance.
• A phone number where you can be contacted.
• Your story as a couple.
• Why you should win.
• Your wedding date

Good Luck,  Spread the Word, and Happy Holidays!

Creating and Staying In Your Wedding Budget (Philadelphia, New Jersey, Wedding Planner)

Here is the ugly truth:  The average wedding costs $27,000.00 .  Ok, now that we got that out of the way, what can you do about it?  Don’t panic, you can definitely have a beautiful wedding for less then that, you just need to do your research, find out what your price range is, and make sure you stay within your budget.

Creating a budget is probably the least fun thing you are going to do for the wedding, with the exception of any religious classes you may have to take .  Although it may not be a party, it is extremely important.  Without creating a budget, you may get half way through your planning and run out of money.  There are lots of sites with budget trackers that you can use to create, record payments, and update to stay on target.  These are great to be used as a guideline, but be sure to consider your geographic location also.  The numbers they project are based on the national average.  If you are living in a booming city like New York, or a very small town in Wyoming, you may have to adjust these projections up or down accordingly.  Below are some guidelines you can follow to get yourself started on creating a reasonable, and workable budget.

• Start by finding out who is paying/ how the bill is being paid.  Are you paying it all by yourself?  Are parents or friends pitching in?  If so, what are they offering to help with?  It is not wrong to discuss this with your families, if you expect they will be helping.  Knowing up front what they plan to contribute, or how, will help you to create your budget.
• What is most important to you for your wedding?  The gown?  The location? The food?  The entertainment?  Knowing this will help you to see where you want to splurge, and what areas you will need to cut back on.  Here is a general percentage breakdown of a wedding budget.

Reception – 40% – 50%

Attire – 10%

Photo and Video  – 8% – 12%

Music – 6% – 8%

Flowers & Decor – 6% – 8%

Stationary – 3% – 5%

Rings – 2%

Transportation – 2%

Gifts – 2% – 3%

Ceremony – 1% – 3%

Misc Costs – 5%

• Once you have your priorities you can adjust this breakdown to fit your needs.  If you decor is important to you but food and drink is not, you could take 5% from the catering and add it to decor.

The most important advice I can give, is once you have decided on your budget, stick to it.  Many of the wedding professionals you meet with will try to get you to upgrade.  Let them know your budget up front, and if they try to talk you into spending more, simply remind them of your budget and be firm.  With careful calculation, and good planning you will be able to have your day the way you want it, for an amount you can afford