Hey there, lovely bride-to-be! First off, congratulations on your engagement! I am so excited for you. đ I understand how fun yet stressful wedding planning can be, so I’m here to help you out!
I got married in June 2015 and looking back, I am so grateful that everything we had planned for had panned out perfectly on our wedding day. Our budget wasn’t small but it wasn’t large either. Even before we got engaged we already knew the areas we wanted to “splurge” on and they were simply non-negotiables for us.
While our wedding day was about us, we also wanted to take our guests into consideration. Finding the perfect balance between both helped us choose what we splurged on versus what we saved on for our big day.
Today, I am sharing 5 things that are completely worth splurging on for your wedding day! Yes, you can be on a budget and still have certain things you splurge on. đ
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5 Things Worth Splurging On For Your Wedding
1. A Professional Wedding Photographer // The most important thing you could ever splurge on for your wedding day is a professional wedding photographer. Listen, you don’t want just any photographer, you want a professional wedding photographer. Nowadays, anyone can claim that they’re a photographer if they have a fancy camera but friends, please heed with caution when it comes to searching for the right photographer for you. I have heard horror story after horror story about couples hiring “photographers” for their wedding and they either didn’t get their photos back, their photos were awful/not up to what was advertised, and so much more.
Do your research when looking for a photographer. A photographer who strictly does just portraits or wildlife photography is NOT what you want for your wedding. You want a photographer who specializes in wedding photography, not one who says they “dabble” in it.
If you have a certain editing style in mind, keep that at the forefront of your search. You want to find a photographer that has the aesthetic and editing style that you want. Never ask a photographer to edit in a different way than what their branding is made of.
It’s okay to have a budget set aside for a photographer but don’t skimp out on one. As the age-old saying goes… you get what you pay for. It’s 110% true, especially when it comes to wedding photography. Don’t risk the possibility of being disappointed by your wedding photos.
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2. Self-Care & Pampering // If there’s one thing you shouldn’t neglect in your wedding planning, it’s self-care. Wedding planning can be stressful so it’s important to make self-care a priority throughout the entire experience. From having regular alone time to splurging on some pampering, do it up! Your wedding (and overall wedding planning experience) is such a special time in your life and during it all, you should do what makes you feel good and relaxed. As your wedding day approaches, you will be busy with last-minute appointments and details. If there’s ever the perfect time to get massages regularly or to get that beautiful blowout, it’s in your wedding season.
Personally, I didn’t have a makeup artist for my wedding day. While I love the work of makeup artists, I wanted to keep my makeup minimal and natural, so it didn’t make sense for me to hire a makeup artist. Instead, I did invest in some high-end makeup products and I am so glad that I did. I purchased everything a month or two in advance so I had time to experiment with it all. The best part? I got to keep everything! đ
Related Reading: 10 Self-Care Tips For Brides
3. Convenience For Guests // I know this is a bit of a broad statement but it can mean different things depending on your situation. For us, we had guests coming from out of town, some driving 5+ hours to attend our wedding. When we started searching for a wedding venue, we knew that we wanted the ceremony and reception to be held at one place. While sure, this was convenient for us not having to worry about traveling to the next place, this decision was made with our guests in mind.
Some of your guests sacrifice a lot to attend your big day. They do this because they love you! So, keep them in the back of your mind when making decisions like ceremony and reception venues and the distance from hotels. You don’t want your guests driving 45 minutes to the ceremony location all to travel another 45 minutes to the reception hall. That’s a lot of driving for everyone and honestly, that’s a lot of time you’re losing on photos to celebrating!
Of course, I realize that not all states have the ease of a venue having both the ceremony and reception at the same place. But if that is an option near you, I highly recommend considering it, even if it’s a bit more than what you were wanting to spend. I promise that it’s worth it.
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4. Reception Food // This one slightly ties into my last point. My husband, Michael, would have to say the #1 thing that was worth splurging for, in his opinion, was the reception food. The day of your wedding, you want to eat delicious food, right? You don’t want to eat something that’s on the lower scale that might make you feel sick afterward, right? Right! Your guests don’t want to feel sick afterward, either. Again, some of your guests are traveling from far away and they’ve spent a lot of money to come to celebrate your beautiful day… give them an amazing meal that they’ll talk about for years to come! One of the best ways to say, “Thank you!” is through a delicious dinner.
If your budget allows, consider having hors d’oeuvre and an open bar. Your guests will be very happy!
[bctt tweet=”One of the best ways to say, *Thank you!* is through a delicious dinner.” username=”SummerTelban”]
5. A Professional DJÂ // When it’s time to party and dance the night away, you want to be able to rely on a professional DJ. You don’t want to be worrying about if your Spotify ads are going to pop through the speakers or if your uncle who’s emceeing is going to say something embarrassing to the whole crowd, right? Right! A professional DJ is a must-have if the celebration of your wedding is important to you. đ
A DJ controls so much more than the music. They also control…
- Bridal party entrance
- Your entrance as a couple
- Announcing of dinner
- The first dance (as well as father/daughter, mother/son dances)
- The cake cutting
- Garter toss and other games
- Hyping up the party
- General announcements
A DJ has so much impact. If you want your reception to run smoothly and without any issues, hire a professional DJ. You will be so glad that you did!
For those in the Rochester, NY area, I highly recommend Maranatha Mobile DJ Service! He did an incredible job and he also sang some old jazz songs. Hands down, such an amazing service!
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I hope that I was able to help you in the areas you should consider splurging in for your wedding day! Make your beautiful day the most memorable one ever!
All photos were taken by The Anna Joy Creative!
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