First off, congratulations on your engagement! Are you ready to kick-off Wedding Planning in the most successful way possible with a planner who cares deeply about you?
My name is Cassidy and I am the owner and lead planner for Peace & Pine Events. We are a full planning wedding service in the So Cal & Denver, CA areas. I am an avid bargain shopper & coffee lover. I’m known for my fry sauce & love of Frozen (the movie not the weather condition, the Lord is definitely with me in CO).
There are several places you might find yourself right now:
Top of the Mountain: You might be at the top of the mountain if you find yourself feeling really good about your wedding planning situation. You know your colors, have asked your wedding party, bought your wedding dress, put together your wedding site, solidified your budget, refined your Pinterest boards, booked vendors or you know which vendors you will book.
The Forest: You have a general idea of where you want your wedding to go, certain elements you want to include and vendors you would like to book. You aren’t sure about budgeting yet or how to ask your loved ones if they are contributing yet. You know that this day can be fun but you don’t know how to cohesively bring everything together much less on a budget.
Base of the Mountain: You have no clue where to begin. Starting seems to be half the battle. You are wondering what you even should do first. Do I book the Photographer or the planner? Do I even need a planner? How do I come up with a wedding vision? I never had a Pinterest board, do I need one? If you find yourself here then I highly recommend consulting with a planner.
Planners are great for helping you to manage your vendor communication, creation and management of a budget, listen to your wedding vision and cultivate your dream wedding at an affordable price, and so much more! However, ultimately money becomes a big boundary in your wedding planning. Before you begin booking vendors and spending money it is so important to have a realistic plan and budget. With a realistic budget you avoid unnecessary overspending. Here are 5 Tips for starting your wedding budget.
- Create a wedding savings account. Many banks allow you to create multiple savings accounts or accounts focused on goals, like a wedding. By having a separate savings you can get excited about saving money throughout your engagement and having a realistic idea on spending. When your wedding money mixes with your personal savings, you can set yourself up for more stress in the long run.
- Establish your wedding vision. This is the time to sit down with your fiance (just the two of you), pull up that Pinterest board, grab your favorite drinks, or treat- It’s time to dream! How have you always wanted to celebrate? Think BIG! If money(and COVID) wasn’t a problem, what would you want? Bounce houses? Donut bars? Dancing the night away under twinkling lights? Getting married in Italy? A super intimate ceremony with 5 of your closest friends in the mountains of Colorado? Once you have your dream list no matter how “ridiculous” some of the items might be. Pick 3 items total that together would bring you the most joy. Those are your non-negotiables. These are the items you will use when creating your budget
- Create budget percentages. This can seem daunting. But your budget is not a bully to suppress your dreams for your wedding day, it’s actually the playground. I want you to create a budget percentage. Which means you will go through your budget and find the items that matter the most aka budget for your non-negotiable items. Those non-negotiables will hold a higher percentage in your budget. Make sure you budget for everything! There is nothing worse than realizing that you didn’t account for an expense. I always love to provide my couples with budgeting tools to ensure that nothing is forgotten.
- Consult with a planner about your budget & vision. Did you know that I offer a free 1-hour consultation for all couples where we unpack your dreams and non-negotiables. I am a professional in this industry. It’s what I love to do, that is why when I say, I am here for you, you better believe it! I want you to have your dreams come to life. Together we can create a truly magical day regardless of your budget! Whether you have $5,000 or $100,000, together we can bring your Pinterest board to fruition.
- Use a budgeting document to track spending costs. There a million different documents out there to track your wedding budget. Some are free and some cost money. However, if the document doesn’t allow you to estimate the total cost before spending and then track the amount of money left in your budget when you start spending, is it worth it? Knowing throughout the process how much money you have left is so vital to staying on track. That is why you want a document that will actually help support you. Here at Peace & Pine Events. We provide our clients with a document that tracks spending and does all the calculating work for you. So all you have to do is type in some numbers and focus on your vision.
Here at Peace & Pine Events, we come alongside you to bring dream weddings to life through affordable planning. Yes, that’s right! We help you with your budget and provide you with the most affordable options for planning your day. We are so excited about your day and ready to be your wedding planning warriors, slashing prices and finding deals. Curious and wanting to know more? Want us to hear your vision or help you find your vision? Schedule a FREE one-hour consultation today.
AND clients of Sarah Yates Photo will receive 10% off any package plus 2 extra planning meetings(valued at $300). That’s between $440-$750 in potential savings!
Whatever you decide, congratulations and best of luck on your planning journey. Feel free to email or shoot me a DM anytime with any questions you might have!
Warm Wishes,
Cassidy
