1.) How Much Is Your Minimum Cost For Weddings?
Often larger event floral companies will have a minimum fee for a wedding.
So make sure you ask this right from the start because often the minimum is around $5,000 (in-season) and that’s often too much for a wedding on a budget.
2.) Are My Flower Choices Cheap?
If not, what flowers are similar that are cheaper?
It’s not abnormal to have flowers that look VERY similar be VERY diffrent in price.
Make sure to ask if you can get the cheaper flowers instead of the expensive ones.
I promise you will still love them.
Here is a post that will help you find cheaper flowers!
3.) Do You Have a Design Fee?
Floral designers are like artists, not everyone does the same styles!
For example, if you go to a flower shop and want something super specific that they can not do then they might have to bring in a designer from somewhere else and that can get costly.
Be sure to look for a florist that fits your style!
Here is a website that will get you started on choosing your bouquet style!
4.) Do You Have a Travel Fee For Our Location?
Normally a budget wedding should not have a travel fee unless the florist is driving a long way.
If they say you do have a travel fee when your venue is under 50 miles, ask why.
Sometimes they put in these little extra charges or simply forget to take them off from the previous invoice.
5.) Do You Charge an Installation and Teardown Fee?
Okay, let’s be real, it would be weird if they didn’t charge an installation fee.
It’s a lot of work for a florist to do the installation and teardown.
But I will tell you… You will want to pay for this. No matter how much you think you and Aunt Susie can do on the day of, it is still worth it.
Venues require all the decor to be removed by the end of the night, so you can either pay the florist to do it or you will get a large charge from the venue because someone will forget.
Here is a very good source to have you get an idea of how they charge for deliveries and installations!
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The short answer is yes absolutely!
Keep reading below to find out ways to help keep it looking natural, a few little tricks that will help you significantly, and a little confidence booster for you at the end.
I get asked all the time “Is it okay to have an uneven bridal party” and I tell every bride the same exact thing, it is absolutely okay to have an uneven bridal party it doesn’t say anywhere in any books or any educational videos that it has to be a certain way!
There are traditions that often follow having an even amount of people on the groom’s side as the bride’s side. But that’s just an old tradition that has definitely been overruled by the younger generation. If someone gives you a hard time about it just say…..
Here are a few different ways that you can help your bridal party to stay looking natural without it looking too uneven.
1.) Have your bridal party walk separately. Only have one person coming down the aisle at a time instead of them walking in pairs. Guys go first girls second.
2.) Another way you can have your bridal party walking in is if you have one extra girl the last guy that’s walking in will just walk with two girls instead of one. Vice versa for guys and girls.
3.) If you are left with only one extra guy or a girl, you can have your best man or maid of honor walk first by themselves. It does not look weird it just shows that they are an important person. Which is true anyways. If there are just one too many guys, I would highly recommend just having the best man already standing up there with the groom at the start of the ceremony. Or he can make his entrance directly behind the grooms.
I guarantee you they will be up there like…
4.) When you’re taking the formal bridal party photos while it is nice to have photos with the girls on one side and guys on the other it’s not necessary to have them all split up so you can have your wedding party all be mixed up with each other so it’s just one big group of people instead of noticing the difference in size on either side.
5.) (If you’re considering a head table) When everyone is seated at the head table consider having everybody bring their spouses to the head table with them instead of just having the bridal party. This will make it look more natural and no one will be able to tell it’s an uneven amount of bridal party. Or in a better case just go with the sweetheart table instead of a head table and have all of your bridal party sitting either with their families or wherever they would like.
No one is going to come up to you after your wedding and say “why didn’t you have as many girls as the guys?”
Honestly, nobody is going to say anything, the only one that might notice something would probably be your grandparents and even then, they would never say anything because they know it’s just an old tradition. There is no reason you can’t have all of your girls there with you because you are worried about it looking “uneven”.
Consider talking it over with your family if you’re not 100% confident with it just talk to everybody about it, I promise you once you talk to everyone you are going to feel 100% better. Everyone loves you and your future husband! If you’re having doubts about it maybe you just need to talk to the people you are closest with whose opinions matter to you more than anything!
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When you start to plan your budget it can get kind of overwhelming…
There is so much to think about and pay for! This post is going to help you identify the Top 10 Things in Your Wedding Budget.
(Keep in mind, you can add or take away anything that doesn’t apply to you! This is just to help you get started on planning your budget. Every wedding is different so it’s okay if yours is not anything like this one.)
deciding budget overall price
When you start to think about your overall budget amount, bring everyone who will be helping pay for / plan the wedding. This way everyone is on the same page and you will have a realistic budget to go off of.
(NOTE: don’t be afraid to talk to your family about money, often people want to help pay for things to make it the perfect day for you.)
After you all feel that you have a realistic budget, take a break from your meeting and write out the percentages and amount for each category in your budget.
Once you do this, share your budget with everyone involved in helping!!! This will allow anyone helping you to be able to help you brainstorm on when will be contracted out and what will be DIYed, it will also help keep Aunt Susie from pressuring you to do something that is not within your budget!
Budget Break Down
1.) Venue 40%
Finding the perfect venue is hard ESPECIALLY finding the perfect venue within your budget..!
But…. It is not impossible!
There are so many small venues out there that are not well known but are absolutely stunning. It just might take a little while to find it.
You can expect about 40% of your total budget to go to just the venue (I know that seems like a lot of your total budget but the perfect venue is worth it!)
2.) Photography 15%
This one can be tricky sometimes, there are good photographers out there that are significantly cheaper than others but often they don’t have the same number of reviews and experience the more expensive photographers do.
Photo by Rene Asmussen on Pexels.com
I highly recommend going all out on this, photos last a lifetime and a good photographer will change your whole experience the day of your wedding!
Check out these awesome tips on choosing your photographer
3.) Music 10%
Music will largely vary on if you have a live performer, a whole band, or just a DJ. All are great options it just depends on what the mood is that you’re wanting to set for the night.
Here are some tips on choosing your ceremony songs!
4.) Flowers 10%
Do you love flowers? If your answer is “UMM… WHO DOESN’T???” than you can expect to use the whole amount that will be in your budget+ some..
Florals are a lot of money, many people underestimate just how much they will actually cost.
(NOTE: When you meet with your florist for the first time be sure to give them the exact number that’s in your budget (Maybe even less than what your actual budget is.) so that way they can work with you to say in it. They will also be able to tell you if your wants are reasonable for your budget as well.)
Check out this checklist for florals!
5.) Décor 10%
This might seem like a weird thing to have in your budget but included in “Decor” is anything you make/ buy for your tables (Signs, Candles, Napkins, etc.), Rental chairs (If you choose to use some not provided by venue), Linens, lanterns for ceremony, Draping, etc.
So as you can see, there Is A LOT that goes into this one item on your budget so make sure you don’t cut it down.
This will help you choose your wedding decor!
6.) Attire 5%
Attire will include everything you wear from garter to your shoes to your hairpins.
Keep in mind the 5% in the line item is ONLY for the bride and groom. This does not include anyone else’s attire (Parents, Bridesmaids, Groomsmen, Kids, Officiant, etc.).
7.) Transportation 3%
Transportation is a HUGE struggle that people often have on the day of their wedding because the “Forgot” or “I didn’t think about it!”, don’t be that person that makes all of your guests have to uber from the ceremony to the cocktail hour. There are so many great options for transportation that will make your guest’s experience so much more enjoyable and they will feel very taken care of…
8.) Stationary 3%
When you think of stationery, you’re probably just thinking of the invitations… right?
Yes, Invitations are a big part of this but there is a lot more to this than you would think!
Included in this can be save the dates, formal invitations, place cards, menus, order of service (For ceremony) and a timeline if you choose to have that available for guests), and to finish everything off thank you cards!
Here are some great stationery brands!
9.) Cake 2%
Unless you’re a big cake fan chances are you wouldn’t even think about the cake until grandma asks what color it is…
Wedding cakes can get VERY pricey!
If you are not a big cake fan and don’t really care to spend 2% of your total budget on it, consider asking your caterer what dessert options they have and you can just get a small 6” cake for the two of you to cut if you want the tradition!
Here is a list to give you an idea of how much a cake will cost depending on the amount of guests
10.) Favors 2%
Nowadays this is an optional thing, I’d say about half of the weddings I do have favors and the other half do not.
It’s entirely up to you if you decide to do this or not. Keep in mind the guests never expect to have a wedding favor at the end of the night, when they do receive one they are grateful but if they don’t your guests will never even tis about it.
Here are some ideas for cute wedding favors
Let’s sum it up,
When you’re planning your budget just keep in mind that everything will change, you won’t spend as much as you thought on some things and you might spend more on others.
This is a very basic budget, so when you are also thinking through your budget don’t forget to include catering, hair and makeup, and a videographer!
This part of the planning process can be a little stressful, but don’t let the numbers overwhelm you!
One step at a time.
Feel free to leave a comment below I you have any questions or need help with anything, for real though, I’m a real human being and I love to help any way I can.
Talk soon! London Wnek
You can learn more about me and who I am here!
Hi, I’m London Wnek!
I’m so happy to have you on my page and I am so excited to share my story with you!
Family/ Young London
I’ve always been an adventurous person, I grew up on a farm with lots of cows and horses (I know not how you pictured a wedding planner being raised)
Growing up we moved around a lot for my dad’s business, and oh boy I loved it. I have 10 siblings (That’s right I said 10!) no we did not always get along but there was never a dull moment, I always felt that I was lucky to have grown up with (as we call each other) “Built-in best friends” This is a picture of us below!
Back row: Bryson, Trysten, Wyatt, John (Dad), London (Me), Tory (Mom), Justice, Kayla, Rachel (Sister-in-law), Haven (Hunter & Rachels Baby) Hunter
Front row: Dakota, Dawson, Nathan, Zion.
We as a family moved to South Carolina in 2014 and all still live there now.
Finding Myself
After I Graduated Highschool I decided to go work for a florist, that is when I fell in love with weddings.
Eventually, I decided to move to an event-only flower shop where I became a “Wedding Floral Designer” I loved working with florals and couples. Though I loved my job the shock of the Covid-19 pandemic that shook the world, lead me to become unemployed like so many others
Later I found out that losing my job as a floral designer was one of the best things that happened to me!
I decided I would use this time as a chance for me to take online courses for wedding planning.
(And in all of the craziness) I got engaged to my best friend! What an exciting time it was for Victor and me.
Everyone, meet victor!
Our Wedding
Our whole family had worked together to make my parent’s property into a magical venue for our wedding!!! (And they later opened it as an actual event venue! Go, mom and dad!)
When I was young, I often thought about what my wedding day would be like and the man I would marry. Needless to say, the day was better than I ever could have imagined and God has blessed me beyond measure with my best friend that I now call my husband.
Now & Next
I Have currently been working as a wedding planner for a few years now with a wedding planning business on HHI SC and I still love it!
My goal with this blog is to be able to provide couples with the info they need to know and have actual info out there from someone who does this work as their profession.
I know what it’s like to plan your own wedding and even though it was my job, it was still stressful.
My hope/goals are to be able to help brides who can’t afford to pay $6,000+ for a wedding planner.
I understand and I am here to help!
