The Wedding You Never Knew You Always Wanted
Our ideas and goals constantly evolve. Maybe it's the wisdom that comes with seeing more, maybe it's perspective - perhaps even circumstance - but as the designers of our dreams we probably find that you are erasing and rewriting a lot of what your future looks like. We invite you to do that with your wedding and the expectations of what that was supposed to look like. If nothing else, this is the perfect excuse to not have that miserable aunt on your partner's side in attendance. #SilverLining
When you set a wedding budget you are taking into account what you can afford and how many people you have to divide that by. Pre COVID the average wedding in the United States was roughly 130 guests and cost upwards of $35,000, yes, I Googled it. We did plenty of weddings that fell above and below those numbers, but that sounds about right. At roughly $260.23/per person for the average wedding, you had a lot of people to take care of or expectations to manage before even thinking about extras. You needed to cover food, flowers, transportation, wardrobe and hair/makeup, officiants, photography, videography, invitations, favors, decor, venue rentals, entertainment - all things considered, that is a bargain. Now, where we are in 2021 - you either stand to save a lot of money by eliminating 100-ish people off of that tab or you can truly allow yourself to build your dream day that is unencumbered by size.
I can't tell you where to go nuts and where to scale back, those choices are yours. But I do have some ideas… at the end of it all, you're left with memories, right? Right. So let's make them really stand out.
What was once going to be a sea of 20 or more tables is now down to 6 or 7. Make them look like they walked right off your Pinterest page and into real life. This is your opportunity to work with designers who have been taking things off of tables for years because of one factor or another and then proof, budgets are cut. Trust that we all have been waiting for the day that a couple was eager to deck out their décor with the upgrades everyone always wants but can't always afford because of how many people they need to accommodate. You will be surprised at how budget friendly many of these details are, even if you had once thought they belonged in the splurge column. Beautiful overlays, layered charger plates, polished candelabras, less filler - more flower, handwritten place cards, upgraded flatware, upscale chairs - you see where I am going here. You don't have to settle. You have a handful of tables to adorn, you can really go to town and not abuse your bottom line. In this case, less is more.
100 (or more) less people to feed - make it magic. Once upon a time many couples were choosing their options from a prefix menu from their caterer but you can close the book on that too. I have to say, we work with some pretty outstanding catering companies. While it isn't standard practice for a lot of them to take your secret family recipe for strawberry shortcake on a biscuit with lemon vanilla whipped cream and turn it into a dessert offering, we work with some absolutely culinary teams who do. We even had a couple who went so far as to ask their guests what their favorite meals and cocktails were and then served them exclusively at the reception. That is extra and we were there for it. NOT having 150 people makes this level possible for more than just the wealthy.
Remember watching a movie and the couple gets married in the middle of the woods with twinkle lights all over the trees, guests are sitting on beautiful benches and waiters in white gloves are handing out champagne as the sun sets ; and there you were thinking "*Sigh* That's magical but so unrealistic"? Well, why not? You have 50 people in attendance, 48 after the couple - do it. Recreate your wildest Twilight themed wedding or Great Gatsby soiree. There are no rules! You don't even need to be inside of a venue if you don't want to be, you can make your own! Pardon me while my head explodes but that is pretty amazing. Never before have brides seen this freedom from tradition and the ability to actually choose their own adventure. In fact I bet 90% of brides never even bothered to price out their dream wedding before this, they just processed the pre packaged service menus and called it a day. You don't need to do that. And if you're reading this at a time in the future where there are no limits or restrictions on gatherings, well first I want to say; congratulations - you made it! But after that I want to still remind you that you don't have to pick the cookie cutter options just because everyone else does. Make it your own.
If all you are left with in the end are memories, make sure they are captured by the right people. After all the decisions are made and the meals are served, you need to have a person behind the lens of the camera who is capturing these moments in your style. These people are worth every penny, even if you aren't having the big, fat wedding you thought you were going to. In fact, even more important if you aren't planning on having a larger event once things settle down. Many of our clients have opted to be content with the mini version and go all out despite the change. In 50 years it will be a great story to tell your Grandkids anyway, complete with the beautiful pictures to show them what weddings looked like when masks were mandatory and the term social distancing was more common than the cold.
It feels like we have all been told "no" a lot in the last year. Rather than think of all the things you can't do, focus on what you can do. You can still have an amazing wedding. You can still zoom in out of town guests and people who didn't fit in the 50 person guest list. You can still wear the custom made gown and your mothers pearls. You can still walk down the aisle towards the love of your life and say your vows. You can still cut the cake and have a first dance. You can still have a full bridal experience even if it needs some adjusting. Don't despair in the change, embrace the opportunity that this affords you to do this entirely your own way. Before the world told you what to do or who to be, you were probably filled with wild and unrealistic hopes and dreams; go find them again! We'll be here to help make them a reality!