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What are You Paying For?
This isn’t an article about who pays for what. With
over 50% of couples paying for their weddings
themselves, that issue is less and less
significant. This article is about what are you
getting for the resources you extend. Your
resources are labour (yours & favours), security or
risk level, and of course money. All these in their
varying percentages, equal your wedding solutions.
Time is the amount of labour required either from
yourself or as favours from others. The old adage
“You get what you pay for” still rings true. To get
what you want for the price you can afford, you may
have to work a little harder. As an example, hotels
and golf courses are fantastic venues for weddings
because they have beautiful facilities and can
provide most of the services you need in one stop.
However, it can be pricey depending on some of the
choices you make. When you have a smaller less
expensive venue, you may not spend as much, but you
will be running around a lot to arrange for
catering, decorating, renting, serving, setting up,
cleaning up, etc. You can either pay for the
labour required or you can do it yourself and rally
your resources around so many hands make light work.
Risk is the amount of security you have to receive
the solution you require. Going to a local bridal
shop that has been around for many years to try on
dresses and eventually purchase is not a huge risk.
If they have a good reputation you’re most likely to
find what you want, get expert advice, know that it
fits because you’ve tried it on and have confidence
it will arrive and be ready on time for your walk
down the aisle. However, if you can’t afford the
$1,000-$2,000 dress costs you may roll the dice and
take a risk on buying a dress online through ebay
for example. You haven’t tried it on or seen how it
really looks and have little assurance the source is
reliable other than the feedback score, but you can
get a screaming deal on the price.
Money for products and services is obviously the
easiest option for a solution, but most of us don’t
have this resource in abundance. If what you want
is out of your reach financially, ask the vendor if
there is someone they recommend in your budget
range. Maybe they are mentoring someone in the same
field that is just starting out and is looking for
more experience. You could also ask what they can
remove from the offering to better fit your budget.
Sometimes a ‘discount’ is just a ‘discount’ of the
services you end up with, be sure you’re aware of
what they are. It’s better to look for ways where
you can both benefit so your wedding day meets, or
better yet, exceeds, your expectations. There is no
‘do-over’ and everyone involved, including vendors
contribute to the feeling of the day.
If you evaluate your resources and what you are
willing to spend from each of them you will come up
with a balance to meet the needs of all your wedding
solutions.
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