I had such a fun time on The Place today! Here is a list of all the vendors that were shown on the segment
Photographer for the canvas and clothes pin Display: Amanda Hendrickson
Photo credits for photos shown : Amanda Hendrickson and Amanda Kay Memories
Floral Design: Native Flower Company- ask about DIY Flower Classes
Invitations: Shown with the Gold Paint- Twelve 30 Creative, Display invitations: Basic Invite, Wedding Paper Divas and Minted ( ask about exclusive discounts for these sites- email me at muyly@muylymillerweddings.com)
Here were my Talking Points- It would basically cover an hour show!
DIY or HIRE
Engagement season is upon us, and the overwhelming thoughts of wedding planning are consuming Brides to Be, especially staying on budget ! Muyly Miller , Utah wedding planner, is here to help us with budgeting tips and is it worth it to hire out or to DIY?
The Average wedding in Utah costs around $15,000. How do you work with budgets and what tips do you have to help Brides decide what to do themselves or what to Hire Out
- After you have a set budget, before any planning starts I tell people to pick out the top 3 elements they want most in their wedding. It doesn’t matter if you have a $5000 budget or a $25,000 budget, if you can get your top 3 must haves narrowed down, it allows you flexibility for the rest of the budget and items on your list.
- The things that cost the most in weddings, in my experience are Food, Venue, and Wedding attire (dresses, tux rentals, bridesmaids dresses, kids attire, jewelry, shoes, etc)
- The items that get the most attention during the planning process are usually the invitations, flowers, photography and entertainment
- The key thing to remember is that the more guests you have, the more your wedding will cost, so if you are running close to budget, or running tight, trim the guest list. Just cutting 10 people will save you in invitations, stamps, linens, food, centerpieces and other event rentals.
Invitations:
if you have less than 50 guests coming to both your ceremony and reception, It may be more cost effective at times to do a simple DIY version from a kit. If you have 75 or more guests I would definitely hire it out. You can add some DIY elements to your paper suite though. As seen here from Twelve 30 Creative.
Simple paper but embellished with gold paint
Paper selections are endless with invitations
If you want to design your own invitations, upload them on to basic invite.
If you want someone to design something for you, Cami Thurber at Silen6 designed some for me and they are spectacular
If you are the type of person who needs to touch and feel the paper, head over to twelve 30, or another local source and they will have lots for you to play with.
Flowers- even if flowers aren’t that important to you on your wedding day, I really suggest you hire it out anyway. I’ve seen DIY flowers just get so sad before the event is over. Unless you have a real knowledge of how to keep flowers fresh, how to cut them and how to make them look lively and vibrant until your sendoff I would hire them out. A way to save money is to pick a florist that doesn’t have a minimum. Most florists will work with your needs and keep you on or close to budget. Plus, that’s one less thing you need to make mom and dad carry around- a box of flowers and vases. Also, make sure you give the florist enough time to order everything. Flowers are time sensitive so they have to be ordered in a particular amount of time, and it depends on the season if they are available. I use Native Flower Company for all my Brides and she is a genius. If you don’t think you like flowers, just get up close and personal to one of her arrangements and you will be converted.
Your Sign in Table decorations:
This is definitely a DIY and a fun one! It’s a fun way to add those fun elements you see on pinterest but can’t afford to use them in your entire venue. So sweet picture frames, or some twine hanging pictures from clothes pins are so cute of you and the groom from your engagements or bridals. Adding cute pieces like little trays and love notes is cute too. All the details are in one spot and it will be a fun thing for your photographer to shoot as well.
Wedding Cake:
I love a good yummy cake at a wedding, and sometimes I think Brides get a bit of sticker shock when they see the prices on cakes, it’s definitely a personal preference these days to do a big wedding cake, or just a small one to cut for the obligatory cut the cake moment. I had a bride who did just that, a small round cake to cut and then served cookies and pastries.
So my advice is- if you have a reliable family or friend that wants to make your cake for you, great! That is their way of showing you love and support and it does take a lot of time, so its such a special gift. I had my best friend make my wedding cake and it was delicious. The only thing is, if you have a DIY cake or a professional baker make your cake, make sure you have someone to slice and serve it. Sometimes the venue will have staff to do that, sometimes the caterer will do it. Double check and it may even cost extra. If it costs extra then do what my bride did.
Photography:
In this day and age, A DIY photographer is a thing, its called a ‘selfie’ I don’t suggest you take selfies all day during your wedding though.
Hire. That is all. We’ve all heard the horror stories about a friend or a family doing it for free. In the long run, it is priceless when you have a dedicated, professional photographer who knows how to work the wedding day, stay on time, capture the moments and produce clear, sharp, high quality photos. I tell people to research all different types of photographers and find the style of shooting that fits the brides and groom. Sometimes you will see very angled typed photographers, some that use wide lenses a lot, some that edit with a romantic soft look to all your photos. So for sure research, find the style and the price point that fits. But always hire it out.
{Foodie + Cakes + Classes} 