When you first get engaged and start planning your planning, the first thing you do is work out a budget. From my own experience, and also talking to other brides, it seems a little hard to set a budget when you have no idea what things will, or should cost.
This is something you’ll figure out when you start researching, and planning.
Let me begin with Photographers & Videographers
Photographers – they cost any where from AED 5000 – AED 17,000. They are one for the more costly parts of your wedding requirements but it’s a must-have, and for quality.. this is one thing I wouldn’t cut back on.
The photographer will spend anything from 4-12 hours with you, capturing your every moment on camera, creating images that will last a life time. The editing process is long, and tiring and can take hours and hours. If you break down the amount of work that they doing, it’s a lot. So believe me, there is a reason why it can seem a little costly.
This also applies for a videographer. They can cost even more than the photographer because editing footage is a very long and time consuming process. A 2 minute video can take hours to put together. I know this because I did film editing at university for my final major project. I also did photography so I know that editing is very hard work.
Lets talk flowers and décor.- one of my favorite bits about a wedding!
Flowers, as you may know are always best fresh, and since we live in the desert, all of the flowers in the UAE are imported. As a result this means that flowers can be expensive. However, there are ways to create beautiful centerpieces for a reasonable budget.
A few tips…
- DIY – if you can do something your self then do it. It’s a great way of adding personal touches to your wedding day, and it will also keep the cost down
- Tell your planner or florist what your budget is. I know lots of people who say ‘but if I tell them my budget they will charge me more for something that might actually cost less than my budget, just because they can make more money’. – or something like that 😉 Anyway, this is not true. By making it clear to your planner/ florist about what you like, and what your budget is.. they can then they create something for you within a realistic budget. Showing them a 2ft tall centerpiece with 100 roses, and then saying your budget is AED 100 after is not realistic. You get the idea.
- If possible re use flowers from your wedding ceremony for the dinner reception. – if you ask nicely I’m sure your florist/planner can do this for you.
Your wedding venue
This is tricky because all venues have a slightly different policy, however from experience lots hotels will ask for a minimum spend on food and beverage.
For example if you’re having 100 guests and your minimum spend is AED 40,000 that works out to be AED 400 per guest.
This can be easily covered by food and alcohol. In fact many couples will find they go over budget because alcohol is so expensive. But if you’re having a small wedding, I’d suggest asking for different options, and creating your own menu might be more affordable or exciting than going for a set menu.
These are just a few things that brides are often not sure of.. dresses, shoes and accessories are items that every bride rate differently. I know brides who spent thousands on their dress, and I know others who thought other things were more important. I guess I’ll leave that up to you.
If you do have any other questions please get in touch.. I’m always happy to help ♥
P.S Lets talk money part 2 coming soon…
