My Big Fat Edmond Wedding
June can be a special time of year. Many Edmond couples decide this is the time to say “I Do.” All across the country, elegant weddings are becoming more popular than ever, and Edmond is no exception. Robyn Martin, Professional Bridal Consultant of The Wedding Belle, shares a few of the high-end trends available in today’s weddings, as well as a few oversights that can exhaust your wedding budget.
“I believe we in Oklahoma are strongly family-oriented. This results in a higher number of attendees, which drives up the cost of most everything,” said Martin. “Although the average cost of a wedding is just under $30,000,there are weddings here with budgets between $125,000 to $175,000. Many wedding planners on the East and West Coast will not even work weddings with less than $250,000 budgets, so by that comparison, that is not a lot of money,” she said.
There are four main areas that eat up wedding budgets. The first is production cost. “A wedding is logistically much like a stage production: you need set design, music, hair, and make-up. A wedding is little different, requiring most of these components. High-end budgets allow $40,000 for production.”
To many, one of the most important expenses is the cake. “No longer is a wedding cake just cake. It is a work of art. The stunning, over-the-top cakes can run into several thousand dollars.”
Another major cost to consider is decor. When you begin to decide on flowers, table tops and other decorative styles to establish a look and feel to a room, budget plenty for this. In a recent wedding consulted by Martin, she budgeted $23,000 for decor.
Food and beverages for your guests can easily challenge a budget, due to the number of guests. “Again, it’s all dependent on the total number of guests. You can spend $18,000 on food and beverages quickly on a wedding of 250-plus guests.”
Other areas that can consume your budget include invitations, entertainment and transportation. “Etiquette dictates that members of the wedding party that travel from out of town are provided accommodations by the couple. I have budgeted as much as $3,000 for this expense.”
Martin explains that these numbers don’t reflect every wedding, and that each event is different. She further explains that one thing must be determined early on for a successful event. “You need to ask yourself, ‘What are my priorities?’”
Some of the unforeseen expenses may include tent rental fees for an outside wedding. “Even if weather doesn’t allow to have the wedding outside, you still have to pay the rental fees.” Other costs for an outside wedding include licensing from the fire marshal who has to inspect the tent. Also, fire extinguishers must be purchased, along with “no smoking” signs and “exit” signs. “Most of the times you will want to elegantly cover these, which of course gets back into the decor budget.”
Some of the new trends include having a photo booth guestbook, DJ’s and bands interchanged to alter moods, caricature artists and balloon artists.
Martin said, “We are celebrating weddings more now than we ever have. Brides are more thoughtful about guests and families and are all about hospitality, all in the name of making this a memorable day.”
Robyn Martin can be reached at The Wedding Belle at www.weddingbelleweddings.com.
