1. Printing – Unless you’re outsourcing all invites, save the dates, programs, place cards, menu cards or any other paper item, you’re likely to experience some cost associated with printed materials.  Even if you’ve outsourced all of the above, you still might experience printing costs due to labels, printer ink or even a fee charged by a calligrapher. Realize the fee is there and put it in your budget. If you have amazing handwriting and are not prone to mistakes – more power to you! You just saved yourself some cash!
2. Postage – Postage is one of those inevitable expenses that you really just can’t squeak by in your budget. Now, we’re not saying it’s impossible. With the internet, evites, and wedding web sites, it’s entirely possible that you might be able to send invitations and receive responses all electronically.  Problem is, some of your guests live in the old ages (without internet) and are going to need a paper invite or response card to let you know they’re coming.  Therefore, you should always budget at least a little money to take care of purchasing stamps, unless you’re ready to make a lot of phone calls!
3. Delivery & Setup - Many vendors charge a deliver and setup fee and it’s perfectly ordinary for this to be the case. We’re just saying that sometimes couples don’t realize the possibilities. Make sure when you are discussing your budget with your florist, linen or other rental company that you find out costs that are associated with delivering the materials and setting them up for your day. Also, you might consider discussing options where these fees might be able to be reduced or even eliminated – maybe your mom can pick up the linens!
4. Gratuities – Just like when you go out to eat at a nice restaurant with a party of 8 (sometimes 6) or more, hosting an event for 50-300 people, results in a significant gratuity charge. Depending on the venue or caterer, these charges will vary, but in general you could expect to pay anywhere from 15% to 25%. If you’re planning a wedding in St. Louis, Mo., you can expect them to fit within that range too! (If you find one that doesn’t, let us know!) These fees aren’t hidden, they’re just a part of doing business, so budget for it!
5. Taxes – No shocker here, right? We all know that taxes are a part of life. Well taxes are a part of weddings too! Just like gratuities vary from venue to vendor, taxes vary from location to location. Depending on state and/or city tax rates,  can expect to pay anywhere from 7% to 10%, and that’s a St. Louis figure. Moral of the story – be sure to find out the rate so you know what to expect!

Here are some additional tips to keep in mind while looking at your costs:

1. Tip 1: When negotiating a cost per person caterer or venue with you, tell them your budget is “inclusive.” This can help save you any heart attacks down the road! If you can only afford $50 per person, let your vendor know that this needs to include taxes and gratuities too. Next, see if they will work with you on it!
2. Tip 2: You can save on setup fees if you have a coordinator or planner! We have to throw this out there, of course! Some people don’t realize that a wedding planner can take care of a good portion of the setup duties. From linens to flowers, wedding planners can chip in wherever needed – part of the reason we can be so great to have around.

That’s all for now! Good luck and happy planning – cheers!

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SET THE DATE. Let’s say you’ve been engaged for a month, a week, maybe even a DAY – what’s the first question everyone asks you and your fiance? Maybe “When’s the big day? Have you picked a day yet? When are you getting married?” Answering these questions over and over again is always easier when you have a date in mind! So what are you waiting for? Pick and day and set it in stone. Plus, the sooner you pick a day, the sooner you can start the fun process we like to call planning!

SET A BUDGET. For many couples setting the budget can be a touchy subject. No matter how limited or unlimited your budget is, you need to put it down on paper and make a conscious effort to stick to it! We’re not just talking about budgeting for the bug things like the reception venue or the food. When we say budget, we mean you need to set your budget to include every little detail including wedding party gifts, printing programs to snacks/food for the big day. Knowing what you’re planning to spend upfront always makes saving or making payments that much easier when the time comes. Below are some useful tools for putting together your budget, and of course an old fashioned Excel spreadsheet works wonders too.

• The Knot Budget Tool
• Martha Stewart Weddings – Planning & Tools
• Project Wedding – Calculating your Wedding Budget

HIRE A COORDINATOR. As an event planning company, of course, we would suggest this. Even if you don’t hire US, make sure you hire SOMEONE to help either plan your wedding from start to finish or to take over for day-of event coordination. Why do you need a coordinator, you mask ask? Because it’s critical to have that expertise and coordination on your side! Trust me! If on your wedding day, someone loses the programs, do you (the bride) want to be bothered with figuring out how to solve the problem? Wouldn’t you rather focus on your day, your fiance and enjoying time with your family and friends? We think you do. Still not convinced you need to hire a coordinator? Check out some of our favorite articles on the topic.

• Andrinique Special Events – Please Hire a Planner!
• Stella Event Design – Why you should hire a professional.
• A Delightful Day – Why to hire a wedding planner.

START LOCATION HUNTING NOW. Finding a location EARLY is so important to having the perfect setting for your wedding day. In every city around the nation, St. Louis is no exception, venues book up fast! In order to secure your dream spot, you need to book soon – sometimes even a year or more in advance. Some of St. Louis’ most popular venues are booked already for 2010 year so keep that in mind as you start your planning. Contact us to hear about some of our favorites!

ATTEND A BRIDAL SHOW. Bridal shows are a great way to meet local vendors, taste food, find deals and enjoy an all around great time with your girls (or your fiance if he’s up to it). There are dozens of bridal shows in the St. Louis area each year and most are $25 or less (and sometimes FREE) to attend per person. So find that next big bridal show in your area and plan to attend! Not sure where to look to find out about bridal shows? If your in St. Louis (like us!), try these sites:

• Saint Louis Bride Magazine
• St. Louis’ Best Bridal
• Alive Magazine

SETUP A WEDDING WEB SITE. I know what you’re thinking, why on earth would I need a wedding web site? Well, here’s why – your guests need an easy way to find out information about your wedding day – without having to call you (or your parents) on a regular basis! There are several FREE sites out there that allow you to setup your own wedding web site where you can post pictures, information on wedding events, where you’re registered and some even help track guest RSVPs! Here are some of our favorites:

• The Knot
• My Wedding
• eWedding

HAVE FUN! Moral of the story here is HAVE FUN with your planning! Don’t stress too much over the little things (I know it’s hard, but you have to try)! In the end, it’s all about you and your fiance starting your life together. People are less likely to remember what the flowers looked like. But they sure to remember how much fun they had with you!

That’s all for now. We’ll try and post more tips each week to help you along the way, but these should get you going! And as always, feel free to contact me to setup a free consultation to see how Dishy can help! Just email me at ashley@dishyevents.com. Cheers and happy planning!

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