Tots

From my last post you're probably thinking "wow, she hates kids." Not true - just kids at weddings. But that's just me. I'm sure my view on the topic will change once I become a mother - but for now, no thank you.

I'm going to post a list of reasons why I believe children don't belong at weddings, as they can add a significant cost to the overall event and spoil your day.

1. As said in the last post, a plate for a child (depending on your venue) can cost about $70 - $90. They won't eat it. You have 5-10 kids in attendance, there goes about $600 in the garbage.

2. Children get bored very easily. Most cannot sit still for more than 2 minutes, they have no sense of when to speak with an indoor voice, and they're not ashamed to take a screaming fit in public. Now imagine this while you're in the middle of saying your vows or making your speech.

3. If you allow one child, everyone is going expect to bring theirs. Your wedding becomes a day care centre. The parents (or whoever gets stuck babysitting) don't have a good time and don't get to spend time with you and they end up leaving early. The midnight buffet you had prepared for 150 guests is now serving 120 guests.

4. A new trend that is emerging is for those with children to encourage the couple to have a babysitter/day care on site. Guess what! That's expensive. No thanks.

5. Lets face it - some venues and events are just not suitable for children. Sharp edges on tables, a very expensive white dress in the room, sharp knives for dinner, an abundance of alcohol, etc...

6. Kids pick their noses and everything else. Kids stick their fingers in everything: food, cake, the chocolate fountain, etc... and give random surprise hugs! Those hugs and formal wear don't mix.

7. Kids throw up. A lot.

8. If you have children in your wedding party, they are most likely very close to you, and that's fine. However it can be very difficult to get your wedding photos taken with a screaming 3 year old and a miserable, hungry 6 year old. It can end up taking hours to get a few good pictures.

9. Again, if you have kids in the wedding party, some people will expect you to pay for the flower girl's dress or the ring bearer's suit/tux. Don't forget you need to get them flowers and a thank you gift as well.

10. Do you really want to have to spend time and money coming up with activities and games for children? And parents, it's a night out! Don't you want to enjoy yourself and let loose for once?


Again, all of these reasons are MY opinions. I personally cringe at the thought of a child in attendance, but some people love the idea of little ones running around hyped up on cake. However, I do have a fair reason to think this way. When I was 7 I was a flower girl for the 3rd time in my aunt and uncle's wedding. At the altar I got really sick, pale ghostly white and had to wear a hot pink sweater for the rest of the day because I was so cold. Everyone was worried about me, I ruined the pictures and there was vomit. Enough said.

Invite Follow Up

Not only is making your own invitations a great way to save money, but wording them correctly can also be a great help down the road.

Wedding horror stories about guests inviting their own guests are a dime a dozen. It can very quickly spin out of control with parades of teenager's boyfriends and girlfriends, children, and people you don't know. This obviously results in a much higher head count than expected, paying $120+ a plate for people you don't know, and paying up to $90 a plate for a child that isn't going to eat a quarter of the things on it. You will also have the people that beg for an invitation, make you jump through hoops for them, and then not show up.



There are 3 things you need to remember here:

1. Be firm. Don't let anyone force you into anything you don't want to do. If you allow one child, you'll have to allow everyone elses. Same goes for guests - if you allow your neighbours to bring their extended family, you're going to hear about it from everyone else. Stand your ground. Say no.

2. Spread information by word of mouth. Get your wedding party and family to help out. Everytime the wedding is mentioned, find a way to slip in that there is limited seating, it's getting out of control, it is not child friendly, you're paying for the wedding yourselves, etc... If anyone has a question, they will contact you. Hopefully.

3. Be very clear on your invites. Many claim that writing "adult reception" on the rsvp card or invitation is rude; personally, I don't care. There are people out there with 4-6 kids all under the age of 10 and they insist on going everywhere with every single one of them in tow.

If you don't want to use the word "adult" on the invite, have the RSVP card pre-filled out with the number of responses you are expecting. An example: "We are reserving 2 seats in your honor. __ of 2 will be in attendance".

Remember, it's your day and your money. Spend it the way you want.

DIY Invitations

Wedding invitations usually cost somewhere between $300-$500 for a wedding of 200 guests. While yes, they are important, no one is going to be thinking about the invitation while they're watching you walk down the aisle on daddy's arm.

Here's a great video I found showing how easy it is to make your invitations at low cost. Get your bridal party to work - this is what they're for!

Have fun!

First things first...

The ring.

Fellas: please, do not skimp on the ring. If you don't have enough money to buy the one you feel she is worthy of or the one she has her heart set on, don't buy one at all. Wait until you can afford it.

Ladies: do not settle for something you're not happy with on the promise "we'll get you a new one in a few years". It's not going to happen. You'll have the wedding to pay for, then the honeymoon, then real life starts with hundreds of dollars in monthly bills, then kids come, then their college education comes... needless to say you're not getting a new ring.

What will one day be my Birks ring...

Remember, this is something you'll be wearing every single day for the rest of your life. It's not a wedding dress that you wear once and never see again... it's every. single. day. You deserve butterflies in your tummy every time you look down at it.

Speaking of engagement rings... I was working on a marketing report today on Tiffany & Co. and their competitors. Wow, there's some expensive jewelry out there. Did you know that Wal-Mart has the highest dollar amount in jewelry sales in the US annually? A total of 3 billion dollars was spent in Wal-Mart store across the United States in 2008.That's compared to the 1.6 billion dollars that was spent at Tiffany & Co.

Also, did you know that De Beers came up with the idea that "a diamond is forever" in the 40s when sales were stagnant from the depression as a ploy to get people to purchase them? They also came out with the marketing scheme that claimed a man must spend a minimum 3 months salary on an engagement ring.

De Beers is famous for their clever ads...

...and the spoofs of them.

Good luck, boys.

Congratulations!

Are you newly engaged? Do you have a hunch you will be soon? Were you recently given the honour of being asked to be a bridesmaid (or groomsman)? Or, are you like me and just have a huge love for weddings and planning events in general?

If you're a 20-something in any of these situations then you've most likely wondered this question: "how on earth does someone plan and pay for a wedding along with student loan debt, car loan debt, rent/mortgage payments, insurance, etc...?" Well I find myself pondering this question a lot more often than I care to admit... (shh, don't tell my boyfriend!) I figure the day will come for me eventually - hopefully - so why not start researching cost-efficient ideas now?

I've been the flower girl, I've been the guest, I've been the bridesmaid, I've been the planner - weddings are expensive. Follow me as I investigate economical (not "cheap"!) ways to plan the classy, fairytale wedding of your dreams on a 20-something's budget.







A little bit about me:

I am a 24 year old Laurentian University bachelor of business administration student. I have graduated from Niagara College twice - from the 3 year advanced college diploma International Business program and from the graduate certificate Public Relations program. For the duration of the PR program I worked at Niagara College as the asisstant to the event planner. I also completed an internship at the Niagara Historical Society and Museum as the event planner for multiple events. I have planned and organized many private events over the last 8 years, including cosmetic "make-over" birthday parties at the Real Canadian Superstore and my highschool senior prom.