CWPR 2015 Fall/Winter

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F I N A N C I A L P L A N N I N G , I N S U R A N C E , H O M E S & M O R T G A G E S
C H I C A G O W E D D I N G & P A R T Y R E S O U R C E
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1. PROFESSIONAL HELP
You might have limited funds or a love of
getting your hands dirty, but bringing in a
few wedding pros will help ensure your I
do’s are your vision-come-true – and save
both time and your sanity Of course, DIY
is encouraged for areas such as favors, but
some details that are better left to the pro-
fessionals – think flowers and the cake and
catering A professional wedding planner
(or at least a day-of coordinator) also is a
savvy investment They often have insid-
er leads on ways to trim other costs, and
having someone else take care of logistics
allows you to just enjoy the day You could
certainly ask a friend or family member to
coordinate for you, but they may not always
know what to do, how to troubleshoot, how
to leave you out of it and how to not have
one too many drinks
2. PHOTOGRAPHY
No, a friend can’t shoot your photos – or
video for that matter – unless, of course,
they are professionals At the end of the day,
those photographs are all you will have left
to look back on from your wedding You’ll
wish you’d spent the cash when you discov-
er that all your ceremony shots are blurry or
there’s not a single picture of you with your
parents
3. FOOD
Make sure your guests are well-fed Even if
you have a tight budget, you can still select
a menu that tastes great and fills bellies If
guests leave hungry, that will be the one
thing they remember from your wedding
In addition, never skimp on the service peo-
ple, or you will end up making guests wait
on line forever at the buffet
4. GRATIS ALCOHOL
Even in tough times, a cash bar is simply not
acceptable Limit the hours, keep your alco-
hol to bar brands or only offer inexpensive
beer and wine and one signature cocktail
that matches your color scheme, like a man-
go mojito or chocolate martini But never
make people pay for their own drinks at
your party
5. BRIDAL BOUTIQUE
SERVICE
Purchasing a wedding dress via the Inter-
net might sound like a great way to save a
few dollars However, dress sizing is not a
simple task – a six is not necessarily a six
You may end up spending far more on alter-
ations when you need to take it to an expen-
sive seamstress at the last minute
6. A BAND OR DJ
The ceremony might take 30 minutes and
dinner uses up about an hour, so what do you
do with the rest of a five or six hour recep-
tion? Entertainment is a big part of the eve-
ning and can make for a great, best-night-of-
their-life party Guests love ending the night
with a packed dance floor and the crowd
chanting ‘One more song! One more song!’”
Copyright © CTW Features
wedding ‘musts’
every couple should budget for
Keeping your wedding budget in check is no easy task,
but these splurges are well worth your dollars By Anna Sachse, CTW Features
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