How Much Should You Spend on Entertainment

The amount to budget on all your wedding services is a concern for the majority of soon to be newlyweds and their families. Most of these expenses can certainly be reduced, but the question is which ones and why? How can you ensure that everyone has a memorable time without breaking the budget?

Consider The Following:

• Photography - When it comes to photography you’ll want to hire one of the best! After all, those pictures will last a lifetime! Without a great photographer, you won’t get great pictures. Your wedding album is something you’ll keep out on your coffee table for a long time and your wedding guests will want to see those pictures of you and them. You may even be considering sending some of your guests, especially close family members, some quality reprints of your magic day.
  


• Locations - Location cost can vary widely, from nothing (if you’re having the reception at home) into the thousands. You’ll need to find the medium ground in your budget. Saving money by having it outdoors at a park might also mean losing guests early due to adverse weather or temperature. You wouldn’t want them to leave early, would you?
  


• Food - If you were to serve TV dinners, you’d never hear the end of it! But if you provide Filet Mignon and Lobster, many would remember. But if you’re having Chicken, Roast Beef or Fish (the most common dishes) how many will remember what they ate six months later? The truth is, your guests would probably be happy with just about any decent meal, which is why so much chicken is served at weddings. They won’t care much about what the meal is as long as it tastes good and is filling.
  


• Entertainment - It’s almost always the last thing thought about and often the place where many couples try to find a bargain. The only draw back is that a huge factor in the success of your event depends on your entertainment!
  
  Let’s take it a step further. Without entertainment, most of your guests would probably leave shortly after having eaten. On the flip side, if you had no food but still had entertainment, most would probably stay for a while. You need both, but again, where do you find the middle ground?
  
  You and your guests are there to celebrate your marriage. They are there to show their love for you, to participate in it, and to share this special day with you. That is where entertainment plays a major role in providing you and your guests a happy, fun and festive time!
  
  We’ve all heard the horror stories of having a bad disc jockey and no one wants to have poor entertainment. But like food, the quality often depends on the price. You can pay to hire DJ Filet or save a little and have DJ “TV dinner”. But since this is a once in a lifetime event for most, you only get one chance. Think about this: If your wedding expenses are at, say $15,000 and your disc jockey’s fee for service is say, $1000 that represents only 7% of your total wedding outlay. Would it be reasonable to say that your disc jockey is responsible for a much larger percentage of your event’s success?

To sum it all up, when trying to decide how much you can afford for entertainment, think about how much you can lose if your entertainment is poor or mediocre. Look for experienced professionals and pay them what they are worth. After all, if you want the best, it will (and should) cost more. In the long run, they will provide more than a mediocre entertainer would.

They may forget the food, but not the fun!