The joy of an under budget wedding

October 25, 2021

under budget weddingMost brides and grooms are shell-shocked when all the bills come due from their wedding. Most spent far more than they budgeted. It doesn’t have to be that way. The joy of an under budget wedding can be yours.

Scott Stevens Entertainment has worked with countless brides and grooms (and their parents) throughout Cookeville and beyond. Many had regrets when they added up all they spent, because inevitably several thousand dollars of certain expenditures just weren’t worth it.

Be careful with your flower budget

One area that comes up frequently are the flowers. Flowers ARE important to your wedding celebration, because wedding celebrations should be beautiful. Flowers add to the beauty of your day. The rub is simply how many flowers do you need?

For example, some brides lament how much they spent on their centerpieces. Simplify and save if your budget is limited (as are most brides’). Some feel they went way overboard on how many flowers they used to decorate. Flowers add up, so simply think through how many you actually need to complement your style and budget.

Reception food and drink may be half of your budget

However, the key to experiencing an under budget wedding is more likely to be realized if you exercise discretion in the food and drink category. After all, The Knot tells us the reception eats up about half of your wedding budget.

Again, food and drink ARE wonderful ingredients to any wedding celebration in any culture. But, here’s where so many couples tell us they busted their budgets. We especially hear it when they talk about alcohol.

Open bars are budget killers

Open bars can get real expensive and can even lead to problems later in the evening with guests who over-imbibe. Brides have told us time and time again that they wish they had put a cap on their open bar. And many wish they had simply gone with a cash bar. You’ll save a bundle with the latter.

In the food department, think through whether you need a sit down dinner vs.

under budget wedding

Do you need a wedding cake as fancy as the Duchess of Cambridge’s?

a buffet. Think through if you really need those fancy appetizers. Think through if you really need a cake as elegant as the Duchess of Cambridge’s.

All of these things are really, really nice. But all of these things are potential obstacles to experiencing the joy of an under budget wedding.

There’s another easy way to come in under budget: select a DJ instead of a band.

Scott Stevens Entertainment can save you money vs. a band

Scott Stevens Entertainment is friends with many excellent bands in the area, and can recommend one if that’s the way you want to go. DJ entertainment will typically save you at least $2000 over a band, and DJ entertainment allows your guests to enjoy their favorite songs by the original artists, which really matters to a whole lot of folks.  With Scott Stevens Entertainment, your entertainment is in great hands!  Scott Stevens is a consummate professional and a talented MC. Don’t forget our beautiful lighting options which can transform even a plain space into a palace. Another great way to enjoy an under budget wedding!

Entertainment may only comprise 10% of a typical wedding budget, but it accounts for 90% of the fun. Your guests won’t even notice if you cut back on the flowers, the bar, or the food when they’re having fun, and that’s exactly what wedding entertainment by Scott Stevens Entertainment delivers: affordable wedding entertainment for couples on a budget.


 

20 minute wedding speeches are a no-no

October 7, 2024
wedding speech no-no

One of the greatest speeches in American history, the Gettysburg Address (re-enacted in the video above), took but two minutes to deliver. And yet a recent bride writing to an advice columnist mentioned that her future in-laws gave a 20 minute wedding ‘speech,’ a real no-no. Even Martin Luther King’s iconic “I Have a Dream”…

What’s your favorite music genre?

September 2, 2024
favorite music genre

Every state has a favorite music genre. So does every generation. And so does every couple. What’s yours? Wedding celebrations are defined by their music, and your favorite genre influences the entire theme of your wedding. We ran across an interesting map (above) which shows which music genres are most popular on a state-by-state basis.…

A wedding toast for an older couple

August 5, 2024
wedding toast for an older couple

Discussions on how to give a wedding toast typically focus on younger couples in their twenties or early thirties. Young love is especially passionate, often reflected in the toasts themselves. But what about a wedding toast for an older couple? Is there anything different about them? To be clear, passion isn’t strictly the domain of…

Mother of the Bride

July 1, 2024
Mother of the Bride

Netflix released another wedding-themed movie, Mother of the Bride, starring Brooke Shields. It follows right on the heals of Irish Wish, starring Lindsay Lohan, released just a few months earlier. Although wedding movies can be endlessly fun, Mother of the Bride was haltingly boring. The premise: Emma (Miranda Cosgrove) springs on her mom, Lana, (portrayed…

How to toast someone you don’t like

June 3, 2024
toast someone you don't like

Most wedding toasts are fairly easy, because you’re toasting someone you like. What happens if you’re put in the position of leading a toast for someone you don’t like? It happens. A dad wrote in to advice columnist, Carolyn Hax, presenting his dilemma: “My son is getting married, and I’m expected to give a toast.…

What to include in your wedding website

May 6, 2024
wedding website

On Monday, your co-work Susie asks you what time is your wedding. On Tuesday, childhood friend Mindy calls and asks what the dress code is. On Wednesday, Aunt Martha calls and asks what hotel to stay at. How do you cut down on all of these calls? Your wedding website. Yes, your website is a…

Should you bake your own wedding cake?

April 1, 2024
bake your own wedding cake

The quick answer is no. You should not bake your own wedding cake. A Florida bride who DID bake her own wedding cake last year created a social media firestorm with her home-made five tier wedding cake. Lilly Mendoza decided to bake her own cake for a simple reason: she wanted to, and she knew…

Is cash crass?

March 4, 2024
cash wedding gifts

Should a wedding invitation be viewed as an invoice? Of course not, but it’s hard to think otherwise when couples ask for cash wedding gifts instead of traditional, tangible gifts like china, toasters, and bath towels. Some wedding couples grouse that their cost per wedding guest is x dollars each, so the gift they receive…

Elvis tops Taylor and Ed

February 5, 2024
top first dance songs of 2023

Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeren are two of the biggest music stars of the era. Nonetheless, a long dead rock legend headlines the list of top first dance songs of 2023. Yes, Elvis Presley’s 1961 hit love song, “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” knocked Ed Sheeren’s “Perfect” off the top of the list, according to…

Top love songs of the 21st century

January 1, 2024
top love songs

This is a wedding blog. Love songs play an important role in the overall scheme of wedding entertainment, especially when it comes to the first dance.  Interestingly, Billboard Magazine said fewer love songs are being written these days when compared to pop songs of the 20th century. This should concern all of us. As music…