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The Sun
a day ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
I'm a wedding planner – here's the five things I'd skip on my own big day, it could save you thousands
GETTING married is one of the happiest times of your life - but planning a wedding can be as stressful and expensive. Your dream big day can cost thousands of pounds, and wedding budgets can very quickly start to spiral out of control. 3 3 There are so many different things to consider - from the venue and the guest lists to the menus, cars, flowers, and much more. So it's no wonder that brides and grooms can quickly find it becoming overwhelming - both financially and mentally. Luckily, one expert is on hand to help engaged couples celebrate their special day in style, but without breaking the bank. Nick Bramer from Country House Weddings has urged couples not to include every trend they see on social media, no matter how tempting. The wedding planner has spent years helping couples create their perfect day and has learned what elements truly matter and which ones simply aren't worth the investment (or should just be outright avoided). And he even revealed the five things he would never do for his own wedding - and why other couples should think twice before adding them to their plans. Nick said: 'After organising hundreds of weddings, I've learned that the most memorable celebrations aren't necessarily the most expensive ones. "They're the weddings where couples focused on what truly mattered to them and their guests, rather than trying to tick every box they'd seen on Pinterest. 'The wedding industry is brilliant at making couples feel like they need everything to be perfect, but perfection often comes at the cost of personality and genuine enjoyment. "Some of my favourite weddings have been the ones where couples said no to half the extras and instead invested in great food, good music, and making sure their guests felt welcome. Your wedding should reflect who you are as a couple, not what magazines tell you it should look like." Stunning coastal wedding venue in Scotland with spectacular views reveals major £750k revamp 1. Hiring an expensive photographer without seeing their full portfolio It's a common belief that the best suppliers are the most expensive, but this isn't always the case. Just because a photographer charges premium rates, it doesn't necessarily mean that they will deliver the best results. Wedding photography can cost anywhere from £1,000 to £5,000, but those on the higher end of the scale could be basing their price on their marketing rather than their actual skill. Nick explains: 'I've seen couples spend £4,000 on a photographer who promised the world, only to receive bland, cookie-cutter shots that looked identical to every other wedding they'd shot that year. "Price doesn't guarantee creativity or the ability to capture your unique story." Instead, he suggests meeting potential photographers in person and reviewing complete wedding galleries, not just highlight reels. The most memorable celebrations aren't necessarily the most expensive ones. They're the weddings where couples focused on what truly mattered to them and their guests Nick Bramerfrom Country House Weddings 2. Booking entertainment that doesn't match the crowd One of the biggest mistakes that Nick says couples make when planning their wedding is booking the wrong style of entertainment. The wedding planner said he often sees too many couples choosing entertainment based on what looks impressive rather than what their guests will actually enjoy. And this can actually throw off the whole vibe of the day. He suggested considering the guest list carefully before booking any kind of evening entertainment. For example, if most attendees are over 50, a classic covers band might work better than a DJ spinning the latest hits. He said: "I once saw a couple hire a string quartet for a crowd that clearly wanted to party. 'By 9pm, half the guests had left because there was nothing to keep them engaged". 3 3. Splurging on designer wedding favours Wedding favours are, in theory, very sweet reminders of your big day and a lovely treat for your guests. However, most guests actually leave them behind or throw them away within weeks. And considering that couples often spend hours planning to get their perfect thing and often spend hundreds of pounds on them, Nick says they're just not worth it. He explains that he has seen couples stress over personalised candles, miniature photo frames, and custom sweets that end up sadly forgotten on tables. Instead, he suggests that couples opt for something they can enjoy on the day, like a high-quality treat like chocolate. Or even put the money they'd spend on favours towards something else, like a couple of hundred pounds on better food or drinks at the bar. Nick explains that this is something guests would probably appreciate more - and you'd get more value for money. He explains: "Couples spend an average of £3-5 per guest on favours, which adds up to £300-500 for a typical wedding. "I've never seen guests genuinely excited about taking home a miniature jam jar with the couple's names on it". 4. Choosing a venue based on Instagram photos Social media doesn't often reflect real life, and something that might look magical online might not look that great in person. As a result, Nick has warned couples against booking a venue based on their filtered photos on social media. Lighting, angles, and editing can hide serious flaws that will all become obvious on your wedding day. Instead, he suggests always visiting potential venues in person - preferably at the same time of day as your planned celebration. Nick says: 'I've seen couples fall in love with venues online, only to arrive and discover the 'spacious' room is actually cramped. 'Photos rarely show practical issues like poor acoustics or limited parking.' Expert's seven tips to keep wedding costs down IN a bid to help couples save some cash, one expert has revealed their seven tips to keep costs down for the big day. Claudia Postigo, founder and Head Wedding Planner at The Planner Co, reveals how couples can save significant money on wedding aspects that many go overboard on. Choose off-season dates - "By choosing to have your wedding during the off-season, such as winter or early spring, when demand is lower, you can save a considerable amount of money on venues, caterers, and other services.' Leverage DIY décor - "DIY projects help to add a personal touch to your wedding, while having the added bonus of saving you a lot of money." Book non-traditional venues - "Non-traditional venues tend to be more affordable and provide a unique and memorable wedding experience." Reduce the guest list - "This both cuts down on catering costs and creates a more intimate and meaningful atmosphere for your special day.' Go digital - "In an era where most things are digital, it makes sense to go paperless for your wedding invitations and save-the-date cards." Recycle, Reduce, Reuse - "When it comes to wedding décor, why not try recycling and reusing items from previous weddings or events?" Consider a smaller wedding cake - "To save some money, opt for a smaller wedding cake for the ceremonial cutting and a larger sheet cake for guests to enjoy.2 5. Going overboard with unnecessary extras that add no real value It's so easy to get carried away when planning a wedding and want to do everything and buy everything. But Nick says that there are so many unnecessary extras that couples often spend a fortune on but don't add any real value. Wedding vendors excel at selling add-ons that sound amazing but provide little actual benefit. Things like chair covers, upgraded linens, and premium flower arrangements can quickly double your costs. However, they don't significantly improve your guests' experience. Nick has urged couples to think carefully about little extras and if they're really needed. This might help keep costs down and give you fewer things to stress about on the big day. He said: 'I've seen people spend £800 on chair covers when the venue's chairs were perfectly fine. "Focus your budget on elements that directly impact your guests' comfort: good food, decent drinks, and reliable sound systems.'
Associated Press
28-05-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Planning a wedding is stressful. Couples and vendors now have to factor in tariffs
NEW YORK (AP) — Krista Vasquez had her heart set on getting married in a body-hugging, halter-style gown from Spain. In April, the Atlanta paramedic learned her dream dress would cost nearly $300 more because of new U.S. tariffs on imported goods. With little wiggle room in her timing, the bride-to-be quickly checked around for similar styles. The story was the same: any dresses from Europe would come with tariff-driven price increases ranging from $150 to $400. And that was before President Donald Trump said he would increase the tariff on goods produced in the European Union from 10% to 50%. Vasquez, 33, went with her first choice, fearing shipping delays or additional costs like a rush fee before her October wedding if she placed an order elsewhere. 'It's already expensive enough to get married,' she said. 'It just kind of made me a little sad.' Wedding cakes, decor, attire, flowers, party favors, photo and video equipment, tableware, wine and Champagne. Not many goods used in the wedding industry remain untouched by the tariffs Trump has imposed since returning to office. How much of the import taxes get passed down to consumers is up to florists, photographers, caterers and myriad other vendors and intermediaries, such as wholesalers. Olivia Sever, a 28-year-old online content creator in San Diego, has a lot of wedding shopping ahead of her. Much of what she wants may cost more because of tariffs. An immediate concern is some of her paper goods. Her wedding planner has already flagged a 10% price increase for the menus, place cards and signage she wanted for her September celebration in Hawaii. Sever said shifting to American goods isn't always cost-effective. For instance, flowers grown in Hawaii are in high demand, with increased prices to match, in response to 10% tariffs imposed on a large number of imports around the world. That includes flowers from Ecuador, Colombia and other countries that grow the bulk of the flowers the U.S. imports. 'There's just so many unknowns, but we have our budget and we're trying to work within our budget,' Sever said. 'If that means we can't get these, you know, specific shell cups I want, then we just won't get them and we'll get something else.' Here's a look from inside the wedding industry on tariffs. Tariffs and the wedding cake industry Clients of Phoenix cake artist Armana Christianson pay roughly $750 to $800 for one of her creations. She spent two years perfecting the 16 flavor combinations she offers. They range from simple vanilla bean, made with vanilla bean paste imported from Mexico, to dark chocolate raspberry with a whipped hazelnut ganache that's dependent on chocolates and powders from Belgium. Not all of Christianson's cost woes are tariff-driven. The chocolate industry was already struggling because of a cocoa bean shortage. 'I'm a small business with just myself as my employee. I've seen at minimum a 20% increase in just the chocolate I use. It's a type of chocolate that I've built into my recipes. Changing brands isn't acceptable,' Christianson said. The imported white chocolate in her white chocolate mud cake, a popular flavor, shot up from $75 or $100 per cake to $150. She used nearly 10 pounds of it in a recent order, a cake that had five tiers. Christianson may have to come up with new recipes based on less expensive ingredients. In the meantime, she said, she's eating the cost of tariffs for clients already on her books. 'I don't have it in my contract where I can raise prices for unexpected events like this,' she said. 'Unfortunately, that's something I have to add to new contracts for my future couples.' Tariffs and the wedding dress industry Almost all bridal gowns are made in China or other parts of Asia — and so are many of the fabrics, buttons, zippers and other materials used, according to the National Bridal Retailers Association. Manufacturing in those countries, where labor generally costs less, has put the price of high-quality bridal gowns within reach for many American families. Retailers and manufacturers say the U.S. lacks enough skilled labor and production of specialized materials to fully serve the market. Skilled seamstresses are hard to find and often come from older generations. 'The materials that we sell in a bridal shop include lace, beadwork, boning for the corsetry. We don't really make stuff like that in this country. There just aren't very many designers who create and put their whole looks together in this nation,' said Christine Greenberg, founder and co-owner of the Urban Set Bride boutique in Richmond, Virginia. 'The designs done here are normally very simple designs. You don't see a lot of American-made gowns that have a lot of detail, a lot of embroidered lace, and that's a really popular wedding gown style,' she said. Many designers with gowns labeled made in the U.S. still are using imported materials, Greenberg noted. If Trump's highest tariffs on China are reinstated after a current pause, Greenberg said her small business will pay between $85,000 and $100,000 extra in import taxes this year. 'For a small, family-owned business that only hosts one bride at a time, this will absolutely lead us and many others to close for good,' she said. 'We can't buy American when the products don't exist.' Tariffs and the cut flower industry Roughly 80% of cut flowers sold in the U.S. come from other countries. And lots of quality faux flowers are made in China. Colombia is a large supplier of roses, carnations and spray chrysanthemums. Ecuador is another major rose supplier. The Netherlands produces a huge share of tulips and other flowers. In addition, some of the cut greens used as filler in flower arrangements and bouquets in the U.S. are imported. 'If you're talking about cars and computer chips, they've got inventory that's sitting there. It's already stateside. Our inventory turns in days and we saw the impact almost immediately,' said Joan Wyndrum, co-founder of the online floral distributor Blooms by the Box. 'We're all absorbing a little bit, but it's inevitable that it comes out on the consumer end of it.' Wyndrum, who works directly with wholesalers and growers, said the U.S. flower industry isn't capable at the moment of absorbing all the production from elsewhere. She does a lot of business with U.S. suppliers, though, and sees a huge opportunity for growth stateside. 'There's a benefit to the U.S. bride to have flowers grown here. It's the simple reason of freshness,' she said. Tariffs and the wedding industry overall Jacqueline Vizcaino is a luxury wedding planner and event designer in Atlanta. She's also national president of the Wedding Industry Professionals Association, a 3,500-member, education-focused trade group whose members include transportation and photo booth providers, makeup artists, caterers, linen distributors and planners. Any one wedding may involve 40 or more vendors, Vizcaino said. Huge jumps in costs are already widespread due to tariffs, she said, florals and fabrics among them. With many weddings planned up to a year or more in advance, she and others in the industry are girding for more bad news. 'We're going to see a lot of interactions that aren't so pleasant in the next eight to 12 months,' she said. Tariffs have delayed decision-making among many couples planning weddings. 'Decisions are taking double the time because of the uncertainty. People are shopping around more and wanting (vendors) to lock in at the lowest price possible,' Vizcaino said. Said McKenzi Taylor, a planner who coordinates weddings in Las Vegas, San Diego and the Black Hills in South Dakota: 'Our inquiry-to-booking window has grown from 40 days to 73. Cancellations are up so far this year, on pace to double from last year, with costs definitely being a concern for couples. My vendors are shaking in their boots.'
