Don't Tell The Guests; The Things I'm Glad We Didn't Skimp On

With the average Australian wedding tipping $50000, there's little wonder that there's quite a few monetary decisions that need making when planning your big day.

Each wedding is different and each couple is going to choose what's significant to them and where to splurge and slash spending.

Some are food enthusiasts and will choose to focus on providing silver class dining for their guests while others might opt for buffet style or plate drop scenarios to try and keep the reception costs down.

You and your partner might be car crazy and decide to go the whole hog for your wedding and hire that amazing limo to feel like celebrities or you might not be fazed by your mode of transport on the day so you borrow friends cars.

There's girls out there who have had their heart set on a designer label must have wedding dress so they'll save until they have it in their grasp and there's others who have found their perfect gown on the Internet for next to nothing.

You might be a flower fanatic and have your eye set on gorgeous fresh flower bouquets that light up the room,  or you might be happy with fake flowers that you can keep forever.

Some might have a friend who is happy to photograph and film the day while others desperately search to find the perfect photographer who will deliver the shots and capture the atmosphere of the day in a unique way.

As you can see,  people choose to focus their finances in different areas when it comes to wedding days.

Our story

Right from the start we knew that we wanted to have as many of those who have impacted our lives at the wedding so we knew we'd be catering for a large number.  My husband wanted delicious,  filling food and an open bar and I desperately had my heart set on a photographer who I had worked with for other friends weddings.  We both also agreed that the music played a huge part in the overall atmosphere and ambience of the celebrations and we wanted to encourage a dance floor so we had set our minds on finding a band that would play abit of everything.

It was so handy creating these focuses right from the start because it might it easier to be budget mindful of things that we weren't really fused over;  like decorations,  cars and flowers.  Let's face it,  you can go nuts on a wedding, and the possibilities are endless but we kept reminding ourselves of what was important to us.

We're both so incredibly glad that we did because our 3 big focuses definitely made our wedding day unforgettable for us.

Yes our photographer cost $3600, but we're constantly giggling over our guests letting their hair down in the photo booth,  it's fab going over to friends houses and seeing their print outs from the booth on their fridges,  our photos have been printed and hung proudly around our house,  we have our photo book on our coffee table for guests to flick through and we have beautiful memories captured forever.

The wedding is one day but the photographs will last a life time.

Our band also set us back $2000 but we had 160 people boogying on the dance floor. We also have a video clip of our super fun,  spur of the moment wedding dance that wouldn't have been made possible without the quick thinking of our band.  They played relaxed music over dinner and pulled out some classics over the night including the Nut Bush which had our guests line dancing.  We both loved being able to celebrate, laugh,  dance and jive with our family and friends and to also have fun with the band.

Our last minute decision to hire a video grapher also paid off.  The day flies past and no matter how hard you try, there's moments that you can't remember amongst the emotion and chaos! Our video allows us to replay the speeches and the ceremony and to really sum up our day.  I love watching it and I know I'll force our children to watch it one day.

And last but not least,  our big guest list.  We had a theory that just because you're family you don't necessary get right of passage to our wedding;  you must play a part in our lives.  Thankfully we stuck to our guns and were surrounded by the faces and people who we see and speak to frequently.  It was amazing to be able to have old and new work mates,  friends from all walks of life and of course,  both of our precious families there on the day.  The bar was kept busy with their thirst quenching abilities and their bellies were kept full by afternoon tea,  entrée,  mains and cakes!  It wasn't silver class dining,  because we're not that fancy,  but it was delicious.

My biggest tip would be to discuss with your partner right at the beginning what is important to both of you.  If you have those things present on the day,  then you'll be grateful for the rest of your life.

They are worth every cent that you spend; even if while planning you're left umming and arring over the cost, my tip would be to lash out on those few things!

The rest you can be more blaze and hip pocket deep with!

What things are you grateful that you lashed out on?

Look after yourself and those around you,

Kirsty xxxx

Our amazing photographer was the one and only camera craftsman James Field. Check out his website http://jame.com.au

The Masters behind the music were the incredibly loveable and super hilarious band Jazz It Up. Check them out here; http://www.jazzitupmusic.com.au