Wedding Planner Costs & Why Hire One?

It's wedding season! For those of you planning 2010 weddings, you may be curious about the costs of hiring a wedding planner (AKA wedding consultant or coordinator). According to the wedding industry statistics experts - The Wedding Report - the average cost of hiring a wedding coordinator is around $2300. Not too shabby, considering what an over-all wedding budget adds up to be.

Why would engaged couples want to hire a wedding planner? Here are 3 great reasons:

1. You just don't have time to figure it all out yourselves. Less stress!

2. You want a great wedding, but aren't that creative or knowledgeable. I need to DIY what??? No thanks...

3. You have family members who want to "take over" but you don't want them to. You'd rather defer to the planner. "Thanks anyway Aunt Millie...but the coordinator has already taken care of that detail..."

Planning a wedding in the South Puget Sound Region? Consider UniqXpressions Floral Design & Event Planning.

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Having a Recession Wedding?

Yep - that's right. If you'll be getting married in 2009, according to some big-name publications & websites, you're officially having a recession wedding! In fact, if you're NOT planning on cutting your wedding budget back, some have even called that choice "impractical" during this economic downturn.

Our view here at NWweddingplace has always been to find great deals for your wedding, but to have it be exactly what you want. We won't consider you as "impractical" if you decide to buy crystal guest favors or have a 9-tier wedding cake. We also don't feel that it's cool to label people's wonderful wedding day, no matter how small or large the budget is, as a "recession wedding." Tacky! But, that's just our humble opinion :-).

Go have a great wedding, no matter what you spend! Enjoy...

Brought to you by www.NWweddingplace.com.

Wedding Budget Tracker

Are you looking for a way to keep track of all your wedding vendors and track wedding expenses at the same time? Look no further! NWweddingplace.com has a free, downloadable file that will be exactly what you need to keep your wedding budget on track and your contacts organized. Best of all - it's free! Yes...it's true...something for your wedding that doesn't cost you a thing!

Visit our home page, and look at the bottom of the middle column. You'll find our "Wedding Budget Tracker File" link highlighted and ready for you to click :-)

Brought to you by www.NWweddingplace.com. "Helping Pacific Northwest Couples Plan Their Dream Weddings & Successful Marriages"

How Many Bridesmaids??

Are you getting married in 2009? Congratulations! Will your wedding ceremony include bridesmaids? Almost every wedding does...

According to a survey conducted by the Wedding Report, there are an average of 4.3 bridesmaids per wedding. They also note that the average bridesmaid will spend over $1000 on everything from their dress to travel expenses, when participating in a wedding! WOW!

Most brides choose bridesmaids who are either family members or close friends. Sisters, cousins, and even daughters and mothers are the usual family members involved. Sometimes, sisters of the groom are bridesmaids as well. The challenge comes when you have a group of close friends. Who do you choose? Everyone, and making the bridal party potentially larger than you'd like? A couple, and risk hurting the feelings of the others?

Here is our advice - family first, then friends selectively chosen. Family is with you for life, but friends may change as you move through life.

www.NWweddingplace.com

Who Pays for a Bride's Wedding Dress?

Buying a wedding gown this year? Are you curious to know who pays for wedding dresses when a couple gets married?

We have some statistics! According to 'The Wedding Report',

• 56% of the time the bride pays for her own gown
• 22% of gown purchases are paid for by the groom
• 42% of wedding dresses are paid for by someone else, most likely the bride's parents.

The wedding industry has been hit by this recession, so chances are you should be able to find some deals this year on gowns. For other wedding money saving tips, visit our other blog at www.cheap-wedding-tips.blogspot.com and save some wedding budget money!

www.NWweddingplace.com

2009 Wedding Trends

According to theweddingreport.com, the number of weddings in 2009 is estimated to grow by 1.2% over 2008. Although there is a slight increase in the number of weddings this year, it looks like spending will be down. Their market data shows a 6-8% drop in spending/wedding budgets.

I know there are many of you 2009 brides out there! Our traffic levels at http://www.nwweddingplace.com/ are showing it!

• Are you wondering if you can still have a great wedding on a smaller budget? Yes you can.
• Is the recession putting a crimp in all your dream wedding plans? Keep it simple and enjoy your day to the fullest.
• Do you worry what guests will think if everything isn't perfect and over-the-top? It's your wedding and they aren't paying for it!

Here is some simple advice for stressed-out brides: Don't be completely consumed by planning your wedding day. Instead, be focused on your upcoming marriage. That is what will last a lifetime!

Just keeping it real :-)

http://www.nwweddingplace.com/

Money In Marriage

Recently engaged? Recently married? Discussing finances is a must! But how? Dr. Taffy Wagner has some answers for you. She recently wrote an article specifically for NWweddingplace.com on the topic of money and marriage. Here is a snippet of the article -

"For all those couples that will become engaged during the holidays and even through February, will pre-marital counseling prepare you for financial issues you will face during marriage? Financial issues are a part of marriage and no couple is immune from these issues. Automobile repairs, student loans, wedding expenses are some of the financial topics you will have to address.
Think about it. How many couples do you know personally that have..." Read complete article...

Thank you to our guest author, Dr. Taffy Wagner of http://www.debtatthealtar.com/
To get more information, please click below:

Valuable information brought to you by www.NWweddingplace.com

Average Wedding Costs

According to theweddingreport.com, 2008 had a surprising wedding budget trend -
"Economic trouble takes its toll on the average wedding cost. The average cost of a wedding in 2008 was $21,814. This is a 24% decline over the 2007 average of $28,704."

In our opinion, this 24% decline is probably not caused by wedding vendors lowering their prices (maybe some have). We suspect that couples are getting more creative with smaller wedding budgets, relying on DIY projects, cutting out certain non-essential wedding services & products, and generally bargain hunting! If you are looking for cheap wedding deals, DIY wedding projects, or other ways to save money and have a smaller wedding budget, visit our other blog at http://www.cheap-wedding-deals.blogspot.com/! Also, check out our shop online section for a wide variety of wedding supplies, wedding dresses, bridesmaid dresses, wedding guest favors, cake toppers, etc. We have access to thousands of wedding products! www.NWweddingplace.com/weddingshop.htm

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Looking for Cheap Wedding Tips & Ideas?

If so, you've come to the right place.... almost! Visit NWweddingplace.com's other Blog totally dedicated to weddings on the cheap... but not cheap-o. You CAN have a great wedding, even with a small wedding budget!

Check out our "Cheap Wedding Tips" Blog now and start saving some money!

http://www.nwweddingplace.com/ loves weddings. Visit our shop online section today! http://www.nwweddingshop.com/.

Need a Cheap Wedding Dress?

Happy Wedding Planning!

OK, so cheap wedding dress isn't entirely accurate... but...
Are you looking for an inexpensive wedding dress? Do you want a wedding gown that's great quality, yet you're planning a wedding on a budget? Maybe you have destination wedding plans? A warm weather, summer wedding? Simple, yet elegant style?

If you answered yes to any (or all) of these questions, NWweddingshop may have just what you're looking for. We have a dozen, high-quality, low cost, custom fit wedding dress options available - most are right around $300! Please visit our shop online section at http://www.nwweddingshop.com/ now for details and more photos.

If you don't find exactly what you need there, call us at 360-951-6400 and let's chat!

Brides - Is Planning Your Wedding Making You Crazy?

Everyone knows that planning a wedding takes lots of time and money, but not everyone realizes the toll it also takes on sanity! So many brides that I know hardly have time to sit back and enjoy the process. Even up to the very moment they're walking down the aisle, they're still coordinating something. For my own wedding, I can remember the feeling of frustration while decorating. No one was doing it 'right', although I hadn't clearly told anyone what 'right' was...

Are you apprehensive about trusting someone else with tasks? Sure, that means a loss of "control" over that particular aspect, but it may just be worth it. Do you have to care about every miniscule detail? Maybe you do. Are you becoming 'bridezilla'? Maybe you are. Do you want your wedding to be great? Of course you do. Are you wondering how to make it all happen without developing an ulcer? Here are just a couple thoughts:

• Hire a wedding planner/wedding consultant
• Delegate tasks to trustworthy friends, family and bridal party members
• Get a planning and budget checklist to keep yourself on track (budget checklist available on our home page, bottom right corner: www.NWweddingplace.com)
• Take extra time off work before your wedding if you can
• Keep things as simple as possible
• Purposefully plan to enjoy the process and especially your wedding day

If you're a bride-to-be, a newly wed or have thoughts you'd like to share, we'd love to hear your comments on this topic! For more great wedding tips, love & marriage advice, Pacific Northwest information, and more, visit www.NWweddingplace.com today!
Be blessed...