Winter wedding

2024 Author: James Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 14:00

One friend decided to step back from the tradition of playing a wedding on warm summer days and celebrating the main event of her life under the frosty February sky. As it turned out, she was not alone in the number of winter wedding lovers. In the registry office and the bridal salon, dozens of brides languished, wishing to tie the knot. Hopes for an easy, without queues, preparation for the great day melted away like a snowflake in the palm of your hand. Indeed, one of the reasons for choosing a cold season for a wedding was just the belief that few couples would want to freeze their nose and hide the beauty of a wedding dress under a thick fur coat. This means that she will be able to freely choose the day she dreams of for marriage registration, and drive up on an ordered limousine to a rented restaurant, which she saw in sweet dreams.

But the reality turned out to be more severe. As it turned out, there are not so few people who want to have a wedding in winter. Due to the fact that she began preparations too late, she and her fiance had to be content for registration on Thursday (since all Saturdays have long been scheduled), daddy's old Volvo (since all the free, affordable limousines are already gone) and a modest cafe opposite the house (since good and inexpensive restaurants have been rented for a month).

If you are planning a wedding soon (however, even if not soon), then I advise you to read the following tips that will help you approach the organization of the main day so that later it will not be excruciatingly painful for dashed hopes and dreams.

we approve the wedding budget

He made an offer. In response I heard "Yes", and from that moment on you are the bride and groom. It would seem that the long-awaited moment has come when you can relax, immerse yourself in the sweet anticipation of the upcoming celebration, but it is at this time that, more than ever, you will have to gather strength, arm yourself with patience and set yourself up in a serious mood. After all, the process of preparing for a wedding is a rehearsal for the future family life, where it is necessary to make compromises, show organizational talents and, importantly, remain practical.

The wedding budget is the cornerstone. If you competently approach its compilation, then many problems can be avoided in the future. First, decide how much money you are willing to spend: there is no limit to perfection, but there is a limit to money.

The minimum that will have to be paid is 350 rubles - a mandatory state duty when submitting an application to the registry office. Actually, this is the only thing that you have to spend in order to declare yourself husband and wife. The rest is a purely personal and individual matter.

By price categories, weddings can be roughly divided into four types: economy class, middle class, upper class and VIP. “A simple wedding in a cafe, with a toastmaster and musicians, own transport, a bouquet from a stall and a cake from a pastry shop will cost $ 1,750. (no more than 50 guests). A more expensive option is from $ 50. per person (restaurant menu) plus toastmaster, musicians, bridal bouquet, limousines, cake, hall decoration. Total - 8000 USD (for 75 people), - says Igor Neznamov, CEO of the company for organizing holidays. -Expensive and angry can be noted by spending from 75 USD. per person (restaurant or outdoor area) plus the host of the holiday, musical group, bridal bouquet, limousines, cake, hall decoration, artists, fireworks. Total - $ 18,000 (for 100 people). VIP-wedding: banquet from $ 100 per person leading the holiday - a star, a popular musical group, bridal bouquet and phytodesign, luxury limousines, designer cake, hall decoration, fireworks, horseback riding, launching pigeons or butterflies. Total - from 40,000 USD to infinity (per 100 people)”.

choose a restaurant and calculate expenses

First of all, you need to decide on the venue for the holiday. Before that, remember all those you want to see at the wedding table. Much depends on their number. After all, if you celebrate outside your home walls, renting a cafe or restaurant, then it is worth considering that the banquet halls are designed for 30, 50 or 75 people. If there are more guests, not all establishments will be ready to receive your cheerful company.

You should start your search for a restaurant no later than 4 weeks before the celebration. In winter, it is even more difficult to find a worthy place corresponding to requests and financial possibilities than in summer, since options for open and partially open banquet venues are immediately swept aside, which significantly save the wedding budget in the warm season (and expand the search area for a place for a holiday).

“When choosing a restaurant, an important parameter will be the cost of the menu per person, the presence or absence of alcoholic beverages on the bill, the location of the restaurant, the presence of another celebration in the adjacent hall, the quality of service and the appearance of the hall,” says Ksenia Afanasyeva, head of the wedding agency. As for the cost of the menu per person, on average it will cost 40-50 cu … After appetizers, hot dishes follow. Many restaurants will offer special banquet menus. It is convenient - there will be no need to compose it yourself, as well as practical, because when ordering each dish separately, as with a regular trip to a restaurant, the amount for the total bill will be 15-20% more.

The highlight of the program - a wedding cake - is served over hot dishes. The capital's gastronomy will make it for an average of $ 10. per kilogram. “Try to negotiate with the restaurant on its own supply of expensive alcoholic drinks, cigarettes and a wedding cake. In addition, discuss with the administration about what guests will order in excess of the agreed menu, so that the additional bill does not shock you,”advises Alla Lobanova, director of the wedding services agency. Being able to bring your own drinks is a great way to save money. Alcohol in restaurants is not cheap, for example, champagne, which will be offered from 1000 rubles per bottle, will cost three times cheaper in one of the branches of the wholesale trade network.

In a conversation with the administrator, your question about "additional costs" will not be superfluous. The fact is that many restaurants will be obliged to pay for the rent of the hall, which they will close “especially for you”.

Sometimes this amount is up to 10% of the total order. However, it happens that the administrator "forgets" to inform about this small detail, and you will learn the most unpleasant news the day before the celebration, when you will need to pay the banquet fee. Of course, the calculation is based on the fact that you and the groom simply will not be able to find another option in a day, and you will not want to spoil the mood on the eve of the wedding because of "some" 10-20 thousand. So check all the possible details in advance. Ideally, it is worth concluding an agreement with the restaurant, which will stipulate all the services included in the payment, as well as the start and end time of the banquet.

choosing wedding rings

Rings can be different: gold (of various colors), platinum or silver. Despite the fact that, according to tradition, the future husband buys the ring, it is much wiser to do it together. While some couples remain adherents of classic, sleek and thin rings, others prefer to follow the new fashion trends and buy rings with a modern design. For example, rings made of combined gold, diamond cut or diamonds. It remains to decide how much to spend on wedding rings. After all, love is immeasurable, but the real budget, unfortunately, is not. The minimum cost of a ring is 1500-2000 rubles. More expensive custom engraved rings can cost from $ 100 to $ 500. When entering a jewelry store, ask if the store offers a discount for newlyweds.

Dress from a childhood dream

I think that there is not a single bride who would be indifferent to the choice of a wedding dress. The search for a royal outfit must be started at least 3 weeks before the wedding (better even earlier). First of all, you need to decide how much you are willing to pay for it. Based on this, you can understand which of the options for purchasing an outfit is best suited: buying a new one, buying a used one, renting or sewing. In any case, remember that a wedding is in winter, and winter is a harsh friend, and you will have to take care of a cape or fur coat in order to appear before the groom in all its glory, and not an ice icicle.

If the amount is small, then you should pay attention to online stores, which replaced the clothing markets of the early 2000s. Do not wrinkle your nose right away, they say, this is the wrong place for such a purchase. You are wrong. There you can find a great model that is both cheap and angry. For example, Belarusian, Turkish and Chinese models cost on average from 100 to 300 USD. European and American - from 300 USD. A significant plus of buying a dress in such a place is a wide range of sizes. Many salons and boutiques offer dresses only for petite ladies, and it will be difficult to find, for example, a dress of size 50-52 or more.

You can save on a wedding dress without losing in quality and beauty by looking at private ads on the Internet, for example, on the now popular Avito. Often, wedding dresses are sold there at half price, or even cheaper, and besides, they will offer additional bonuses in the form of a handbag, veil, cloak, hair accessories, boutonnieres for the groom, etc.

But, of course, you need to take into account that you may have to travel around several places before you can choose the only, unique dress that fits in height and size.

One of the most common options is a rental dress. The rental price is from 1,000 to 18,000 rubles. However, some salons now require a deposit equal to the full cost of the dress. And that can be several hundred dollars. Having chosen the appropriate option, it is necessary to draw up a contract. It indicates for how many days you take the dress and what percentage of the total cost you pay for it. Treat the outfit with care, otherwise you risk paying a fine for the damaged item, or even fully compensating for its cost. For the same reason, carefully examine the outfit at the moment of handing it over to you. If you already at home notice some damage on it, then you will no longer be able to prove that it appeared through no fault of yours, with all the ensuing consequences.

You can sew a custom-made dress according to your own sketch. In this case, you can be sure that the outfit is exclusive. True, tailoring a wedding dress is not a quick and very laborious business, and it also requires considerable costs.

Hair and makeup

In the bride, everything should be fine … Correctly chosen hairstyle and make-up complete the image. A trip to an experienced stylist, who will tell you what is best for your type of appearance, face shape, dress, will make preliminary sketches, will cost no less than $ 300. Masters from a beauty salon of a lower rank will build a hairstyle for $ 50-150. That is, and for makeup they will take from 800 rubles.

You can contact private professionals who advertise their services on the Internet. Unlike salons, private craftsmen will come to your home right on the day of the celebration. The fee for their services ranges from $ 70 to $ 150.

Tip: do not skimp on trial hairstyles and trial makeup, which will be offered to you by experienced bridal artists. This is not an attempt to extract extra money from you, but a concern to ensure that you are truly happy with yourself on your wedding day. After all, if you first see your hairstyle and make-up in the mirror a couple of hours before registering at the registry office, you will no longer have the opportunity to fix what you did not like. So take the time and find out if what you choose is right for you.

Flowers

A wedding bouquet should be ordered in advance, preferably 2-3 weeks before the wedding day. In wedding agencies, a standard round bouquet will cost $ 20-30, and the price of more original bouquets of rare and unusual flowers can reach $ 100. At the same time, the services of real florists are even more expensive: a bridal bouquet - 200-350 USD, and decorating a hall can cost several thousand dollars.

Limousines or ZIMs?

When, at the beginning of the 2000s, the first rare snow-white whales - limousines decorated with flowers and wedding rings - began to appear on the capital's roads, it aroused everyone's surprise, curiosity and envy. Over time, the classic limousine has become commonplace, now and then showing up at various events and celebrations. Today, the undeservedly forgotten Volga, ZIM, Victory are increasingly replacing the long-tailed beauties who have set the teeth on edge.

For those who choose a car for their holiday, from now on it is not enough to be or seem only solid and prosperous, because it is these characteristics that are suitable for a person who chooses a nine-meter car as a wedding transport. Today we want uniqueness. Rare cars can be rented from $ 70. in an hour.

Renting a classic 7, 5-meter limousine for 6 seats will cost $ 30. A more modern limousine, equipped with an audio and video system, TV, bar - from 45 USD. For exclusive limousines "Hudson" and "Excalibur" for 6 seats, you will have to pay $ 100. Middle class cars - Ford, Audi A6, Nissan Almera - will cost 15 USD, and a minibus for guests for 14 persons - 15 more USD.

“All services must be fixed in writing: draw up an agreement with the organization providing this service, and clearly specify all the necessary parameters in it in order to avoid many problems,” advises Ksenia Afanasyeva.

Celebration manager

Contrary to popular belief, a wedding without a toastmaster is, of course, possible. But it will be fun and memorable only if the duties of the entertainer are taken over by friends and they themselves prepare games, congratulations or contests. “In any case, do not overestimate your guests, hoping that they will have fun themselves. If you decide to use the services of a toastmaster, then discuss with him the scenario of the celebration, provide time for the "official" and entertainment part, determine the time for throwing a bouquet and a garter, serving a wedding cake, "Alla Lobanova recommends. The cost of toastmaster services is from $ 300, depending on qualifications and "promotion".

For the long memory

Wedding memories last a lifetime, but over time, something is forgotten. To refresh your senses, it is worth capturing this day in photos and videos. Among the guests there will always be several owners of cameras and cameras, but since such a photographer remains primarily a guest who certainly needs to drink to your health, not to mention a snack or dance, it is still better to entrust this work to professionals. A wedding photographer is a separate expense item. The shooting fee depends on the portfolio of the photographer and its promotion. The payment for a wedding photo session is hourly, but at the same time, each photographer has a certain obligatory limit of hours, below which he is not ready to sink in money. On average, this is 3-4 hours (taking into account the shooting before registration, in the registry office and after it). Plus, for a separate amount, you will be offered to make a beautiful wedding album with the best photos. The rest of the photos you will receive on disk and, by agreement, in the form of printed images. The cost of these services varies greatly, but in general, a good wedding photographer cannot cost less than $ 500. for the entire package of services. Wedding videography costs on average 30-50 USD. per hour, however, the price for creating a movie from the footage can reach 1000 USD.

Turnkey wedding

Wedding chores can be completely shifted to professionals who will save your time and nerves. All that remains is to come to the holiday. “In our dynamic times, it is becoming more and more popular to attract specialists to the preparation of a wedding,” says Oksana Afanasyeva. - For those couples who do not have the opportunity to deal with organizational and technical issues, and are also ready to assign responsibility for everything that happens on the day of the celebration to professionals, wedding agency employees write scripts every day, select related wedding services and, of course, work on a holiday on the day of the event."

Such companies are contractually responsible for the quality of the services provided. In case of unforeseen situations, they will be able to replace this or that performer or participant in real time. If the price is not an issue, then it is better to choose a full-cycle company that has been on the market for several years, with a solid portfolio of previous projects. The cost of the services of such companies reaches 10-15% of the total order amount, so it should be borne in mind that it may be more profitable for organizers to offer you more expensive services and more expensive performers, because by increasing the budget for the wedding, they also increase their percentage. The most competent option in such cases is to immediately stipulate the budget framework and make it clear that you are not ready to move towards increasing costs under any circumstances.