I’ve heard wedding planners talk about couples having “champagne taste on a beer budget”–and I even heard someone refer to “champagne taste on a Kool-Aid budget” recently which I think is pretty funny–but as a wedding professional I recommend that if you have a beer budget you’d be wise to alter your wedding plans to suit a beer palette.
You have nothing to gain when you desire a top-of-the-line venue, photographer or custom gown if in the end you are left without the funds to truly host your guests. You cannot expect your friends to oooh and ahhh at your amazing dress or fancy venue if they are left wondering where the hors d’oeuvres are and digging for dollar bills to buy a drink at the bar.
If you have a restricted budget you simply have to plan a smaller wedding…OR you have to plan a less formal affair with a smaller guest list, a few DIY projects, a catered BBQ menu with perhaps some pot-luck help from your family and closest friends, and an overall understanding that this is not the royal wedding and no one is expecting a red carpet event.
Trying to plan a high-end affair on a beer budget will likely result in disappointment and mismanaged funds. In order to make the best budget decisions you will probably need to separate what you need from what you want. There are some pretty awesome microbrews in Vermont so take a lesson from them–you can have beer taste and still be fabulous. Let’s face it, most champagne is just sparkling wine anyway!
What do you think makes a wedding truly great?
Dave and I brewed our own beer for our wedding. Photo by Karen Pike.
