Toledo Wedding Photographer | How much will your Toledo Wedding Cost? | Wedding Attire | Part 7

This is part 7 in our blog series “How much will your wedding cost?” and this part is about your wedding attire.  As with all the blogs in this series, I am using CostOfWedding.com as a resource for the facts and figures listed in this blog.  As stated in part one of this series, the website listed the Toledo Brides and Grooms spent $557 to $928 for average wedding attire and between $1,113 to $1,484+ for designer or custom items.  As stated in previous posts, the website does not list how many brides and grooms responded to the survey.  By looking at these figures, I’m guessing that there were not many because this seems very low and does not equal the rest of the figures listed on the report for this category.  Also, as with my past posts in this series, all figures listed are for Toledo, OH weddings and may be different for the suburbs or outlying areas.
Toledo Wedding Photographer
Every bride dreams of her wedding dress and how gorgeous she will be walking down the aisle, but how much will it cost?  This of course depends on your taste and where you shop.  According to the Cost of Wedding website, Toledo Brides spend between $708 and $1,180 for an average wedding dress while spending between $1,416 and $1,888 for a designer gown.
Toledo Wedding Photographers
Have you seen the reality TV show “Say Yes to the Dress?”  A Pnina Tornai gown purchased from Kleinfeld Bridal in New York City, as frequently seen on the show, could cost you thousands of dollars.  At the same time, a gown purchased on sale at a wedding boutique or one purchased from a consignment shop like my neighbor Dream Designs Bridal Outlet & Consignment Shop can save you hundreds, if not thousands of dollars.  Not thrilled with the idea of purchasing from a consignment shop?  Did you know that most of the gowns have never been worn?  Many times a bride that purchases a gown but does not go through with the ceremony or finds a different one to wear will sell the unused gown at a consignment store.  Consignment stores also purchases gowns that other stores or distributors do not sell because they may have over-ordered or anticipated a higher volume of sales.  Because consignment stores purchase gowns at a lower price than other bridal shops, they can sell the dresses at a lower price.  No matter where you choose your gown, if you have to order it, make sure that you do so with plenty of time for the dress to be made and shipped and also allow time in case alterations are needed.  Also allow in your budget for the alterations whether you think you may need them or not, just in case because you may lose or gain weight from all of the stress from planning the wedding.  These alterations could cost hundreds of dollars depending on what needs to be done.  You may also need for your gown to be professionally pressed so don’t forget to include that in your budget.  Always ask the store what is included in the purchase price so there are no surprises in your purchase.
Wedding Photography in Toledo
According to CostOfWedding.com, Toledo brides spend between $65 and $109 for their veil or headpiece while spending between $131 and $174+ for designer or custom veils or headpieces.  But that’s not the only accessories that you will need.  The website has a separate category for this and states that local Brides spend between $90 and $150 for average accessories and spend between $180 and $240 for custom or designer accessories.  However, it does not state what these accessories are.  I’m guessing that the shoes are included along with your garter.  However, you may also need a slip or crinoline to go under your gown, a jacket or wrap for cooler weather, a purse or clutch, and don’t forget your other undergarments.  Your wedding shoes are necessary for pictures but you may want a second more comfortable pair to wear for the rest of the evening so make sure this is included in your budget along with the garter that gets tossed.
Wedding Photographers Toledo Ohio
The groom is part of the wedding also and needs to be dressed, so let’s not forget him in the budget.  According to the website, Toledo Grooms spend between $122 and $203 for the tux purchase or rental and between $243 and $324+ for the designer labels.  They also spend between $60 and $100 for accessories and between $120 and $160+ for custom or designer accessories.  When renting or purchasing a tuxedo, it’s important to find out what is included in the price.  Many tuxes come with either a vest or cummerbund.  The vest is for a more formal look and the cummerbund is a more relaxed look.  If the tux does not come with either, make sure you add this to your budget.  The tux should also come with a tie, shirt, cuff link and stud set (pieces of jewelry that are used instead of buttons on a formal shirt), and suspenders if needed.  Shoes, socks and pocket silks are usually extra.   However, depending on the store where you choose to rent or purchase the groom’s tux, these all may be add-ons so be sure to check with the store.  Many stores also have deals where if you rent so many tuxes for the bridal party that the groom’s tux is either discounted or free, so be sure to find out the store’s policy on this when figuring it in your budget.
Toledo Wedding Photography
This is the seventh part in a series of several blog posts regarding the cost of a Toledo wedding.  Look for the next blog post about entertainment coming soon.   Feel free to post any comment or question you may have to let me know if this is helpful to you for planning your wedding.

For more information on Kurt Nielsen Wedding Photography including pricing, please visit my website at:  www.kurtnphoto.com.  You can contact me at:

Kurt Nielsen Photography
5431 Schultz Drive
Sylvania, OH 43560
419 885 7153
 
 

Feel free to post any comment or question you may have to let me know if this is helpful to you for planning your wedding.

Toledo Wedding Photographer | How much will your wedding cost? | Flowers and Decorations | Part 6

This is part 6 in our blog series “How much will your wedding cost?” and this part is about your wedding flowers and decorations costs.  As with all the blogs in this series, I am using CostOfWedding.com as a resource for the facts and figures listed in this blog.  As stated in part one of this series, the website listed the Toledo Brides and Grooms spent $568 to $946 on average flowers and decorations while spending $1,136 to $1,514+ for the experts.
Toledo Wedding Photographers
This is probably the one place in your wedding budget that will vary the most from the actual Cost of Wedding report.  Your budget for flowers and decorations will be completely different than what anyone else will spend.  Your flower cost will depend on how many people are in your wedding, how many guests will be attending, and what you will be using the flowers for, along with many other factors like the time of year when you have your wedding, what flowers you are using and what flowers are “in season.”  Because of all of the factors involved, you probably cannot realistically figure this part of your budget without sitting down with a florist first.  Hopefully this can help you remember what you will need and give you somewhat of a ballpark range to expect to pay.
Photographers for Toledo Weddings
So let’s start with the boutonnieres and corsages.  According to Cost of Wedding website, the average bride and groom spend between $74 and $123 for these items and spend between $147 and $196+ for the experts.  What the report does not show is what was the average number of boutonnieres and corsages made for each wedding.  For your wedding, you have to take into account how many you will need.  For the boutonnieres, you need to have one for the groom, the best man, each of the the groomsmen and ushers, the ring bearer, your father, the grooms father, any step-fathers involved, grandfathers, men in the ceremony such as readers or soloists if male, and some brides and grooms also give them to godfathers and other important males in their lives.  The same goes for the corsages for the women involved.  You need one for the bride’s mother, groom’s mother, step-mothers, grandmothers, readers and soloists if female, guest book attendant, and maybe even godmothers.  Obviously the cost for these flower arrangements depends entirely on how many people will be receiving them and what your flower choice will be.  The more people in your wedding party and important family members that you have, the higher this cost will be.
Toledo Wedding Photography
Your bridal bouquet will be your most coveted accessory for the entire day and you will want it to look as beautiful as you.  You will need it for almost all of your photographs and it will need to last all day.  According to the Cost of Wedding report, Toledo brides typically spend between $79 and $131 for their bouquet, while those with a more expensive taste spend between $158 and $210+.  Of course, your cost will depend on what flowers you chose and how large of a bouquet you will be carrying.  If you have painted flowers or coloring added to the flowers to match your wedding color scheme, there will be an additional charge.  The report also does not state if this cost includes the “throw away” bouquet and I am guessing that it does not so you will also need to factor this into your cost for your wedding if you are doing that at your reception.
Wedding Photographer Toledo Ohio
For the bridesmaids bouquets, the report gives the average spent as between $96 and $160 on average with $192 and $256+ for the experts.  This also does not give how many bridesmaids in total were the average for this aspect of your costs.  Clearly, the more bridesmaids you have, the more this will cost.  The cost will also depend on what flowers you will be using.  Expect to pay more for the maid of honor or matron of honor’s bouquets if they are more elaborate than what the bridesmaids will be carrying.  For the flower girl’s flowers, the report lists it separately and brides and grooms in Toledo spend between $47 and $79 on average with spending between $95 and $126+ for experienced professionals.  It also lists spending $50 – $84 on flower petals for average and $101 – $134+ for designer.  Once again, the report does not give details on what these costs entail.  Expect to pay more if you have multiple flower girls and/or junior bridesmaids.  Also, some flower girls actually carry bouquets instead of petals and the report does not list if this is the case.  If you use flower petals for the flower girls to drop down the aisle, you need to make sure there is enough to cover the length of the aisle and the longer the aisle, the more you will need.  If you are using flower petals to decorate the cake table or other tables at the reception, don’t forget to include this in your overall cost for your florist.
Wedding Photography in Toledo
The next expense relating to flowers and decorations is the cost for the ceremony flowers and decorations.  According to CostofWedding.com, the average Toledo couple spends between $147 and $245 for ceremony decorations with spending between $294 and $392+ for the experienced professionals.  They also spend between $165 and $275 on average for ceremony flower arrangements and $330-$440+ for the experts for this.  What the report does not include is what the details are for these costs.  What you need to consider for this part of your budget is all of the details you will be using like pew decorations, altar flowers, memory table decorations, candles,  entry way flower arrangements or decorations, and any flowers for your or your bridesmaids hair.
Toledo Photographer for Weddings

When it comes to flowers for the reception, the report lists that for reception flower arrangements, Toledo couples spend between $185 and $308 on average and between $369 and $492+ for the experts.  It also lists that brides and grooms spend between $193 and $321 for average reception table centerpieces and $386 to $514+ for designer centerpieces.  It does not state if there is a difference between the two items if flowers were used as centerpieces, so I am guessing that they are two different costs and depending on how it was worded on the survey, it could have been confusing for the brides that responded as well.  I am going to assume that these are two totally different expenses for the purpose of this blog.  The report further states that the average spending for reception decorations for Toledo brides and grooms was between $176 and $293 with spending between $351 and $468+ for designer decorations.  As I stated earlier, there are many variables for how much you will be spending on reception flowers and decorations.  Some things you need to consider are how many guests you have coming and how many tables will be needed to accommodate them.  For the tables, how many will each table seat and will you be using round or rectangular tables.  If using round, you will only need one centerpiece.  For rectangular tables, you may choose for one centerpiece or multiple centerpieces, which can be varying sizes.  Obviously the larger the table, the less you will need.  Other tables that may need flower arrangements or decorations include your escort card table, memory table, gift table, guest book table, and cake table.  If you decide to have a backdrop behind the head table, you will need to include this in your costs and don’t forget to  include the cost for decorating the head table in your budget.  Most of the more expensive halls are already beautifully decorated and need very little enhancements for weddings.  However, many halls will need to be transformed for that fairy tale wedding feel.  If this is the case for you, expect to pay more for decorations.
Toledo Photography at Weddings
You will also need to consider if you are the one responsible for the tableclothes, napkins and table skirting, or if the hall provides them.  You also need to add to your budget if you are using chair covers and/or sashes.  Some halls provide these items and may be included in their fees.  However, they may only provide limited choices if they do, so make sure you find out the exact details.  Remember that if you are the one responsible for ordering the linens and chair covers that you will need to know how many other tables will need them, especially if you are having a buffet style dinner.
Toledo Weddings Photographers Photos
So taking into account all of these expenses, the average Toledo Bride and Groom would spend between $1,212 and $2,019 for average reception flowers and decorations and between $2,423 and $3,328+ for the professionals.  This is a lot higher than the report lists on what the average spent by Toledo brides and grooms for wedding reception decorations and flowers.  This is why your specific taste affects what you will be spending on this part of your budget.  As I stated earlier, these are just estimates from CostOfWedding.com.  The amount you will actually spend will vary greatly depending on your wants, location and ideas.  The size of your wedding party and number of invited guests will also affect the amount you spend on this area of your budget.
Wedding Photos Toledo Ohio
This is the sixth part in a series of several blog posts regarding the cost of a Toledo wedding.  Look for the next blog post about wedding attire coming soon.   Feel free to post any comment or question you may have to let me know if this is helpful to you for planning your wedding.

For more information on Kurt Nielsen Wedding Photography including pricing, please visit my website at:  www.kurtnphoto.com.  You can contact me at:

Kurt Nielsen Photography
5431 Schultz Drive
Sylvania, OH 43560
419 885 7153
 
 

Feel free to make comments or share this blog!

Toledo Wedding Photographer | How much will your wedding cost? | Wedding Planner | Part 5

This is part 5 in our blog series “How much will your wedding cost?” and for this post I am focusing on Wedding Planners/Consultants.  As with all the blogs in this series, I am using CostOfWedding.com as a resource for the facts and figures listed in this blog.
Ideas for weddings in Toledo
According to the Cost of Wedding website, Toledo couples spend between $581 and $968 on average for a Wedding Planner or Consultant.  For the more experienced planners, they spend on average between $1,161 and $1,548+.  The report also breaks this down further depending on the type of services provided, which I will try to explain later.  For “A La Carte” services, Toledo Brides and Grooms spend between $661 and $1,101 for A La Carte coordinators and between $1,322 and $1,762+ for the experts with the average cost being $881.  For “Day Of” Coordinators, Toledoans spend between $574 and $956 for coordinators and between $1,148 and $1,530+ for the experts with the average spent on “day of” wedding coordinators being $765. For “Getting Started” services, Toledo couples spend between $565 and $941 for planners and between $1,130 and $1,506+ for the more experienced planners with the average amount spent for “Getting Started” services being $753.  For “Full Service” planners, Toledo Brides and Grooms spend on average between $2,331 and $3,885 for wedding planners and between $4,662 and $6,216+ for more experienced experts with the average spending at $3,108 for “Full Service” wedding planning.  For “Month of Direction” services, Toledo couples spend between $825 and $1,375 on average with them spending between $1,650 and $2,200 for the experts and the average spent was $1,100 in 2011.
Champagne Fountain for Weddings
With so many different numbers for different types of services, it is obvious that wedding planners/coordinators can fit into any type of budget.  So what do they do and what is the difference in services?  Without being a wedding planner myself, I will try my best to answer this for you.  First, let’s start by differentiating between wedding designers, wedding planners and wedding coordinators.  A wedding designer is one who works primarily on the “visual” aspect of your wedding from flowers to centerpieces to decorations and usually plans these things out based on your “vision” for your wedding, a creative director of sorts.  A wedding planner is more for logistical planning such as helping to hire your vendors like the photographer, caterer, reception hall and such.  They can help you plan your itinerary for your wedding day, schedule your appointments, make sure everything is in place for your wedding and can even help you save money.  They are also sometimes called wedding consultants.  A wedding coordinator is a lot like a wedding planner but may not always do the same things or as much as a planner would do.  For instance, a coordinator may let you pick your vendors and just help you finalize everything and work with the vendors after you have already booked them to make sure everything runs smoothly for you on your special day.  Some reception halls have their own event coordinators and these are NOT the same as a wedding coordinator that you would hire.  Reception hall coordinators are only responsible for their own staff and services included in your bill.  They are the ones that make sure dinner is served on time and the hall is ready to go when your guests arrive.  They are not responsible to make sure the DJ knows when to play the song for your first dance and they are not the one you go to when you realize someone switched their seating cards because they didn’t like the table they were at and now there are people without seats.
Reception Decorating Ideas for Tent Wedding
Supposedly, it takes 250 hours on average to plan a wedding.  That’s like working full time (based on a 40 hour work week) for over 6 months just to plan for a single day!  Locally speaking, many of our area’s “wedding planners” do as much or as little as you want them to do and have services to cover all bases for wedding design, planning and coordination.  They offer initial consultations to guide you with the planning of your wedding.  They can do all the research for you so that you can stay within your budget and save you valuable time.  They can also oversee everything on your wedding day to make sure that there are no problems, which helps alleviate stress on the bride and that’s priceless!
Cupcake Wedding Cake
So why hire a wedding planner or coordinator?  A good wedding planner or coordinator can save you enough money elsewhere in your budget to pay for most, if not all, of their services.  They can give you advice and do a lot of the legwork for you.  They know what is trending for today’s modern brides and can help you find what you want to make your wedding unique.  Many of the Toledo wedding planners also offer items for you to rent for your wedding like centerpieces, chair and table covers, and even backdrops and lighting.  They keep you organized and help deal with any problems along the road that you may encounter.  Because they plan weddings for a living, they probably will know things that you may never even think of.  But I think the biggest and best reason to hire a wedding planner or coordinator is to keep you stress-free so you can relax and enjoy your wedding day!
Ideas for a Beach Wedding
There are many wedding planners, coordinators and designers in the Greater Toledo Area.  The types of services and price packages they offer vary according to their services, experience and your needs.  The way they charge also varies from company to company so make sure you know for sure how much you will end up paying before you sign a contract with them.  If nothing else, you really should consider hiring a good wedding coordinator for “Day of” services for your wedding day just to make sure that everything runs smoothly so you can enjoy the festivities that you planned.

Hopefully I have answered some of your questions about wedding planners/consultants and/or wedding coordinators.  If I’m wrong on any of the details I have stated about services, I’m sure my wedding planning friends will be sure to comment on here to let me know (and hopefully also let me know if I’m right!).
Red and White Wedding Ideas
As I stated earlier, these are just estimates from CostOfWedding.com.  The amount you will actually spend will vary greatly depending on your taste, location and ideas.

This is the fifth part in a series of several blog posts regarding the cost of a Toledo wedding.  Look for the next blog post about wedding flowers and decorations coming soon.   Feel free to post any comment or question you may have to let me know if this is helpful to you for planning your wedding.
Toledo Wedding Photographers

For more information on Kurt Nielsen Wedding Photography including pricing, please visit my website at:  www.kurtnphoto.com.  You can contact me at:

Kurt Nielsen Photography
5431 Schultz Drive
Sylvania, OH 43560
419 885 7153

Feel free to make comments and/or share this blog post!  Thank you for your interest in Kurt Nielsen Photography!