Toledo Wedding Photographer | How much will your Toledo Wedding Cost? | Invitations | Part 9

This is part 9 in our blog series “How much will your wedding cost?” and this part is about your wedding invitations and stationary.  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 $262 to $436 for average wedding invitations and between $524 and $698+  for more elaborate ones.  However, they have changed their format on me and now list the cost of Lucas County Ohio weddings and have lumped in the cities of Berkey, Harbor View, Holland, Maumee, Monclova, Neapolis, Oregon, Sylvania, Toledo, Waterville and Whitehouse.  With this change, they have combined all of the survey responses for these cities and now say that Lucas County brides and grooms spend $503 on average for invitations.  I am guessing that because not all brides and grooms shop in Toledo exclusively, this may be a little more accurate, but that’s just my opinion.  In all of the past posts I only used the figures for Toledo proper.  For the purposes of the remainder of this blog series, I will be only using the new figures for Lucas County and your actual costs may vary depending on where you shop.  As also stated in previous posts, the website does not list how many brides and grooms responded to the survey.
Toledo Wedding Photographer
Not all couples send out Engagement Announcements, but those that did in Lucas County in 2011 spent on average between $65 and $108 on regular announcements and spent between $129 and $172+ on custom made ones.  Not all couples sent out Save the Date cards either.  In 2011, Lucas county couples spent $71 and $118 on average Save the Date cards while spending between $141 and $188+ for custom made ones.  Engagement Announcements can also be used as Save the Date cards or for invitations to an Engagement Party.  If you are marrying during a high travel time like a holiday or in the summer, or have a lot of out of town guests, sending a Save the Date card will increase your chances of your guests being able to attend.  They should be sent 6 months prior to your wedding.  Just remember that if you are sending someone either the Engagement Announcement or a Save the Date card, that you must also invite them to the wedding as it is proper etiquette.  You should also address the Save the Date Cards as you would your wedding invitations so your guests know who will be invited; i.e. Mr. Smith and Guest, or Mr. and Mrs. Jones and Family.  Also, if you have a wedding website, it’s a good idea to include the URL on the Save the Date card so your guests can keep up to date on your plans.
Wedding Photographer Toledo
In 2011, Lucas County brides and grooms spent between $155 and $258 for average wedding invitations and reply cards while spending between $309 and $412+ for designer or custom made ones.  This is one area where Do It Yourself projects are becoming all the rage.  Our friend Kelly Henry at UpperCase Designs offers this advice if you are planning on going that route:

”If the bride has the right software program, that is a start but they need to consider the printer they are using. How well will a thicker card stock run through the at home printer? Many don’t feed well with 100lb card stock. Now there are a few tips I can suggest to try and make your invitations not look homemade. To start with start working on designs 6 months from the wedding date; you need time to gather samples. Double up on the paper, do a backer color against a white or cream paper to create a thicker invitation. Have fun with the backer paper there are so many options out there.  Get samples a head of time to find the best fit for your wedding. Invest in a good paper cutter.  If you don’t, you will have jagged edges making your invites look homemade. Glue dots are the easiest way to assemble the two paper stocks together. The ribbon trend is beginning to fade but this is always an easy way to add a detail touch to the pieces.”

If you are going the DIY route, not only do you need to include all of the items needed for the invitations, but you also need to include the printer ink in your budget along with any other items needed such as the paper cutter, scissors, stamps or stickers or whatever you will need to create the invitations.  After pricing all of this out, including your time to make the invitations and put them together, you may find it cheaper and less stressful to have a stationary expert do your invitations instead of you doing them yourself.

Kelly also offers this advice if you are going to order your invitations from a professional stationer:

“My number one suggestion is if you go cheap, they will look cheap. I have so many brides who come to me and this is the first thing out of their mouth: ‘I want these as cheap as possible’.  Many brides believe they are going to throw them away anyway, but think about this… this is the first taste of your wedding day for most of your guests. Do you want them to think they are attending a casual affair or something they will remember the rest of the year? My guess would be the second one. Take a moment and find the right fit for your style.  I am sure there are many local options out there.   You just have to do some investigating.  Keep in mind these ways to save money: 

Do not use a square envelopes, postage is more on these.
Keep the weight down per envelope, adding ribbon details may increase postage cost.
Make the RSVP card a postcard, postage is cheaper for postcards.

 Set up a website for RSVPs, this will save even more money.
Can details be combined on the pieces, such as the reception details on the invitation?
Use one envelope, no need for the traditional way of sending out invites (with an inner and outer envelope).

Make sure envelopes are hand cancelled (hand stamped) to eliminate on wear and tear.
Proof read the final copies.  Many people over look the tiny details and miss something they typed incorrectly.  Have multiple people proof them.
Order extras!  This may sound crazy but if you have 145 invites to send out and only order 150 you may find yourself needing 160.  It will cost a lot more to reorder and possibly endure more shipping costs.”

Traditional Wedding Photography in Toledo
You will also need thank you cards for after your wedding and should include this in your budget.  According to the Cost of Wedding website, in 2011 Lucas County brides and grooms spend between $56 and $94 for average thank you cards and between $113 and $150+ for custom designed ones.  You might want to make sure you have extras of these as well just in case you get gifts from people that did not get invited to your wedding and/or your wedding professionals.
Wedding Photographers in Toledo
Postage is probably one thing many brides and grooms forget to include in their budget when planning their wedding and this could be a costly mistake.  According to CostOfWedding.com, Lucas county brides and grooms spend between $67 and $111 on average for postage.  However, it also lists that they could spend between $134 and $178+ if they use custom or designer stationary.  What you need to spend on postage depends on what you send out.  For instance, if you are sending out Save the Date Cards or Engagement Announcements, this can double your amount needed for postage, along with having the added expense of the cards themselves.  You will also need to add postage to your RSVP postcards or envelopes for the response cards.  Plus, you will need postage for the invitations and thank you cards.  How much postage you will need for the invitations will depend on the dimensions and thickness of each invitation.  Remember that the more you add to the invitation, the more it will cost.  For instance, if you are going with the traditional formal folded invitation with the inner and outer envelopes, the tissue paper insert, adding a map for your guests, the RSVP card with envelope, and added embellishments to your invitations such as ribbons, your postage will probably be higher than an invitation that uses a post card for the RSVP and has no added embellishments and only the outer envelope.  The post office determines the postage by size and weight, so keep this in mind when designing your invitation.  Another thing to consider is that the more invitations that are sent, the more you will need for postage.
Wedding Ceremony Program Ideas
Ceremony programs are another added expense you need to include in your budget.  According to the report, Lucas County brides and grooms spend between $66 and $110 for average programs and between $132 and $176+ for custom ones for this item.
Wedding Seating Chart ideas
Lucas county brides and grooms also spend between $70 and $116 for average Reception Menus and $140 to $186+ for designer menus.  Table names and escort/place cards are another expense for the bride and groom to figure into their budget.  The website says that Lucas County brides and grooms spend between $47 and $79 for average items and between $95 and $126+ for custom made items.  The reception menus, table names and escort/place cards are not always necessary and you may not need them for your wedding.  However, if you do chose to include these items, be sure to include them in your budget.  There are also a lot of alternative examples, such as seating charts, that can be found on wedding websites like TheKnot.com and also on Pinterest.com.
Wedding Guest Book ideas
The last thing in this section of your budget that you need to consider is your guest book.  The Cost of Wedding website states that Lucas County brides and grooms spend between $37 and $61 for a traditional guest book while spending between $74 and $98 for a custom designed one.  The new trend is having a guest book made using photographs from your engagement session, which makes for a truly unique and personal guest book.  Of course, if you go with this option, you will have to either order the guest book from your photographer or buy the disk of images that includes a print copyright release so you can make it yourself.  If you do chose to make it yourself, make sure that you have the rights (from the photographer) and software needed to edit the images (crop and downsize) and layout the album to fit your needs.  Most photographers’ print release forms do not include cropping or altering images in any way, so make sure you know this about the images you purchase.  Because you will need to pay your photographer for the disk of images and may need to purchase software to size the images you use (because they usually give them to you at full resolution which is about 48”x72”), you may find it cheaper and less stressful to just have the photographer make the guest book for you.  You will also need to consider the time involved in doing this project on your own.  If you are not familiar with the software needed for laying out an album, it could take you several days or weeks to make the album the way you want it to look.  Plus, a professional photographer uses professional print labs that you can’t access and the quality of the guest book will more likely be better than what you could get online or at a big box store.
Toledo Wedding Photographers
As you can see, the overall numbers do not match the specific numbers given in the report for actual items when it comes to your wedding invitations and stationary.  This is why it is so important for you to do your own research for your wedding budget.  Hopefully, I was able to break down a little bit of the details and help you with your planning.  This is the ninth part in a series of several blog posts regarding the cost of a Toledo wedding (now Lucas County Weddings).  Look for the next blog post about gifts and party favors 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.
Fun Wedding Photographers in Toledo
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!

Toledo Wedding Photographer | How much will your Toledo Wedding Cost? | Entertainment | Part 8

This is part 8 in our blog series “How much will your wedding cost?” and this part is about your wedding entertainment.  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 $443 to $738 for average wedding entertainment and between $885 to $1,180+ for the more experienced professionals.  As also stated in previous posts, the website does not list how many brides and grooms responded to the survey. As in all of the posts, for the purposes of this blog series, I am only using the figures for Toledo; suburbs and outlying areas may be higher or lower.
Toledo Wedding Photographer
Everyone says the DJ can make or break your wedding reception.  If the DJ is boring or doesn’t play the kind of music your guests will want to dance to, many of your guests may leave the reception as soon as all of the formalities are over.  With that being said, there are so many DJs out there with varying degrees of experience and types of equipment that they bring with them.  There are DJs with basic equipment and music choices and then there are those with lots of equipment including laser lights and dancers and can play any song you want.  Because there are so many different types of DJ services, their prices can vary widely.  Just as is the case with the photographers, some of the less experienced DJs charge similar prices to those with years of experience but may have less equipment and song choices.  The same can be true for DJs with lots of experience and equipment that charge lower rates than some of the more popular DJs.  It is therefore very important for you to decide what you want from your DJ prior to searching for them and do your homework on their pricing.  Many of the DJs have videos of them in action or will let you come to one of their events so that you can personally check them out while they are working.  This can be very helpful to you especially if you do not know anything about them.  Knowing that you have the right DJ at the right price can help ease some of your tension for your special day.
Toledo Photographer for Weddings
So how much does a wedding DJ cost?  According the CostOfWedding.com, Toledo brides and grooms spend between $451 and $751 for their local DJ while spending between $902 and $1,202 for the more experienced and more popular DJs.  As I stated many times previously, this report does not tell how many brides or grooms responded to their survey, nor does it specify what kind of service or how many hours the DJ provides.  For instance, many DJs also provide their services at the ceremony so their fees will probably be higher than those who just provide music for the reception.   Another thing that you will want to find out is if there is a travel fee or fees for setting up or tearing down.  You will also want to make sure how they price for their hours.  Some limit you to only a few hours while others are unlimited.  This is very important to know because if they are playing music for the cocktail hour and then through dinner, you may use all of the time prior to your actual party starting and will have to pay extra for them to stay for the duration of your reception.  Another thing that you need to find out when it comes to DJs is actually about your reception venue.  Some venues make you use their sound system and may also provide their own DJ at an additional fee.  If they do require you to use their sound system, make sure the DJ you hire knows this so they can arrive a little earlier if they are unfamiliar with the venue.
Toledo Weddings Photographers
The trend of having a live band perform at your wedding seems to be on the rise and there are a number of local bands who are getting into, or back into, the wedding business.   According to the Cost of Wedding website, the cost for a live band at your Toledo wedding can range from $995 to $1,658 for the average band while Toledo couples spend between $1,989 and $2,652+ for the more popular bands.   Just remember that when hiring a band for your reception, they do take breaks.  Make sure that when they are on their breaks, in between their sets, that they play “danceable” music or your guests may get bored or even think that the band is finished playing.  Some brides have actually hired a DJ for when the band takes it’s breaks so that the guests will keep dancing.  If you do not hire a DJ, you also have to make sure someone is going to be the acting MC for things like announcing the wedding party, the tossing of the garter and bouquet and the cake cutting.  Providing a timeline of the reception details to the band and/or MC is always a good idea to help make things run smoothly.  Another thing is to make sure that the MC lets the photographer know when things are happening so that no photographs are missed.
Wedding Photographers in Toledo Ohio
Music is an integral part of any wedding.  Some churches have their own organist or soloist to provide the ceremony music and you need to find out if that is the case for your wedding and how much it will cost you.  If there are no restrictions, some Toledo brides and grooms have hired other musicians such as a string quartet, guitarist or harpist to play at their ceremony or sometimes during the cocktail or dinner hour for a more elegant ambiance.  For this type of services, Toledo couples spend on average between $347 and $579 while spending between $695 and $926+ for the more seasoned and popular professionals.  The cost for you for this type of services will depend on if it is a required set fee by the church or ceremony site and your taste in musical accompaniment for your wedding ceremony and reception.
Candid Wedding Photographer in Toledo
As you can see, the overall numbers do not match the specific numbers given in the report for actual items when it comes to your wedding entertainment.  This is why it is so important for you to do your own research for your wedding budget.  Hopefully, I was able to break down a little bit of the details and help you with your planning.  This is the eighth part in a series of several blog posts regarding the cost of a Toledo wedding.  Look for the next blog post about invitations coming soon.

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.