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How Much Should You
Spend on Entertainment |
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written by Alan McKenzie, Amazing Sounds Mobile
Entertainment
Wedding costs are a major concern for most, as well they should be. How much to spend for
food, gown and tux's, location, photographer and, of course, entertainment.
All of these expenses can be reduced, but which ones should be and why?
If you get your food from McDonalds, you'll never hear the end of it, but if you provide
steak and lobster, how many will remember? Quite a few, for no other reason than it's out
of the ordinary. But if your having chicken, roast beef or fish (standard dinners) how
many people will remember what they ate 6 months later?
If you buy the fanciest dress and the best Tuxedo's, you will look FABULOUS in all your
pictures, but many people now rent not only the Tuxedo's, but also the gowns! It saves
them money and, lets face it, it's unlikely that you will ever wear that gown again.
When it comes to photographers, you will want to spend a large portion of your budget on
getting one of the best! After all, those pictures will last a lifetime. If you don't have
a great photographer, you're not going to get great pictures. So you don't really want to
skimp too much there. That wedding album is something you will keep out on your coffee
table for a long time and guests from your wedding will want to see those pictures of you
and them.
As far as videographers go, most couples watch their wedding video an average of 5-6 times
with family and friends, so this can be an expensive cost for 5-6 viewings.
Locations can have a wide variety of costs, ranging from free into the thousands. You need
to balance this out also because saving money by having it outdoors at a park could also
mean losing guests early on because of the weather and temperature. You don't want them to
leave early do you?
Finally, we come to entertainment. It's almost always the last thing thought about and to
many it's the place where couples try to find a bargain. There is just one problem with
that theory: 80% of the success of your event will depend on the entertainment!
That's right. Think about it! If you don't have any entertainment, then most of your
guests will leave right after they eat. Conversely, if you didn't have any food, but still
had entertainment, most would probably stay for a while. You need both, but what kind of
balance? Can your guests be happy with hors d'oeuvres and/or veggie platters? Actually
most can! They will also be happy with just about any decent meal, which is why so much
chicken is served at weddings. They won't care that much what the meal is as long as it
tastes good and is filling.
You and your guests are there to CELEBRATE your marriage. To participate in it, to share
that special day for you. Which is where entertainment plays a MAJOR role in providing you
and your guests a happy, festive and fun time!
I have been to (and performed at) many weddings, and believe me, some have had some awful
food, but with good entertainment they turned what could have been a bad meal into a fun
time!
So why do so many couples want to spend such a small amount on entertainment? After all,
that is what will ultimately make or break your event, right? We think nothing of spending
$20-30 per person for food, but then we want to 'shop around' for the cheapest
entertainment we can find, often spending less than 5% of the events costs.
Don't you think it's worth spending 10-20% on Entertainment if it makes up 80% of the time
and, more importantly, the SUCCESS of your event? Of course it is.
Entertainment usually comes in two forms: Live bands or Disc Jockeys
Which should you choose? Well, that depends on you, some people like the 'live' sound,
others prefer the sound of original artists (DJ music). There are advantages and
disadvantages to both, and although I am a DJ/MC myself, I won't address those issues
here.
In either case, it's important to keep in mind that there are good bands and bad bands,
and there are good DJ's and bad DJ's. We have all heard the horror stories of having a bad
DJ/Band and nobody wants bad entertainment. But like food, the quality often depends on
the price! You can spend lots of money (10-20%) to hire DJ 'Filet', or skimp (1-5%) and
get DJ 'MickeyD'. But remember, this is a once-in-a-lifetime event for most, and so you
only get once chance.
So when trying to decide how much you can afford for entertainment, think about how much
you can LOSE if your entertainment is poor or mediocre. Look for professionals and pay
them what they are worth. After all, if you want the best, it will (and should) cost more,
in the long run, they will provide more than a mediocre entertainer would.
Remember: "They'll forget the food, but not the fun!" |
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