Hello everyone!  Wow, I am so not liking this whole winter situation. For my friends and colleagues up North...I don't know how you do it.  This Florida girl is done with cold.  I have worn my boots and leggings and am now ready for my flip flops again. 

So today, I thought I would add to last week's blog about budgeting and share some common mistakes that are made when budgeting for your wedding.

1.  When looking at pricing...especially catering and venue...make sure you factor in a service charge of anywhere from 18-22% of the total and sales tax.  These numbers add up.

2. When looking at any vendor pricing ask about pick up and delivery fees, sales tax or other charges.  

3.  For invitations, postage is expensive and adds up...Plus the postage rate is about to go up again. Try to stay with standard sizes and don't forget that you have to put postate on the RSVP card envelope.

4.  Those little things that you see when you are on Etsy or at Michaels or Hobby Lobby, kill your budget.  Because $50 here and $20 there and $100 here are suddenly $1,000 and you have no idea what you got for $1,000.  

5. Don't forget to budget for your officiant.  The person marrying you gets paid too.  

6.  Tips - always have cash on the night of the wedding to tip your vendors.  My general rule is to tip anyone you think did an exceptional job for you.  This includes photographer, videographer, DJ, band, valet, officiant, etc.  You can add extra tip to your catering bill as well. You won't believe how much your vendors appreciate you tipping them.

7.  DIY can sometimes be more expensive than hiring someone to do the work.  Especially, if you are not crafty and don't budget enough time to do all of your DIY projects. 

So be informed, don't forget the small things and remember EVERYONE has a budget.  It is the size of your budget that you need to remember and be smart to stay within your budget.

Have a great week!  We will be at PGA National this week for Alexa and Brett's spectacular, blinged out wedding.

Jen