Secret #1 to Stretching Your Budget
As Indian destination wedding planners, we know that one of the biggest concerns for our couples while going through the planning process is to make sure that they find value out of every decision they make. As we mentioned in one of our previous blogs, one of the main reasons couples decide to go for an Indian destination wedding in Mexico or the Caribbean tends to be associated with saving money without having to give up on their dream wedding.
Jennifer and Neal tied the knot at Moon Palace Cancun - one of our partner resorts that offers Shadai Destinations clients incredible perks for Indian destination weddings including free private events! Courtesy of Jonathan Cossu Photography
We have talked about the reasons why an Indian destination wedding is far more affordable than having a wedding in the United States, but now we are ready to take it to the next level and give you some insight on how to stretch that wedding budget even more. (YES - we are giving some of our secrets away so pay close attention!!!). Let’s get started:
Secret #1 | ALIGN ON BUDGET AND PRIORITIES WITH OUR ALLOCATION METHOD
Before you get started with your planning process, make sure that you start by staying true to who you are and prioritizing what you care about. Working on a budget and giving it structure will make life easier for you moving forward. List out each event on a sheet of paper or spreadsheet. Under each event, you’ll need to make a list!
Lira and Omesh’s stunning welcome night at the Hard Rock Hotel Los Cabos where they earned countless exclusive perks with Shaadi Destinations! Courtesy of Ialam Photography
It’s now time to ask yourself: “what is most important to me?”. Take a deep breath, close your eyes and allow your mind to wander. Is it food? Do you see yourself walking into your Sangeet full of live food stations? Pani Puri, Pav Bhaji, Kathi Rolls? Now, when you think of your Reception… can you smell the freshly made garlic naan and chole bhature? (We are drooling just writing about it).
We are stuch a fan of events on the beach - with the natural beauty, how can you go wrong? Courtesy of Federico Salmeron Photography
Do you see live entertainment? Fireshows? Water Drums? Is it a live band? Samba dancers? Acrobats hanging from the sky serving champagne to welcome your guests over… or is it fireworks you see? A sparkler sendoff, a rose petal rain after you’re married (easily a top 5 splurge choice in our books), or is it confetti rain on that reception dancefloor just as the night starts to pick up with dancing?
Is it decor? Envision every single event and all that’s needed to make it a successful one IN YOUR EYES. Think music, flowers, service… EVERYTHING… And now, start writing down what’s most important to you. Once you know that, start to number what you care most about and start to delete those less important things.
A wonderful destination Sikh wedding ceremony set-up for guests in paradise - with a bit of shading and a nice breeze, guests were comfortable and in awe of the beautiful backdrop! Courtesy of Jonathan Cossu Photography
Bonus points are to be had if you can also easily think about what doesn’t matter to you - you’ve been to a hundred weddings… what did you see that you know already that you’d rather not invest in?
Extra bonus points if you get your fiance to independently do the same and come together to discuss to make a join list!
Now that your list of priorities has been set for each event, it’s time to allocate percentages of how important each item is to you! Start with the events. Is your Ceremony more important than your Sangeet? Apply a higher percentage to it! Is your DJ spinning only the best beats more important than your wedding video? Apply a higher percentage to it! Let your event percentages add up to 100%. Make sure to save at least 20% for your vendors like photography! Then within each event, let the items you two listed as important add up to 100%.
Included here is a simple example of how to get it done!
Part 2 coming up for you next!
Shaadi Destinations is the premier, award winning, modern-day destination wedding travel agency for South Asian couples seeking a streamlined process, incredible experiences, and a party friends and family will never forget! We save our couples thousands of dollars while throwing them the wedding festivities dreams are made of.
We live and breathe destination weddings - with just one consultation, you will be light years ahead in your destination wedding planning process. In less than one week, Shaadi Destinations will find you the most perfect resort that meets your needs, your budget, and your desires. With our vendor relationships and pre-negotiated exclusive perks at resorts across Mexico and the Caribbean, we are confident we can find exactly what you are looking for. You'll find we have the best rates, best incentives, and best booking experience.