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Hey Girlfriend,
Do you ever wish someone could just tell you exactly what things SHOULD cost for your wedding? A bride-to-be named Alexa asked me about this (see below)... ...and you're both in luck because I'm going to reveal the single most important thing you need to know about what your wedding costs SHOULD be... Enjoy :-) 
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* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * **How Should the %'s Break Down?**"Dear Stephi,Again, thank you so much for all of your incredible tips! I am just in the beginning stages of planning my own wedding, and my biggest problem is that I'm really unsure about what I want - a big ceremony, or a small, intimate ceremony? A giant reception, or a small party afterwards? I'm just not the typical girl who has always pictured what her wedding would be like, and I guess I'm struggling with the images I've been fed in fairytales, and my practical intellect! Even though my parents are saying they're willing to spend whatever my fiancé and I want (within reason, of course), I just can't rationalize spending anywhere from $20,000 to $40,000 on one day/night! (Even $10,000 sounds like too much for one party - and I'm hardly the kind of girl most would consider cheap!) Anyway, here's a question for you: How should the percentages break down according to the budget you want to stick to? That is, if I want a $15,000 wedding or a $40,000 wedding, is there a certain percentage each part of the process should cost? (i.e. 60% for catering, 10% for flowers, 5% for dress, 10% for invites and postage, 10% for cake, 5% for photographer, etc.?)" Thanks again!" - Alexa >>> My Comments:Thanks for the great question Alexa.Now listen carefully... If you want to have a dream wedding on any budget, the very first thing you need to do is eliminate the word SHOULD from your vocabulary! I don't care what any other book, web site or wedding consultant tells you, there is absolutely NO WAY to predict what the percentages or costs of anything "should" be because YOU ARE UNIQUE and your wedding can be anything you want it to be. You see, there are an endless (and I mean endless!) number of options and price ranges to choose from, and it really comes down to what you personally want, and even more importantly, what you're able to find, negotiate and achieve (more about this in my book). Bottom line: "It's your wedding, so act like it! If you're thinking from a SHOULD perspective in regards to your wedding (i.e. SHOULD I do this?, What SHOULD this cost?, What SHOULD the percentages be?), you're about to fall into THE TRAP of believing that the outrageous prices and policies of the wedding industry are normal and what you "should" pay! NOTE: If you want to be LAZY and get ripped off like the majority of brides do, go right ahead. If, on the other hand, you'd like to turn the tables and fire up the feisty girl in you who knows what she wants, believes the impossible is possible, and is willing to do what it takes to get it, then here's what you need to do... The questions you ask yourself (and others) are critical to your wedding success, so you need to start replacing the word SHOULD with the word COULD! Instead of thinking in terms of What SHOULD this cost? What SHOULD the percentages be? Why not try these on for size: What COULD this cost? What COULD the percentages be? Do you see where I'm going with this? COULD opens you to possibilities. SHOULD opens you to the influence of others and industry "norms" . For example, how different would your answer be to the question, "What SHOULD my dress cost?" vs. "What COULD my dress cost?" I used this type of thinking and ended up finding a $2000 dress for $107 at a sample sale! Now, that's not what a dress SHOULD cost is it? Who cares! It's what dress COULD cost, and that's what really matters because what a dress (or anything else) SHOULD cost is completely irrelevant! Here's another example... Instead of accepting that a wedding photographer "should" keep my negatives (the norm in the wedding industry), I wondered to myself if I COULD keep them so I could save a bundle on the reprints, and this enabled me to find a great photographer who was willing to let me keep MY negatives, which also saved me a fortune! All because I wondered if I COULD. Are you getting this? I hope so because it's really quite easy! You can CHANGE your wedding destiny simply by shifting the way you think, the questions you ask, and how you approach wedding vendors (communicating at an unconscious level that you're in charge, NOT THEM!). I know because without any prior experience I planned my dream wedding and saved over $10,000 off my expenses in the process...and if I COULD do it, so COULD you! If you want to learn how to get outstanding results like I did (and now thousands of other brides have too), I invite you to Download the 30-Day Free Trial of my "Fire Your Wedding Planner!" eBook kit. It includes everything you need to plan your dream wedding on a budget (including how to overcome overwhelm, the 10 biggest mistakes brides make and how to avoid them, plus all the money saving techniques I personally used to save over $10,000 off my own wedding expenses). I'm so sure that you'll save minimum of $300 off your wedding expenses (10 times the cost of my kit), using my ideas, tools and techniques, that I'd like to give you 30 days to check it out for F-R-E-E and see for yourself how much money you can save! You've got nothing to lose by trying it, so go ahead and download your "30 Day Trial" now: Download the 30-Day Free Trial Here! You'll be glad you did! Your friend,
A true advocate for brides everywhere! P.S. MAKES A GREAT GIFT!!! If you'd like to purchase "Fire Your Wedding Planner! for a friend or loved one, and you prefer something you can wrap, feel free to order the CD-ROM version of my kit located here: Go Here To Order CD-ROM Version.
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* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ** Find Local Wedding Vendors **100% FREE service allows vendors bid on your wedding!You simply fill out a simple form telling them your wedding date, what you're looking for and your budget and they match you up with pre-screened, member referred wedding vendors in your area who COMPETE to win your business... Find Local Wedding Photographers Find Local Wedding Videographers Find Local Wedding Caterers Find Local Wedding Reception Facilities Find Local Wedding DJ's * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ** Free Wedding Classifieds! **I've a created a wonderful marketplace for brides on a budget...BROWSE for steals and deals... SELL used or unwanted stuff after your wedding... ADVERTISE your wedding business... FreeWeddingClassifieds.com * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ** Join My Affiliate Program **Earn Money Promoting My Book! |
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