There are lots of wedding budget articles out there on wedding websites and many have great information. However, one thing that I’ve seen is a trend that many of these articles tend to same similar things, but I also see a lot of wedding myths within them.

As a wedding filmmaker and someone who does a lot of wedding research within the industry, I can tell you that there are at least four things that websites tell you that simply aren’t true. (Yes, there are always exceptions)

Today, I’m going to share with you these common misunderstandings and the truth behind them.

Backyard Weddings Are Always Cheaper

Having what’s called a low-key wedding or a backyard DIY wedding doesn’t always mean that it is going cheaper than those that have venue weddings.

In fact, most websites will tell you that a backyard BBQ style wedding is cheaper.

Here’s the truth. It’s not always the case. Having a home wedding is still costly, you must buy or rent tables and chairs for everyone, bring in a dance floor, catering and all the other vendors to your home.

Although you’re not renting a venue, you still have to bring everything to you, it’s much the same way if you got married at a church and reception hall.

I remember in 2003 I filmed a backyard wedding where the couple was complaining that they spent $14,000 on the wedding and it was in the backyard.

How can you spend $14,000 on a backyard wedding? Well, it’s wrapped up in catering, the dress, wedding photographer, the video, the cake and much more. Just because you’re not spending money on a venue doesn’t always mean you’re saving money.

Buffet is the Best Way to Go for Your Wallet

Speaking of food, it’s often a common mistake that a buffet is cheaper than a plated dinner.

When you’re buying plated food, you are buying a specific amount for a specific number of wedding guests and usually a few extras just in case.

Sure, that plated dinner might cost $30 a head, but having a buffet can cost you far more than $30 a head if you are going that route.

The reasons are really two-fold, at a buffet, you tend to offer more choices and your buying a large amount of food.

Say for example you have a BBQ with some sides. You have both pork and chicken BBQ and each tray costs more money.

Then each side that can feed 25 plus all the extras too, forks, plates, etc.

Then you have many people that go back for seconds, thirds, etc. Each trip a guest makes is being taken right out of the pocketbook.

For a buffet style dinner, you also have various portion controls too. Some might like a little or something while others might like a lot of that same thing. That creates an issue with more costs. Think about it this way, say your 100 guests all have a buffet dinner and 20 of them go back for seconds and 5 go back for thirds.

Well in a plated scenario with the same 100 people, they might have a choice of proteins for example, chicken vs fish, but everyone gets a similar size portion, etc.

20 second round trips and 5 third round trips to the buffet line doesn’t sound like much but those 25 extra trips cost you an added $750 in food.

Plated Dinner Cost Example

$30*100 = $3,000

Buffet Style Dinner Example

$30*125 (trips) = $3,750

If you do the math, most times it’s cheaper to have a plated dinner.

Cupcakes are Cheaper than Tiered Cakes

Keeping with the food, couples often times think it’s cheaper to do cupcakes and that’s a mistake that some couples make.

While cupcakes can be a fun alternative to a wedding cake, they're not necessarily more economical. Each cupcake must be individually decorated, which might mean you'll need more pricey sugar appliques and often just as much of the baker's time and effort.

Many bakeries charge at least $4 per slice for a decorated, tiered cake with fancy accents (the average wedding cake costs $540). The easiest way to save money on your wedding cake is to keep it simple.

Choose buttercream over fondant (it's tastier anyway), see if you can add a cake to your catering package, serve smaller slices or opt for real blooms over sugar flowers.

IN fact, if you want to do the cheapest yet most effective route, have a dummy tiered cake with the top layer as real that you can cut into, then have the baker do sheet cake for serving to the guests.

Sheet cakes are much cheaper than anything else out there.

The In-Season Myth

You've likely heard it before—even from us—that local, in-season flowers are generally more cost-effective than importing the same variety when it's out of season. But here's where the myth part comes in: Some flower varieties are grown year-round on commercial flower farms near the equator, so their costs don't fluctuate. So, even if they're not technically in season naturally, one could say they're never out of season. It all comes down to availability though.

Sunflowers, for example, can be imported from farms in South America year-round, so prices stay constant. Peonies, on the other hand, must be chased around the globe from season to season. This limited availability is what drives prices up.

Rather than research into the world of flower markets, opt for lookalike blossoms. If your favorite floral won't be in season for your wedding, ask your florist for similar bud recommendations.

For example, garden roses look like peonies, but they're often a more cost-effective option as they're more easily sourced all year. Another option?

Splurge on a couple pricey stems you really want, then complete your arrangements with lush foliage or less expensive fillers like baby's breath or spray roses.

Bonus Wedding Budget Myth: Wedding Video

Yes, having a wedding video can be affordable and doable if you look at things form an outside perspective.

Usually, as a couple, you tend to mark out the wedding video as a “would be nice” line item and after everything’s usually booked, you may go back and look at a wedding video.

Truth be told, a video is just as important as images, if not more-so to some couples, they just don’t realize it yet. Only about 39% of couples in the United States get a wedding video from a professional, that according to The Wedding Report, a national database of couples and what they purchased for their wedding.

So, why do they many times skip this important and needed line item?

Well, mostly it boils down to the budget.

Couples will book the wedding photographer far sooner than a wedding video and most times, couples that do hire a videographer, it’s usually a last-minute thing.

I know that in my business years ago, roughly 64% of couples would book me 3-6 months from the wedding (today it’s 12-24+ months).

As couples quickly realize that weddings are expensive, they start to cut out line items that they feel are not important, like a video.

That’s usually because they’ve already hired a wedding photographer and don’t feel the need to purchase a video. I can completely understand that from a couple’s point of view.

One of the other reasons couples skip the video altogether is because they don’t feel its important to them to capture the day and relive it.

I will tell you however that over the last 21 years of filming off and on that millennial’s seek out video far more in advance and it’s more important to them than couples from say the early 2000’s.

I myself have seen a huge increase in the number of inquiries made and bookings when I was operating full-time.

Talking to influencer’s and search engine optimization professionals, they tell me this is because the current generation tends to be video driven, with fast internet speeds and just about every device having a camera it seems, couples of today have better access to technology and that’s changed their mindset.

So Why HIRE a Wedding Videographer

Well I’ll give you just a couple of main points here, first, it’s so you can listen to what was said, relive the moments that you created and capture the day spent.

Second, it’s to remember. See, we tend to quickly forget what happened in years past and can barely remember what we did say three months ago on the third Saturday of the month, do you remember what you had to eat that day, whom you talked with and who was with you that day?

Most likely no, you don’t.

I’ll go even further and let you know that video is also a great way to see loved ones that might pass away in the future. I know personally speaking, having video of my grandfather (Gabe) is so worth watching, it brings me joy being able to see or just hear his voice.

Many times, couples that get a wedding video will be able to see grandparents and loved ones that are no longer with us.

And to answer that cost question that many couples have, I’d like for you to chew on this for a moment.

Say that you’re having a small wedding that’s going to cost you about $15,000. A good wedding video professional will cost you on average about $1,500 give or take.

Is investing 10% of your money worth being able to document it and relive it a year from your wedding?

5 years from it?

What about 10 years of 25 years after the wedding day?

Or to show your kids as they get older so they can see what your wedding day was like?

While pictures show just a literal snapshot in time, a video provides people a way to relive the memories, rehear the vows you spoke and what was said, feel the emotions again and to share with others that couldn’t be there in the first place.

Here’s my final thought on the subject.

You’re going to spend a LOT of money on the wedding day, in some cases stupid amounts of money that don’t make sense, for example, spending $1,000 on a new wedding dress just to wear it for 8-10 hours on average? (That’s $125-$100 per hour by the way)  

Why not buy a used dress for less than half the cost and invest the rest towards a wedding video?

Why not invest in being able to capture the day and relive it when you want?

Well, a good wedding videographer is in investment in encapsulating your memories and it’s well worth spending some money to capture the day, at least the ceremony if you’re truly wanting to skip out on a wedding video, feature film or the like.

Images definitely have a place and they can capture some of the wedding day, but a video goes a step further and allows you to see and hear what took place and feel the elements of the day too.

Honestly, this isn’t a sales pitch to get you to hire me either, if you get someone else to film the wedding, hey, thats awesome! I’d rather you have someone professional to capture the day than no one at all be it that you didn’t think it was important at the time or that you couldn’t find money in the budget.

I hope that this has been helpful in you understanding the pros and cons about getting a wedding video.