One thing that we typically see a lot of with couples getting married, a lack of knowledge when it comes to asking the right questions.

Today, Carole and I are going to change that and offer you the ‘should ask questions’ to get you on track with your wedding day.

What are Should Ask Questions Anyway?

These are questions that you should be asking businesses when you talk to them, wedding vendors are no different.

Some of the best questions you need to ask include:

How much is your product or service?
What is your policy on canceling or rescheduling?
Do you offer any discounts or have any special deals?
What is your contract like?

Make sure that you ask great questions and if you don’t know what to ask, just Google it.

Best Overall Wedding Tip

As a Virginia wedding photographer and videographer, if saving money is your number one priority, our best advice is to be flexible as possible.

The more flexible you are with everything from the date, to your dress and what type of food that you’ll serve, the more money you’ll save.

Think of it this way, if a venue offered their facility for 40% off on an off day, would you book it?

What if the venue was $10,000 and you could get it for $6,000?

If you’re open to being flexible with your date you can save a ton of money, even if that means you have the wedding on a Wednesday in December for example.

Best Way to Save on Your Wedding Dress

You have a few ways to save on your wedding dress and here they are.

Renting a wedding dress is by far the cheapest route to take here, usually under $100. Think of it like renting the tux, many guys do it, well now can brides.

We suggest that you check our Rent the Runway if you wish to rent one.

If you want to save the most amount on your wedding dress and own it, buy it used. Many times, you can find great deals on dresses previously worn on Facebook groups, Craigslist, and the like too.

If you do head to a bridal shop, we suggest that you ask about what’s called a ‘Factory Second’ or clearance dress.

I will tell you that roughly 80% of all the dresses that you see inside a shop comes from China.

If you want to save money and get a custom wedding dress, a secret is to work directly with the dress manufacturers. You can find many on Etsy believe it or not.

Best Photographer Savings Tips

When shopping for a wedding photographer, we suggest that you look for one with a videographer, like us.

Why?

Because many shops that offer both will provide you a discount when you do, ranging from 5-35% in savings.

Additionally, seek a part-time photographer instead of a full-time one.

That’s because part-time vendors have less overhead, so most often, they have cheaper rates.

Here’s an example.

When I was full-time until 2016, I had an office/studio which was $900 a month, utilities at $430, a couple of part-time employees at $2,000 a month, plus three times the gear.

Today, it’s just me and Carole, we work out of the home, we spend about $500 on the business expenses and we have minimal overhead. Thus, we charge less.

It also helps that we live in a cheaper region than nearby metropolitan areas like Washington DC or Raleigh.

Seek a part-time pro in a nearby region that has a lower cost of living and even with a travel fee, you’ll save money.

How to Save with a Wedding DJ

Wedding DJs are far more than just people that play music, they are masters of ceremony (MC) with making announcements, they keep the wedding timeline on time and they set the overall mood of the wedding day.

We do have a couple of tips that you can use to help save some money here.

First, do not do it yourself, trust me, you will regret it if you simply have a speaker and an iPod or smartphone to play music.

When booking a DJ and you want to save, skip the extras. Fog machines, additional lights, photo booths, and the like will cost additional money.

Best Bridal Prep Wedding Tip

Our best pre-wedding tip is one of common sense, but it’s something often overlooked among couples getting ready, it’s food.

Carole and I see this a lot, it’s not having something to eat and drink while you and your girls are hanging out getting ready for the day, the same applies to the guys.

We highly suggest that you have something light, yet good to eat if possible. The men will also need something to eat and since most couples start getting ready mid-day a good lunch is something to buy for everyone.

Common things are subs, sandwiches, pizza, fruits, and cheese trays.

The idea is to have something on your stomach, but not so much it’ll make you sick either.

We do see couples with champagne, wine, beer, or the like, but we advise you to stay out of it until the reception if possible. You’re going to be in the center (if not the center) of attention, so you’ll want to be on that “A” game at least through the wedding photos and video clips.

Best Wedding Ceremony Tip

Our best wedding ceremony tip is this if you're apart of the bridal party when you come into the venue, stop for roughly 3-4 seconds.

This does a couple of great things.

First, believe it or not, it will help calm the nerves, by allowing you to stop, take a deep breath, it’s a great way to make an entrance for everyone to see with a smile on your faces for the cameras.

And speaking of cameras, the second advantage is this, it allows both the photographer and videographer a chance to get some wonderful images and video of you as well.

Trust us when we say, this will be very helpful in your ceremony process.

Best Wedding Reception Tip

When it comes to the reception, there are plenty of great tips that bloggers and vendors alike have.

The BEST tip we can give couples for the reception is one that many simply don’t think of or get the chance to do, have a few minutes to yourselves.

Weddings go by VERY fast for the couple because they are pulled in many directions throughout the day and honestly few have a chance to have a few minutes alone together.

Think of it this way, you arrive, do hair, makeup, dress, take a ton of pictures, walk down the aisle to say ‘I do’, take MORE pictures and spend a lot of time with guests.

After you do your portraits with the wedding photographer/videographer, take 5-10 minutes by yourselves, perhaps in the bridal suite or room where it’s just the two of you guys.

It’ll make a WORLD of difference being able to share some alone time and well worth it.

Let us know what you think about today’s blog? Let us know in the comments below and we’ll choose a random person to win a Starbucks gift card.