Planning a wedding can involve many services, vendors, and things to be arranged, which can easily become an overwhelming experience. For that reason, many venues and wedding planning services are now providing couples with a practical alternative: wedding packages. These wedding packages in Essex and all around the world usually include many services you would want to have at your wedding, and although they might sound appealing, there are a few things you might want to keep in mind before going through with them.
1. What does the package include?
This might sound like a very logical thing to consider before hiring for a wedding package. Still, many couples hire “all-included” packages without actually knowing what the vendor means when they say all-included.
What a wedding package might include depends on who’s offering it. If it’s the venue that offers a package, it’ll usually only include things like decoration, tables, chairs, cutlery, and some other basic amenities. And while this is helpful for your wedding planning journey, you’ll have to be mindful about hiring wedding entertainment, catering services, and music, as well as any other extras.
To complement any wedding package that doesn’t include entertainment, you should start looking for wedding entertainment services in Essex or wherever you’re planning to take your special day.
Venues usually also offer different packages; sometimes, the most basic packages won’t include everything the venue offers, so it can be tricky. Maybe your venue has a suite for the bridal prep session, but this is only included in a premium package, so be sure to inquire about what things are included in each package.
Suppose a wedding planner provides the wedding package you’re considering hiring. In that case, this package could consider a more comprehensive set of services and vendors but making sure that what they offer is all you need at your wedding is also necessary, just so there are no misunderstandings. You can have the wedding you’ve always dreamed of.
2. What is your budget?
This is also a no-brainer when looking for wedding packages. Still, you will be surprised to find out that there are many packages that fit into any small or large budget, depending on your financial capabilities and the kind of wedding you’re going for.
Don’t be afraid to explore many options at different price ranges. See the quality of what they offer, the vendors, and how many of the services you’d like to have been included. You should also make sure you get a detailed breakdown of the price of everything you’re hiring so you don’t have to deal with hidden charges or not get the services you want.
3. Is it a wedding package for me?
Although wedding packages can be a very practical and convenient option for man couples, they can sometimes be more expensive than looking for vendors yourself, or maybe the packages only work with certain vendors, and you might already have someone in mind for your floral arrangements, catering services or wedding entertainment. In these cases, a wedding package could become a very rigid alternative, and you’d want to go instead and look for vendors that will fit into what you want for your special day.
4. Guest count
Wedding packages usually will be priced by a fixed rental fee which isn’t affected by the number of guests, but there are also extra charges per guest that can vary depending on the package. This is because some wedding packages will include catering services, cutlery, and other services that depend on the guest count, so if your guest list is large, this will rack up the price of your package considerably.
Sometimes you can cut down the price of a wedding package by reducing the number of guests you’ll have at your wedding reception. Because of this, it’s advisable not to commit to your guest list before you explore wedding packages and figure out your wedding budget. You don’t want to send out many invitations to your guests and then realize that you have to reduce your guest list because your wedding package per person fee is too elevated.
5. What about flexibility?
While wedding packages are undoubtedly easier for couples and pretty much stress-free if you’re going through this wedding planning process on your own, they can also be very inflexible at times. You can ask your wedding package provider if they offer special requests if they accept outside vendors, and what kind of flexibility they offer in their packages.
Often, venues that offer wedding packages only accept their trusted vendors to work on the venue, which can be a huge obstacle if you’re hiring outside vendors, even if they provide a service that the venue does not offer. These things should be discussed upfront when getting information about your wedding package. Find out your venue’s policies regarding outside vendors and the flexibilities they’re willing to provide and read the fine print in each and every contract you’re about to sign.
6. Destination wedding packages
While we’ve been discussing the many benefits and things you must consider when hiring a wedding package, there are special things to consider if you’re looking for wedding packages for a destination wedding.
Destination weddings are almost impossible to plan without hiring a wedding package, mainly because if you’re coming from abroad, you’d have difficulty finding and contacting different vendors. Because of that, it is much easier to get yourself a wedding planner from where you live or from your destination that knows what vendors offer quality service and will handle all you need to arrange for your wedding day.
Wedding packages
Overall, wedding packages offer many advantages to those couples who are just starting to plan their wedding, and with a bit of caution, knowledge, and common sense, you can make sure you get the most out of these packages.
