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Today we’re going to chat about a handful of ways when trying to save money on your wedding can totally BACKFIRE. BONUS >>> Come behind the scenes with me in a bonus episode, "Taking a Chance on a Rookie Wedding Vendor", when you sign up for a FREE 3-DAY TRIAL of my revolutionary digital wedding planning package, The VAULT. Aside of college educations, new homes and new cars, your wedding likely has one of the biggest price tags you’ve ever paid. You’re spending tens of thousands of dollars - of course you’re trying to save money when possible! You’re not out there researching the most expensive venue in your area, or trying to find ways to spend more money on your invitations. When a potential photographer or caterer gives you a quote for services, you probably don’t say “well that sounds OK, but do you have anything that costs more?” If you've been listening to the Wedding Planning Podcast for a while, I hope you know me well enough now to know that I’m NOT the wedding professional who’s going to tell you NEVER to try to cut this corner, or don’t DARE hire a friend to do x, y, z. I see this type of messaging a lot. If you do your own wedding day hair and makeup it will totally fail, and you should hire a professional to do it for you. If you skimp on a photographer, you will regret it for the rest of your life. If you have your cousin make your cake, it will probably be a complete disaster, you should really hire a professional for that. If you take your dress to a neighborhood tailor instead of the big box bridal store where you bought it, it’s going to end up in shreds and you’ll have no dress to wear. The trouble is, professional service providers in pretty much any industry have an agenda - to sell their product or service. And whether you hear from a wedding professional on a podcast, read their articles on a blog, or see their posts on Instagram, their position is probably that hiring a professional is THE BEST way to go. "After all", they say, "this is your wedding - you can’t afford to cut corners on the best day of your life." Well, for lots of this, I call BS. Sure, if you have a wedding budget in the 6-figures, then “hire a professional” is a great option for everything I just listed. But most of us DON’T have $100,000 to spend on our wedding, so making swaps and saves here and there is a necessary part of planning so that we don’t go thousands of dollars into debt - NEVER a good idea. Here’s a doozy for you - we hired our wedding photographer off craigslist for $500. True story. And I’m NOT here to tell you that it was a horrible idea that backfired and you should never trust any wedding photographer who hasn’t shot 500 weddings and costs less than $5000. That’s not me, not my style. BUT, I’m also not here to tell you that YOU should definitely hire a photographer off craigslist, and it will work out perfectly and there’s no risk involved and you can live happy ever after and sleep soundly knowing that you saved a couple thousand dollars! To be clear - there’s no right or wrong, one-size-fits all solution to the myriad of wedding decisions you have to make over the next few months. I’ll always encourage you to use your intuition, and use our weekly time together to review all the options you have available, and select what feels best for you and your unique situation. I feel so strongly about what we’re talking about today, and I really want to set things up right. The truth is, sometimes no matter how much research you do, or how many great reviews someone has, or how confident you feel that you’re making the right decision, things can just go wrong. You’ll probably have a wedding backfire, or two, or three over the course of getting everything lined up. This is part of life, and definitely a part of wedding planning. I wish I could wave a magical wand that would shield you against anything bad happening, but of course - that’s not realistic. Sooooo, the next best thing to that … In today's show, let’s explore some common areas of wedding planning where couples to try to cut a corner, save some money, leave something out, and then sadly have it backfire in terms of lost money, lost time, lost sanity - and sometimes all three. If you find yourselves at a cost-saving opportunity crossroads and you don’t know which way to turn, I have some smart questions to ask yourselves, and potential vendors, that I hope will guide you towards making the best decisions for you and your wedding day. So when you find yourself wondering, hmmmmm ... should we cut that corner? What are the potential outcomes or pitfalls that might come of it? Hopefully after today’s show, you’ll have some solid answers to some of the most common situations, so that you can make the best decision for you. For one wedding, that might mean hiring a photographer off craigslist for $500. For another couple, that will NEVER be an option that’s on the table. And you know what? Both sides are totally fine ;) Full blog post available at www.weddingplanningpodcast.co/wedding-pitfall A special thank you to today's show sponsors: Is your happiness suffering in these insanely stressful times? 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