How to get the most out of your Sonoma or Napa wedding budget (where to splurge and what to skip)
One question I get asked all the time is how to get the most out of a wedding budget, what to splurge on, what to skip, and what is a must-have. I’m sharing the best tips that I’ve seen work over and over to get the most bang for your buck out of your wedding budget, things you can honestly skip altogether and no one will notice, and advice that could save thousands of dollars for your wedding. One of my favorite clients described her Calistoga wedding as “bougie on a budget” and she used quite a few of these tips for a wedding day that was beautiful, memorable, and unique to them. So, if you’re looking to get the most out of your Sonoma or Napa wedding budget without compromising on style this article is for you!
Manali Anne Photography
The three biggest ways to save money on a Sonoma or Napa wedding
Limit your guest size
One of the easiest and most effective ways to reduce your costs is by lowering your guest count. Fewer guests mean fewer meals and drinks you are paying for, fewer dinner tables so you don’t need as many centerpieces, and fewer rentals (like the chairs) to pay for. It’s simple math and can really add up. For example, if the average price per guest is $200 and you can cut 10 people from your guest list, you just saved $2,000. Of course, you don’t want to exclude Grandma or your best friend since kindergarten that you text daily. However, maybe you should reconsider your third cousin you haven’t seen in years or your college roommate that you only get updates from via Instagram.
Pick a non-peak day or slower wedding season
Saturday is by far the most popular day of the week to get married, so consider hosting your wedding on a Friday or a Sunday. Sometimes venues will have different prices for Friday and Saturday weddings. Also, consider getting married in the off-season. In Sonoma and Napa, the peak wedding season is May through October. Consider a November - April wedding because many wedding venues have different prices for these low-demand months.
Have a DJ instead of a band
If a band is not one of your top three must-haves, then skip it and hire a DJ instead. The cost savings is huge since a band requires multiple people (sometimes more than 15 people) working at your wedding whereas a DJ is usually just one person on the event day. You can still have an epic dance party with a DJ.
If we haven’t met yet, hi! I’m Lindsey Nickel and I’m a local Sonoma and Napa wedding planner and the owner of Lovely Day Events. Since 2010, I have helped stylish, fun-loving couples (and their dogs) plan destination weddings. Our clients want the ceremony to be outside, the food to be outstanding, and the dance parties to be epic. If this sounds like you, you’re in the right place, so you might want to learn more about our wedding planning services.
Cheers Babe Photography
How to give your Sonoma or Napa wedding a luxurious feel, without breaking the bank
Pick a specialty napkin
A really easy way to instantly add more of your personal style to your wedding is to pick a unique specialty napkin for the dinner tables. Pick something that has a cool texture (like velvet), an eye-catching print, or a pop of color. It is a detail that guests notice immediately when they sit down.
Focus design dollars on the head table or sweetheart table
Your Pinterest board is probably filled with gorgeous tabletop decor ideas for your wedding. You can still have a gorgeous tablescape without blowing your budget. Focus your design spending on your head table or sweetheart table since it will be the most photographed and the one you are looking at during dinner (and therefore the one your guests are looking at).
For example, rent chargers only for the head table, not all the guest tables.
Have your florist add more centerpieces to the head table and go lighter on the centerpieces for the guest tables.
Upgrading the chairs at just the sweetheart table or head table will add a stunning level of sophistication. It’s completely fine to save money by renting the most cost-friendly chair for the rest of your guests or using the ones your wedding venue comes with.
Glow-in-the-dark items for the dance party
A super easy way to ensure that your guests remember your wedding as one of the best dance parties is to have glow-in-the-dark items for the dance party. For example, glow-in-the-dark rings, bracelets, and sunglasses are a HUGE hit on the dance floor. This guest experience idea immediately makes the wedding feel more curated.
Re-purpose ceremony flowers
Most of your flowers from the ceremony can be repurposed at the reception, which saves quite a bit of money while still having the impact of beautiful flowers. Ask your florist or wedding planner if they will move your ceremony flowers to your dessert table, coffee table, and cocktail tables.
Strings for ceremony and cocktail hour
If you decide to save money by skipping the band, but still love live music, consider having string musicians for the ceremony and cocktail hour. Something about live musicians for the ceremony and cocktail hour immediately elevates the whole wedding experience and makes it feel more special.
Don't hold back on glassware
For your dinner tables the more glassware the better. A table set with a water glass and two wine glasses will look more elegant than a table with just a wine glass and a water glass. Glassware sparkles beautifully in the sunlight and adds to the fullness of the table, which makes it feel more expensive.
You might be wondering: How Much does a Sonoma or Napa wedding cost?
Manali Anne Photography
3 Things you will definitely regret skimping on at your Sonoma or Napa wedding
Wedding Ceremony flowers
Your wedding ceremony is the first thing that your guests will see and experience at your wedding. The ceremony flowers are the backdrop of your wedding ceremony and therefore are the flowers the guests will look at the longest. The ceremony will also be the most photographed by your friends and photographer. Focus your florist budget on your ceremony flowers for the maximum wow factor and the most beautiful photos.
PRO TIP: Ask your florist to move the ceremony flowers to the reception instead of purchasing more flowers
Wedding Photographer
Photos are one of the few tangible memories that you have after the wedding, so you want to be sure to invest wisely. A skilled and experienced wedding photographer can make a budget-friendly wedding look high-end in photos. Finally, your wedding photographer will be your shadow on your wedding day, so you really want someone who you click with and who has photographed a range of weddings.
PRO TIP: Ask to seed galleries from past couples that get married at your wedding venue.
Wedding Planner
Your wedding planner is the person that you will interact with the most leading up to your wedding and will be providing you advice on how to plan your wedding as well as ensuring the wedding day runs smoothly. Again, this is where experience really counts. An experienced wedding planner can share tips and tricks to save you money and time planning your wedding. She can provide unique design ideas for making your wedding feel more expensive than you actually spend. Wedding planners often have items like table numbers and card boxes that you can borrow as well, so you don’t have to purchase them.
PRO TIP: Book your local Sonoma or Napa wedding planner early in the planning process so that you can get the most tips for maximizing your budget and not getting stressed out
PRO TIP: Look for a wedding planner that offers event design and that charges design and rentals based on a percentage so that you don’t overpay for a service you might not need or use very much of.
Suzanne Karp Photography
No one will notice if you skip these things at your Sonoma or Napa wedding:
Giant wedding cake - The price of a large, elaborate wedding cake always catches couples by surprise. Instead of a large cake, get a small cutting cake to cut at the reception. Find a cake topper that you love on Etsy. If you have a dog, a cute cake topper that looks like your dog is a fun way to include him or her on the wedding day. This way you still get your photo opp of cutting the cake but can save money on not having the large, elaborate cake.
PRO TIP: Be sure to ask your caterer if they charge a cake-cutting fee. Many resorts and hotels charge a fee to serve a wedding cake. If the cake-cutting fee is $5 and you have 100 guests, you can save $500 by not having a large wedding cake.
Wedding Favors - Favors usually end up feeling forced, like a pint glass with your names and wedding date. The majority of favors are usually left behind by the guests. Instead, consider making a donation to your favorite charity and having a few signs made telling your guests. If you really have your heart set on favors, consider something consumable like chocolates or honey from the area.
Champagne Toast - Champagne is not a requirement for toasts. Skip the flutes filled with champagne, and instead, guests can toast with the drinks they already have in their hands. This will save you a tremendous amount of money since guests usually just take a few sips of the champagne and never finish it. The toasts are equally exciting and special with or without champagne, so skip the champagne and put the money toward something you are excited about.
Getaway car - The getaway car is great for photos, but couples often feel rushed at the end to get in and leave. Plus you miss out on saying goodbye to guests. Instead, take the money you would spend on a getaway car and put it toward the bar tab for an after-party.
Printed ceremony programs are the number one unused thing I see at weddings. Instead of a printed program, consider a large sign or skip the program altogether, this is also a more green option than printed programs.
Natura Collective Photography
