How much is your wedding budget? Part 6

[120515]

true, each person here has their own priorities...one bride may want to prioritize the caterer, another may prioritize the photographer/videographer, and others may prioritize the wedding rings and, thus, will allocate a bigger budget for whatever is their non-negotiable 

for our wedding rings, i wasn't very particular about the design (i just want my non-traditional engagement ring to stand out) so we followed what my husband wanted, which was traditional plain solid yellow gold rings just like his parents' wedding rings. the only criteria i had for the wedding rings was that these should be value for money (i.e. pay by the gram) so we looked around and found the perfect ones.

[belle_v2g]

^sis 120515
those plain gold rings, I just love seeing my elderly patients wearing them.. and it touches my heart when they tell me na it's been there for more than 50 yrs or so..

[120515]

^sis 120515
those plain gold rings, I just love seeing my elderly patients wearing them.. and it touches my heart when they tell me na it's been there for more than 50 yrs or so..

aaawwwww...how sweet! same here

[belle_v2g]

aaawwwww...how sweet! same here

I know!!! Nakakainggit diba. So I wouldn't care how much our rings are as long as we're together til we grow old. and really, simple things could really mean so much regardless of their value.

[Chili1113]

Kanya-kanya talaga priority lang. Ako kasi ever since I was a small girl I enjoy good jewelry more than wearing designer clothes. So it is only natural for me to skip a super expensive designer wedding gown, and choose a nice wedding ring over that.

 It really is just a preference and doesn't mean that a cheaper wedding ring should mean less to anyone in terms of what it symbolizes.

[juwie]

^ true. Kanya-kanyang priority nga. Wala pa ako kilalang bride dito na kagaya ko na priority ang high quality Sounds and audio equipments sa paghahanap ng L&S supplier.. mostly Lights lang. Hehe. Ang reason naman namin is we really want good sound because we have very good jazz bands playing on our wedding. We are both into music kasi.

[belle_v2g]

^super agree sis. That's why, I'd rather not question other brides why they are spending more on their gowns rather than the ring.. or vice versa.

[fantabulous]

maybe some people are used to having their entourage pay for their own attire kaya they assume it will be okay for others too. but it's really not.

I think there is nothing wrong with the practice of asking your bridesmaids to pay for their attire. In our case, I only have 2 bridesmaids and 1 groomsmen and they are all very close to us, practically family. They all 3 know that we are on a budget too but we want to give a wedding where everyone will have fun.

Again, it al depends on how the bride and groom frame this, and at the bottom, is about friendships too you know. Perhaps you find it inconceivable because your entourage is composed of people who you aren't close to. And perhaps your previous experiences as a bridesmaid were to couples you did not consider as really close friends. But it's a decision all around, not only by the couple but by their friends who consent to pay for their gowns. Did you also cover the groomsmen's attires? Then good for you.

[sparklingjewel]

^ Sis Chili1113 I really love your idea of a half-eternity so you can turn it over in shady places!! That's what I currently do with my engagement ring but I didn't think of also needing to do that for the wedding band. Thanks for giving me the idea! Your engagement ring must be so huge you can't wear it here in Manila! Hehe.

Actually it's not the monetary value of the ring or its simplicity that makes me curious, it's more of na people are actually willing to just buy them off a jewelry stall of a brand they aren't exactly familiar with, during a bridal fair when offered a huge discount.  I have a friend kasi like this. I did not know na hindi na pala super big deal ngayon to know the jeweler you're getting the diamonds and gold from to make sure they are authentic. And this friend of mine spent millions din on her wedding, I just thought she would have done more due diligence rin on the rings part since she can afford to get the rings from whatever reputable jeweler she wanted. Hehe. I guess it's just not as important to her nga as much as she valued her other wedding details and who she got for them.

[belle_v2g]

^ true. Kanya-kanyang priority nga. Wala pa ako kilalang bride dito na kagaya ko na priority ang high quality Sounds and audio equipments sa paghahanap ng L&S supplier.. mostly Lights lang. Hehe. Ang reason naman namin is we really want good sound because we have very good jazz bands playing on our wedding. We are both into music kasi.

Sis juwie, akala mo lang sis si hubby din... Hehe. It's not that ito ang super priority namin but particular si hubby sa sounds because he's a musical director and arranger in their church. Kaya pinacheck ko din muna sa kanya the equipments before we booked.

[j.adore]

Refillable drinks are worth it if you don't have much other drinks served (like cocktails, wine, etc.).

On returning gowns, it's normal if they were rented or made-to-rent. Otherwise, the entourage gets to keep it na (especially if they paid for their HMU) as token from the couple.

Being over the budget happens due to nice-to-haves hehe or want for something better. Minsan mahirap magpigil kasi "gagastos ka na rin lang, gandahan mo na". Then when you add those little things up, ayon ang layo na sa original budget.
Another reason is not being able to foresee all the costs. Most couples set budgets for the major suppliers tapos nakakalimutan yung mga little things like tokens, meals, etc.

The prioritization really differs from one person to another. Isa lang pinili namin na non-negotiable (food hehe) then the rest, we researched for quality but affordable suppliers.

On rings, if you know how to look, where to look, and are aware of gold prices (malaking factor ito), you can get good pieces at low prices that have real gold and real diamonds. Those in fairs are reputable jewelers naman (refer to feedback here or in W@W). So just because mura, doesn't mean fake
Others just sell them at higher prices because you're paying for the name and the assurance.
It's also a matter of preference and buying power. Some people would rather have 1 piece from Tiffany's while others would rather hoard from their suki in HK.

[belle_v2g]

^sis j.adore
I remember a friend of ours who works in Michael Hill (a well-known diamond jewellery store here in oz) na kahit ibigay ng 70% ang ring sayo, they will still earn from it dahil ilan beses ang patong nila sa original price.

[sparklingjewel]

^Sis Chili1113 thanks for sharing. Siguro nga I need to be more careful (I wear my engagement  ring everyday pag normal office days) and though I do drive myself to work naman, I would normally receive comments about the ring talaga so it means napapansin siya ng mga tao... which is not just a good thing but it could be a bad thing as well if there are shady people around the office :s

Sometimes I remove it momentarily pa naman to put on lotion. Haha i shall think about not wearing it after the wedding, since i'm thinking in the future hassle din naman if you have a baby tapos sumabit sa skin niya, sugat siya talaga!

Replied na to your pm by the way, about my jeweler I think you would probably know her too, since our circles has overlap

[joy89]

^ true. Kanya-kanyang priority nga. Wala pa ako kilalang bride dito na kagaya ko na priority ang high quality Sounds and audio equipments sa paghahanap ng L&S supplier.. mostly Lights lang. Hehe. Ang reason naman namin is we really want good sound because we have very good jazz bands playing on our wedding. We are both into music kasi.

You're not alone sis. Hubby and I prioritized it too that's why it had the biggest share from our wedding budget. Hubby and I are both choir members. He used to be a bassist in a show band when he was in college to support his schooling and plays quite a number of instruments too. Even here in our house now, big priority ang audio. Actually he was the one who chose the supplier and made sure na we are getting high quality brands (we had JBL Line Array) and not just any China-made, pretending-to-be-professional speaker. It's just sad to know that almost all the quotations we got from suppliers who are popular in the wedding industry use equipment that are not of highest quality. It was his only non-nego and the lights set up only came secondary. We even had 2 sets of musicians (Manila Philharmonic and a band) sa reception and our choir sang sa church. It was a music- filled wedding, haha! Pricey, yes. But I guess everything comes with a price and there's a reason why one thing is cheaper than the others, right?

[bonzaigirl]

Aww how sweet.    Rings are a symbol of the eternal love between the husband and wife. It doesn't have to be really that expensive, from simple bands to really NICE rings  .. what matters most is the love we have for each other, especially when we start saying the words, "with this ring, I be wed"  .

In saying that, our rings are not part of our wedding budget.  Our initial budget was 450k for a 150 guest list. But so far now, we are already at 300k and we still have a long way to go.  From an exaggerated estimation, we are hoping that 550k would suffice.  I don't want to go more than that  

We are doing a dagdag bawas thing.  Since we are splurging on some major suppliers, we would be scrimping on some things.  hehe... Our invitations would be DIY and some decors would also be DIY.  Plus we are the ones paying for the entourage gowns and some of our entourage's accomodations.  Since most of them are family anyways and our closest friends who will also help in our wedding.  And that is already included in our budget.

Rings and the honeymoon are not included though. My fiance wanted to add a little bit of bling to our rings.  So we are also splurging a bit on our rings I did not protest, hehe. If he wants a bit of bling who am I to say no?    Well, at first I just wanted plain bands, but then my engagement ring is a simple one albeit simple but one that I love with all my heart kasi it was given by my MIL to be.  Knowing my personality, and my love for all things that sparkle, my fiance decided that our rings would have a little bit of shine to them. 

Sabi ko sa kanya, it doesn't matter, basta we'll be wearing ours for the all of eternity   hehe... 

[sparklingjewel]

It's just sad to know that almost all the quotations we got from suppliers who are popular in the wedding industry use equipment that are not of highest quality.

Shocks, talaga sis? Nooo! Haha we've already booked our L&S (Sensitivity) and we are both not musicians pero we tried to pick who was relatively better, dapat pala i asked you first! :p

We are doing a dagdag bawas thing. 

My fiance wanted to add a little bit of bling to our rings.  So we are also splurging a bit on our rings I did not protest, hehe. Knowing my personality, and my love for all things that sparkle, my fiance decided that our rings would have a little bit of shine to them.   

Dagdag bawas method din kami, honestly it seems to be working for us naman hahaha we do panic when we should and adjust everything down :p

Ang saya saya naman for you, blingy wedding band!! Haha i also love all things that sparkle!! Kaso opposite scenario ako sayo, the engagement ring I got is already blingy/ flashy so i shall tone down the wedding band na, simple half-eternity band nalang with stones same size as my engagement ring. Di naman ako si Kim K! Haha

[bonzaigirl]

ikaw na sis sparklingjewel   now we know how you got the name     

[joy89]

Shocks, talaga sis? Nooo! Haha we've already booked our L&S (Sensitivity) and we are both not musicians pero we tried to pick who was relatively better, dapat pala i asked you first! :p

Sensitivity is better than the other popular ones na sis. They quoted me JBL rin but less powerful lang sya than what we had in our wedding. it's a branded speaker so you don't have to be bothered

[sparklingjewel]

^^OMG bonzaigirl i did not realize that until you said it, oo nga pala hahaha! I just never had a lot of jewelry kasi as a kid, well meron gold lang pero not blingy ones, not diamonds, so i really like them now. Fiance is relieved i loved the ring he got me para i won't be buying more bling daw in the future! Haha tipid na

^So relieved to hear that sis joy89, and thank you for the evaluation haha for L&S since wala talaga akong naiintindihan, i just excluded from my known choices any supplier that had mixed reviews from GT and yung may mixed reviews din from my other suppliers who have worked with them. Dalawa lang natira-- Sensitivity and High Impact, and we just went for the more practical quote. Thank you again!!

[joy89]

You're welcome sis! I had very little idea rin when we were preparing. I know what is good when I hear it but the technical specifications, no. I was really quiet when hubby and our supplier were discussing. I had to ask him tons of questions after our meeting to fully understand them