How planning a Vegas Wedding Budget Checklist Can Keep You From Losing in Vegas
Vegas Wedding Budget Checklist – How to Plan a Vegas Elopement
This article will help you think through the essential Vegas wedding budget checklist for your Vegas elopement. Wedding couples often don’t know what is needed or leave out essential details when they plan their wedding.
If cost is an issue, getting married in Las Vegas can be a fantastic option but do you know how to determine your wedding budget? Most couples who are planning a Vegas wedding don’t know. This article will help you think through the essential items about costs for a simple elopement in Vegas. If you are a wedding couple and don’t know what you will need, this article will present much-needed information to help you plan your wedding.
Las Vegas is a really fun place to get married as the party never stops! Wedding celebrations can carry on the way into the night, and the following morning, or for days if that’s what you want since Vegas is a 24-hour town!
Important questions to ask: What are your essential needs? What is most important for you? How much you are willing to spend altogether? What elements do you want to add after you calculate your essential items? It’s true you won’t really know until you start making inquiries to all the hundreds of vendors in Vegas but this list will help you get started and give you an idea of what you need.
What is the Cost of a Vegas Wedding?
While there is no set cost to elope, most couples spend $5,000-$15,000 to get married in the United States, far less than the national average of $33,000 for a traditional wedding. Eloping costs less than a traditional wedding for many reasons. In Las Vegas you can expect to pay anywhere from $200 for one of the cheapest, no frill chapel experiences to $15,000 or more. You won’t know how much to budget until you first determine what is essential and what you desire the most as well as what you can afford.
This article provides information for couples who intend to elope, however it’s become a trend for elopement guest counts to grow larger than couples expect once their friends and relatives find out where the wedding is taking place. Las Vegas is a popular place to visit. There are many reasons for getting married in Las Vegas but one of the most popular reasons is because it’s cheaper for couples. You save money eloping in Vegas.
Wedding Budget Checklist: Here is a Las Vegas wedding budget checklist to help you answer the questions you have and help you determine what is essential for your wedding in Vegas. There are many elements to planning your occasion. You will have to factor in a lot of things you may not have thought of. Look over the checklist below and determine what you consider essential. Set a strict budget and make sure final choices ticks all the essential boxes.
Hotel Accommodations:
Vegas resorts offer amazing accommodations that can double for reception space, complete with city views and plenty of room to entertain guests. For those who have very little money having a ceremony at your resort is an excellent solution. This is ideal for couples who would rather have a cheaper ceremony and spend the majority of their budget on celebrating, and their honeymoon.
If you are researching hotels to be suitable for a ceremony and reception choose wisely as this can be a budget saver. Typically when couples have a wedding they calculate in everything required for the wedding day itself. This could include the price of the couple’s chosen honeymoon, which could add thousands on top depending on where they decide to go. People often use Las Vegas as their all-in-one honeymoon and wedding location solution, wrapping up the accommodations into the price of their trip.
Venue Choice:
This is one of the most important considerations. You can’t have a wedding without someplace to hold it. Your venue will determine many things and should be decided first. There are many options for wedding venues in Las Vegas.
Literally, it can make you crossed eyed to try to decide. You need to determine what your Las Vegas wedding budget is before you start planning. Research wisely or use the services of a wedding planner to help you choose venues that are good economical solutions. If you are on a budget an want click this link for Las Vegas elopement wedding package ideas.
Wedding attire:
You may make your own dress, buy one cheaply online and bring it or rent a tux and gown in Las Vegas. Renting seems to be the most popular and cost-effective choice for many couples. Often companies that rent tux and gowns will deliver to your hotel for you or offer transportation services to and from your hotel, complete with tailoring and steaming options for wrinkles.
Makeup and Hair:
You may opt to do your own hair and makeup or splurge on your wedding day and go to a spa to have the spa vendors pamper you. The other option is to hire a mobile hair and makeup specialist to come to your room and pamper you in your own private accommodations.
Officiant:
Who will perform your ceremony? How important are their expertise and experience to you? Mobile Ministers and officiants in Las Vegas to come to your location. The price ranges for officiants vary tremendously. The price quoted you will be based on the officiant’s experience and expertise.
Photography:
There are many excellent Las Vegas photographers to choose from.
The prices for photographers vary greatly but the market is flooded with options. Be sure to take your time and ask about the photographer to find out their background, style and what they or the company they work through offers before you hire them and get it in writing. Do you want all your photos in one package price or do you want to buy prints and get the photos later?
Videography:
There is many options couple face when planning a video of their wedding.
Videographers range in price greatly, depending on your needs. The simple videos you may get from a chapel will be just that, simple and unedited. To keep it cost effective many choose to have the video only of the ceremony. It is highly recommend you choose to capture your important occasion by getting a video recording of it.
Flowers:
Typically I find brides don’t realize the true cost of flowers.
Flowers are seasonal and range in price according to availability and season. With our premade planning services we can make planning for flowers in Las Vegas easy and within your budget. The florist we work with is full service and offers us a discount as a Las Vegas wedding planning venue. A wedding planner will get you a discount and should pass that discount on to you.
Guest list:
How many people do you want to attend? There are many other simple options that will reduce your costs when factoring in the amount it will cost to accommodate your guests. Do you want to provide a venue with comfortable seating for your guests or have a simple solution where the guests stand during the ceremony?
Transportation:
Will you need to provide transportation for all your guests to get to the ceremony? What will that transportation consist of? Will it be a party bus? Do you need separate limousine service for you and your bridal party? How will the timing of arrival to the location be planned? Do you want to try to plan it yourself or have a planner help you? You might consider having an in suite ceremony at your resort to avoid transportation costs.
Vendor Gratuity:
I think most people realize the wedding industry standard is to tip vendors at least 20 to 30 percent for their services. It is standard to give limousine drivers about $20 per hour for their service. It is wise to figure this in for your vendors, especially the transportation services as they rely on this for income.
Food:
If you are providing food to your guests this will be a big factor in your budget. In Las Vegas, you can figure it will be at least $40 to $50 per person for food at most locations on the Vegas Strip. Buffets in Las Vegas are phenomenal and they range from simple to elegant. My two favorite choices for buffets that may be used for a reception are “the Paris Hotel Buffet” and “the Rio Hotel buffet. Some restaurants’ also let you have the wedding ceremony at their establishment, which may save quite a bit of money. For this reason, to keep costs down, you might consider having the ceremony in the restaurant of your choice.
Elopement Reception Tip:
A fun and affordable option for an elopement reception is to consider having an elopement foodie tour. For the foodie enthusiasts, this option will allow you to have a ceremony, photo tour and small simple reception for you and your guests as an all-inclusive option. Click the photo below to view our elopement foodie tour options.
The wedding cake:
Consider how many people you have attending and then decide what your budget is for the cake. Cake vendor pricing ranges dramatically from vendor to vendor. Couples eloping typically only need a small one tier cake, although many decide to customize them Vegas style or with their own vision and style. Of course, there are many choices and styles to choose from. It helps in budgeting to make the decisions about the most important items on the essential budgeting checklist first then determine your remaining budget before you decide on the cake budget.
It’s just as easy and cheap to go through the catering department at your hotel to get a cake than you will if you choose to have one delivered from a local cake vendor. This is because local vendors charge for delivering to the Vegas Strip. In many cases they charge $50 or more for delivery. Also, it’s much easier on your busy wedding day schedule because the delivery service is not allowed to leave the cake with the bell desk. Customers are expected to meet the delivery driver in person to receive the cake.
Wedding planner:
Las Vegas Wedding planners perform a variety of services and functions. These services range from simple assistance, the day of coordination or full-scale planning for the large affair. There are many wedding planners in Las Vegas to choose from. We at Custom Las Vegas weddings offer elopement day of coordination and planning customized elopement ceremonies. Please call or contact us for more information.
How to save money eloping in Vegas: The decision to elope in Las Vegas to keep costs down becomes a great solution for wedding couples. Save money by having an off strip outdoor Las Vegas Wedding with an elopement planner whose services are built in to the wedding package. There are many fine details you most likely do not know and an elopement planner will help make sure you don’t make mistakes when choosing elopement venues as well as planning transportation.
When you choose an all-inclusive elopement wedding package it includes a photographer, limousine and personal event planner. This option provides a great solution for couples who are on a budget and only want a simple Vegas wedding.
At this point, you should have a good idea what elements of your wedding are most essential.
After you determine essentials:
1. Review your list of essential items.
2. Call vendors to get pricing or hire a planner to get quotes.
3. Review the quotes and determine what best suits your needs.
4. Voila, you have your budget and may get on the next stage which is meeting your vendors and signing a contract for services.
How to get married in Las Vegas:
To get married in Las Vegas you must acquire a wedding license before the wedding day. You and your fiancé must visit the Las Vegas Marriage Bureau in person to obtain the license. This must be done before the wedding and presented to a certified and approved licensed wedding officiant or Minister. The cost is $102 and you need to both present a government-issued photo ID. You may pre-apply for a license electronically online at the clerk’s website page. One of the questions I am often asked is, if you get married in Vegas is it legal everywhere? The answer is yes. When you get married in Las Vegas the legality of your marriage is recognized worldwide.
Having a wedding in Vegas doesn’t need to be expensive.
Vegas is an ideal place for wedding couples who don’t want a massive, typical white wedding with loads of people staring at them. In the past weddings in Las Vegas have been known for being primarily small and intimate affairs. A lot of people prefer it that way but now since Vegas has grown and evolved in many ways, there many more options available than there ever have been.
Las Vegas is an excellent all in one solution for weddings because it has cornered the market on easy and done for you solutions. Tens of thousands of people flock to the city of lights each year to get married in Vegas, making it a popular choice for those searching for a great location for their wedding day.
Learn more about the Marriage licensing process: Here is a resource to help you with what you need to know regarding the requirements to get married in Las Vegas?
The most important thing to keep in mind is that you want your wedding day to be one that you look back on with happy memories, and ensuring that you organize your budget to include all that you need to make your day special is one way to guarantee that this will happen. If you are looking for a more customized Vegas elopement experience, we at Custom Las Vegas Weddings have you covered.
If you need ideas to decide on a Las Vegas wedding venue contact us here.