Marriage has never been a particularly affordable event. The evening can easily cost the equivalent of 20 week-long all-inclusive packages to the Caribbean.
Lovers who still decide to treat themselves to a big romantic celebration know that they will have to deal with inflation. But they may not realize that another phenomenon could cause the bill to rise… the “no show”.
No, no, it is not a joke. As in restaurants, guests do not show up to the wedding where they are expected. Quite simply. Without warning.
We are not talking about a person, from time to time, who has an excellent medical or family reason for being absent. In all the weddings she organizes, Valérie Bigras counts 8 to 12 people who do not show up. For the bride and groom, the financial – and emotional – impact is enormous.
We were discussing the best tips for limiting the cost of a wedding when she opened my eyes to this new reality that exasperates her.
“The label is being lost more and more, which is a great shame. It seems that today, we no longer take the time for anything… We say yes and we wait to see if we will have something else more interesting,” notes the founder of the virtual fair Life After Yes and organizer of marriages for 15 years.
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
Valérie Bigras, experienced wedding planner, coordinates the Life After Yes show, which took place on February 3 and 4, 2024. She has lots of good tips for putting your money where your money is.
Maybe it’s a question of etiquette, maybe a question of cost of living too. Attending a wedding is not free. Outfit, shoes, accessories, gift of a few hundred dollars, travel, accommodation… We cannot search all hearts to understand the reasons for withdrawals, but money must be part of the list in the current economic context.
One thing is certain, this unfortunate trend costs a fortune for the bride and groom who have to pay for the meal and alcohol of those who are absent. When 10 people fail, the loss easily reaches $2,000. It is also possible that the bride and groom paid out of pocket for the rental of an extra table and chairs. Please cancel early!
Guests who are conspicuous by their absence obviously do not give the bride and groom a gift, a gift which helps to cover part of the bill. This shortfall comes on top of the effects of inflation, which has particularly driven up the cost of food.
A wedding hardly costs less than $35,000, estimate the wedding planners interviewed in the last year. Various studies report bills ranging from $20,000 to $50,000. Obviously, the number of guests, the choice of location, the price of the ring and the trip play a big part in the equation.
To reduce the risk of “no shows”, Valérie Bigras suggests only inviting people who are very close to you. It is especially office colleagues, cousins and less intimate friends who dare to be absent for no reason. She also observes that more and more newlyweds who are short of money are charging their guests for the meal in advance. The idea breaks traditions, but eases the financial burden.
The best financial advice from Valérie Bigras, however, is this: “enjoy your title of fiancé for a few years”. This will give you time to save.
“We don’t get married on credit. Otherwise, we are shopping for a divorce! », pleads the organizer, who sometimes suggests to couples in their twenties to postpone their project. This is very wise at a time when the cost of housing is constantly climbing.
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
Valérie Bigras, founder of the virtual salon Life After Yes and wedding planner for 15 years
Once the savings are in your pocket, strategic choices are necessary to avoid ending up with cost overruns worthy of a road construction site. The $400 table full of candy isn’t necessary. No more than the gifts given to guests. It’s better to invest in music, because it’s the atmosphere that makes all the difference.
For dresses, it’s counterintuitive, but tailor-made is more affordable than ready-to-wear, assures Valérie Bigras, who describes herself as a price expert after 15 years in the field. “You will avoid between $300 and $800 in rework. The cost of a dress will range from $1200 to $3000, unless you want Italian or Spanish guipure. »
With imagination, you can reduce the florist’s bill by reusing bouquets from the ceremony as centerpieces. It is possible to negotiate with the caterer to waive or reduce the cake cutting fee ($3.50 per guest). The organizers have plenty of tricks like this, so much so that their services, in the end, will not have cost very much, it seems.
10 years ago, the cost of a wedding was estimated at $25,000, according to an organizer cited in a text published by Desjardins1. It is by looking at the distribution of the budget at the time that we realize how much prices have changed. The budget for the meal was $60 to $100 per person, which compares to $200 or $250 these days. The cost of the honeymoon was estimated at $2,000, which no longer allows you to go very far.
The funny thing is the amount allocated for gifts for the guests: between $0.25 and $3.00 per person! I wonder what one could give as a present with such a budget without looking immensely stingy and wrinkled.
Consult the wedding budget published by Desjardins a decade ago