Wedding Entertainment on a Budget

One of the biggest factors that you must consider when planning a wedding is your budget.  The amount of money you have available will dictate everything, from your dress to your venue to your menu.  The best way to have an amazing wedding is to maximize your budget.  One of the most important areas where you can do that is on your wedding entertainment.

• Consider your options.  There are many different forms of wedding entertainment.  If you are looking for musical entertainment, you could hire a band, DJ, flute quartet or any number of individual musicians.  Other forms of entertainment include belly dancers, fire throwers and magicians.  Decide what kind of wedding you want to have and determine what form of entertainment fits into your theme.


• Shop around.  Ask married friends and family for the names of the vendors that they used.  Ask them what they liked about their services and what they didn't like.  This can help you come up with a list of entertainers to call.


• Consider what each vendor is offering for the price.  Some vendors may have a lower cost, but other more expensive vendors may include more of the perks that you want to have at your wedding.  Determine exactly what you are getting for your money with each individual vendor. 


• Stick to your budget.  While it may be tempting to blow your budget on an amazing band that you are dying to have play at your reception, resist the urge.  Instead, tell the vendor what your budget is up front.  They may be willing to scale down their services a bit in order to meet your budget.  Also, don't be afraid to ask a vendor to price match another lower bid.  You might be surprised when they accept your offer.


• Book dual-purpose entertainment.  Have the same band play at both your ceremony and reception.  The cost to pay for extra hours is significantly lower than the cost of booking two separate entertainers. 


• Re-work your budget.  If you find an entertainer that you absolutely must have, reconfigure your budget to pay for them.  Cut costs elsewhere and use the extra money to pay for your entertainment.  You can trim your budget by using in-season flowers, cutting your guest list, and limiting the amount of alcohol you serve at your reception.