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Justifying Your Wedding Costs

So you got engaged – yay! – and now you’re down the deep rabbit hole of planning your destination wedding. It’s often hard enough picking a destination where you don’t get at least one objection to it being away from your home town. Don’t pay attention to it. Remember, it’s your day.

 

So you start reaching out to vendors, planners, and other brides.

Suddenly you start to worry – is having a destination wedding going to be too costly? How can you justify the costs for “just one day”?

 

While I’ve been lucky enough to have clients who see the worth and merit each vendor and supplier brings, there will sometimes be couples who question why things are priced the way they are. And you should absolutely be allowed to ask these questions because at the end of the day, you need to choose what is right for you not just for your big day, but long term too. You don’t want to be financially strained in other parts of your life just because you want to get married overseas.

However the current financial climate has definitely played a heavy hand not just in Indonesia, but worldwide in the way goods and services are priced, with everything having gone up exponentially. So you’re likely asking these same cost questions whether you’re marrying at home or overseas.


Photography: Balimakna


There are many reasons couples choose to marry overseas. For some, their destination holds a special part in their hearts. For others, it’s the most logistical spot for their friends and family to meet at when they’re coming from all over the world. And still for others, it could be that the destination they chose is more cost friendly than having it at home.

Whatever the case may be, I thought it might be worth chatting about the costs of your suppliers and where that money is going.

 

Of course I can’t get into the nitty gritty of the pricing structures for each vendor and supplier – I’m not privy to their financial and operational models. But what I will chat about is what you need to consider in terms of what is going on beyond the product or service you’re asking for.

I’ll cover the main ones, and I suppose starting with your planner is a great place to start.


Planner

You’ll probably have noticed through your various enquiries that the cost of your planner varies a lot. Much of this is a personal decision by the planner, but usually they’ll charge according to their experience, number of weddings they’ll take on a year, the size of their team and whether they offer a coordination role, a planning role, a styling role, or all three!

First things first, if you’re opting for a foreign planner, know this. In order to legally operate as a foreigner working in Indonesia, (I can’t speak for other countries), the company is not only required to pay a huge set up and registration fee to even be allowed to operate, but the workers themselves also need various permits to be able to do so. Two permits to be exact – one being the stay permit which allows them to stay in the country, and a work permit which allows them to work in the country. Multiply this by the number of foreign workers they’ve hired PLUS the massive investment to ensure the company is legal in the first place, and that is already a lot of overheads that need to be considered and calculated in their operation costs. Keep in mind, these also need to be renewed and paid for in full again every 6-12 months.

Then on top of that you have all the staff salaries, health insurance, pensions, and if they have an office or headquarters, then they have the operation costs of having a brick and mortar store front to cover along with everything that comes with that.

People often think Indonesia is quite cheap – and it is when you’re coming on a holiday. Working and living here is another thing. Electricity is very expensive. Gas has gone right up and considering most of that time is spent in traffic, you quickly need to refuel.

If you’re opting for a local planner, you may find they have a different price point because they don’t have to jump through the hoops a foreign planner does in terms of company set up and living and working permits to be here.

A good way to decide if (financially speaking) your planner is worth it to you, here are some questions you should be asking.

How many weddings do they take a year?

How long have they been in the industry?

What is their communication style? Are you limited to emails or are they open to other forms as well?

Do you have a dedicated amount of time you can spend planning with them or do they offer unlimited communications throughout the whole planning period?

What else does their fee include? Is it planning only or does it include styling? Do they do site visits? Is coordinating the day included?

Think about the time you first engage them, and pending on the above, the time that they’ll spend dedicated to you and your wedding. Divide the amount they charge by the amount of time they dedicate to you and each of their clients. You’ll soon see if it’s a good investment over the long term. In other words, let’s say they charge $3500. And you spend 18 months planning with them and they give you unlimited communications throughout that 18 months.

Pretty sure that works out to be under $195 a month, or under $50 a week…break it down further? $1.25 an hour…

Would you work for that?

If you can justify that cost per hour, or anything above it right up to your own minimum salary costs at home, the planner understands your vision and they are someone you trust, it’s definitely worth it in my opinion.

The less benefits you get out of it – eg designated contact times, styling or coordination not included etc, then you may want to consider your various options.


Photography: Flipmax


Bar & Catering

Okay so this is a whole entire operation in and of itself.

Yes, your catering WILL be more pricy than going out for a meal in different circumstances. And yes, you may be paying the same cost for the bar back home.

But let me explain.

When it comes to catering, keep in mind they have to bring an entire mobile external kitchen to the venue. They require a full kitchen staff on the ready as well as servers for your day. That’s already about 20 employees who need to be on site.

Days before the wedding they need to source your ingredients so they’re fresh, and do any prep work the day and morning before to ensure a smooth service then transport it in temperature-controlled trucks.

The cooking of the food is done on the actual day of the wedding so it’s basically a pop-up restaurant they need to set up and pack down in less than 12 hours.

On top of that, many also include crockery, cutlery, glassware and napkins. Some even provide the tables and chairs, so it’s worth looking into what they include as to how it justifies their pricing.

Similarly with the bar – Indonesia is notorious for not having a consistent inflow of regular alcohol brands, particularly wine. Alcohol is also heavily taxed here so this also adds to the costs.

They need staff to load and set up the bar, those who man the bar and make the drinks, and those that do the serving.

And remember my comment about it often being the same cost as back home?

More than likely “back home” includes a beer option and a wine option, and probably goes for about 3 hours before you need to decide if it’s a tab service from then on.

The difference here is, that price includes free flow beer, wine, AND cocktails and spirits. You get the whole nine yards for the entirety of your event. Not 3 hours, but the whole wedding.

Getting all of that alcohol for seven hours or longer is pretty hard to find at the price points you get here, anywhere else.


Photography: Motion House Weddings

 

Floristry & Décor

Honestly? This can take months to prepare, especially if you’re getting custom production for portions of your day.

Even if you’re opting for local flowers, many of the farms growing them are outside Bali so still need to be “imported” technically speaking from other parts of Indonesia.

They need to be preordered and secured to compete with the hundreds of other couples also placing orders.

Wanting international options? Then that’s another cost on top for the import fees and the cost of the flowers themselves as they’re sold in currencies much stronger than the Rupiah.

Your floral team spend their time creating moodboards, measuring out exact proportions, and doing as much prep work the night before your big day for the larger pieces so on the day it’s a matter of putting the pieces together already half done so they can focus on the pieces that need to be made on the day such as table settings and bouquets.

Lighting and drapery need full rigging systems in place, often requiring set up the night before, and by venue standards, must be taken down after curfew on the evening of your wedding. The manpower alone to do that is A LOT. Multiply that by the team they bring to make sure your florals are done in 6 hours, and not done too early or else they wilt, plus all the stationary and signage they have to set up…it’s a gargantuan task.

They have to mix both muscle and creative processing which takes months just for one day. And they do this every day!


Photography: Klassen Weddings

Hair & Makeup

This is such an important one, and it’s so personal!

Whether you like the full-on glam look, or the barely there feel, choosing a makeup artist that fits your vibe is of upmost importance.

I’d strongly recommend someone who is already skilled in the look you’re after, even if they’re pricier, than opting for someone more affordable and hoping they can nail your look.

They probably won’t.

Hair and makeup is a highly valued skill which takes years of training, and further years of perfecting while in the field. The more experience your chosen artist has, the more expensive they’ll likely be. They have a high demand so are well within their rights to price according to their demand.

And applying makeup that STAYS in the tropical heat is a whole other playing field they need to deal with.

Most hair and makeup products that are any good, cannot be bought here. They need to be bought overseas. And due to the high customs costs of importing product in, you’ll often find the best artists actually have to fly overseas and bulk buy their products for the year. Sometimes twice a year. As we all know, quality products are NOT cheap.

I see so many comments about how pricy hair and makeup is in Indonesia. That may be so, but I’d love to see how overseas artists would charge here knowing they can’t get their go-to products whenever they want, and nail a look that is going to withstand 80% humidity and look flawless for 12 hours.

It’s not just a look you’re paying for. It’s the products and years of training in these conditions that you need to consider.


Photography: Motion House Weddings


Photography & Videography

This is such a labor-intensive component of your wedding, that in my opinion, once you find the team that captures your style, they’re worth every penny.

Like hair and makeup, photography and videography is a skill which takes years of training to not only get right, but then further years of industry training to hone a particular style.

Each photographer and videographer will be known for their own eye, their own way of capturing the day, and THAT is what you’re paying for. Seeing your big day through their lens.

It’s basically the only aspect of your big day that you get to remember it by, so not only is it worth the research, it’s worth the investment.

It does come at a cost though. Equipment is not cheap. And no, it’s not just a simple camera. There are multiple cameras per shooter, film, chargers, a plethora of lenses, tripods, you name it. These items need to be maintained, cleaned and kept in pristine condition. Replacement parts are expensive and often need to be imported in.

They’re also the vendor who spends some of the longest time on site so you’re paying for their whole team to be there…rain, hail or shine.

Post-production is extremely involved and is why you’ll often not get your photos back for up to 8 weeks, and videos up to 3 months after your event.

The software they need to edit everything costs money, the daily edits and screen time they need to put into this on top of shooting other events at the same time is intense, and keep in mind it’s not just your footage, but hundreds of others too.

Good photography and videography teams have also bought copyrights for particular songs you want played over your videos so when you add all of that up, it’s a huge output on their behalf, so yes, they will be costly and as I mentioned – worth it.



Photography: Flipmax


Entertainment

Like a planner, you’ll probably be getting a variety of costs for this one.

And like a planner, it’ll probably come down to how busy they are, their experience, what they include and more.

Some bands and djs include their own instruments and equipment, absorbing that cost into their rates.

Others require you to hire all their equipment making it an added cost on your part.

They need to practice together out of their own personal time regularly, whether they’re booked or not to ensure the quality of their music and the synergy of playing together is always ready by the time they get booked. As entertainers they have one of the latest shifts and are required to bring the energy to your day, so they’re often in the heat, literally pouring their heart out ensuring everyone is having an amazing time.

It takes years to master an instrument, and many of my music clients will fully understand this and can justify the costs for this. Those who may not know the intricacies of what it takes to deliver a cohesive performance may not appreciate the effort it takes, so may be more likely to question the worthiness of costs.

Entertainment is an element of your day that requires time, energy and personal experience so is often priced as such. There may be less equipment or maintenance that is needed such as hair and makeup or photography, but the man hours are easily above the rest and this is something that you will need to appreciate. How valuable is someone’s time and skill to you?



Photography: Balimakna


I could go on to cover every single aspect of your wedding, but for now I think that covers the major moving parts of pulling your big day together.

Can you do a wedding for cheap? Absolutely. As long as you’re not pulling up pinterest pictures of a Lake Como extravaganza and expecting to do a $500,000 wedding for $15,000.

As much as we all need to be mindful of the cost of things, we also need to be realistic about our expectations as well as understand where those costs are going towards.

Once that is understood, you can better prioritize what is important to you and what isn’t, allowing you to spend on the vendors and suppliers you feel align with your own values.

 

xxx

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