Open Air Business August/September 2017

FUNCTION VENUES
different choices (and may
increase their budget slightly
as the planning advances), as a
general guide, for 120 guests on
the £40,000 budget level, they
would typically need to spend:
› On Photography – from £2,500
› On Flowers – from £2,500
› On Live Music – from £2,500
GETTY IMAGES
With a £40,000 overall budget,
we often find that there isn’t much
room for the luxury extras, such
as sophisticated production and
hired furnishings, or a fully paid
cash bar. A wedding film might
be a luxury for the ‘very keen on
film’ rather than a necessity for
example.
this then leaves the remaining
50% for all other elements of the
wedding planning for the day.
I use this as a very reliable rule
of thumb for the calculation of
all of my wedding budgets, no
matter how big or small. So if a
couple intends to spend £40,000
on their wedding day overall (note:
day, not including honeymoon),
then they should allow no more
than £20,000 of the budget for
venue hire and food and drink.
This might be made up of around
£8,000 for the venue hire and
£12,000 for the catering, or
something similar based on say
£100 per head for 120 guests for
food and drink.
WHERE THE REST OF THE
BUDGET GOES
You should be aware of just
how much has to go into the
remaining £20,000 - clothing
for the bridal party, celebrant
costs, flowers, stationery and
paper goods, transport, the cake,
photography and film, music
and entertainment, production,
décor, furnishings and possibly
accommodation too.
I know that in some cases
couples really stretch themselves
to afford a venue and spend a big
proportion of their budget on the
location, leaving little for anything
else. Whilst this is their decision
and not yours (why should you
care, some might say?) over time
you will find that your weddings
become less attractive, lacking in
detail, décor etc. due to budget
shortages, and this can have a
negative effect on the image that
you’re able to portray and on the
morale of the team delivering the
weddings.
A smart business will have an
eye on doing its best to attract
weddings that are a good match to
the style of the venue, as visually
‘wow’ as possible, remembering
that galleries, film and images
shown on social media are vitally
important to keep ahead of the
game and bring in more of what
you want.
SO WHAT DO OTHER WEDDING
SERVICES COST?
While every couple will make
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kelly Chandler is a longterm
preferred service
provider for exclusive
venues such as Syon
Park, Highclere Castle,
Spencer House and
Stoke Park Club. Kelly’s
consulting services to
wedding venues draw
on prior experience in
international conference
and event planning,
over 13 years of business
management, and
working directly with
discerning couples
planning their weddings
in diverse locations
and forging successful
relationships with all
components of the
wedding industry. A
former director of trade
body, the Alliance of
Wedding Planners,
Kelly is a well-regarded
innovator, mentor,
trainer and industry
spokesperson on and in
the wedding business.
www. kellychandler
consulting.co.uk
HOW DO YOU FIND OUT WHAT
YOUR CLIENTS SPEND ON THEIR
WEDDINGS OVERALL?
While it’s more awkward for you
as a venue to ask than for an
independent planner, it can and
should be done particularly if you
want to offer couples an in-house
planning or co-ordination service
and/or for the reasons already
outlined.
Why not start with obtaining
some general stats? For example
by conducting surveys of your
past clients, where you can add
some budget questions in? You
can then obtain your own venuespecific
information on what your
customers are spending alongside
asking new clients what their
budget expectations are so you
can help match your suppliers to
them.
I hope you’ve found this
useful and I’d be keen to hear
your thoughts and questions
on wedding budgets. You can
always email me at enquiries@
kellychandlerconsulting.co.uk
and I’ll do my best to answer each
question.
BUDGETS AND MORE
I talk a lot more about
budgets, among other
topics, in my group training
sessions written especially for
ambitious wedding venues –
take a look here for Autumn
2017 dates
www.kellychandlerconsulting.
co.uk/consulting-services/
group-training
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