Here at MasterPiece Weddings we read a lot of blogs. But sometimes, on the ever so rare occasion, certain blogs stand out from the pack. Tim Gill's The Dollar Dance is one of those blogs. While the focus of the blog has been on personal finance since it's inception a year ago, Tim recently made the very wise decision to focus the blog more specifically on small business finance.

In Tim's own words: The purpose of The Dollar Dance is to offer business and financial advice to small businesses, primarily to those in the wedding industry. As a business owner, you need to be able to concentrate on what you do best. Please allow The Dollar Dance to be a resource for you to turn to when questions arise regarding taxes, payroll, accounting, pricing and the like.

With his new focus, Tim has been posting lately on the broad topic "Learning What You Need to Succeed" with specific focuses like learning to manage your time and learning to know your limits. His posts have been very insightful and fabulous advice for new and seasoned business owners alike. He offers a fresh perspective on the world of small business finance and management.

Tim, we are so excited about your new venture and cannot wait to see where you go with this.

In case we had not convinced you on why it is critical to hire a pro to snap photos of the biggest day of your life, consider this: The photos taken on your wedding day are the only thing you will have to remember it by years down the road. So, why not invest in remembering it in the future rather than minor details that may even be overlooked on the day itself?

Here are more shots of key events at Melissa’s wedding compared to a pro photographer’s shots at other weddings.

While Melissa looks gorgeous nonetheless, the differences in framing, lighting, and angles are astounding.

The Placecards:

From Melissa's Wedding

Professional Shot {Shot courtesy of Jennifer Bowen Photography}

The Father/Daughter Dance:

From Melissa's Wedding

Professional Shot {Shot courtesy of Clark Berry}

Cutting the Cake: From Melissa's Wedding

Professional Shot {Shot courtesy of Jessica Claire}

At my wedding last year we put disposable cameras on each table hopeful that guests would snap a few unforgettable moments on their own. But alas, in every shot the lighting was so dim and angle so poor that most of them are indiscernible.

So what do you think? Do you have any "compare" shots of your own?

This week, we wanted to touch a little bit on the importance of photography. It seems one of the biggest concerns in planning any wedding is the dreaded "b" word: budget.



And, while keeping within your budget can be extremely important, and sometimes even critical, we at MasterPiece Weddings firmly believe that photography should not be the place to skimp.



Take a look at these photos. These are beloved photos from our very own Melissa's wedding back in the early 1990s. For budget reasons, Melissa opted not to hire a professional photographer and regrets it to this very day.

The sad part is that a fair amount of these people are no longer with us, and these are the last images I have of them.



Instead of opting out of hiring a professional photographer, we suggest hiring the best photographer you can find and just getting their cheapest package.

Do you have any thoughts on skimping or saving with photography?

On Tuesday of last week, Part II of the Budget Chic Wedding Series aired on TV20. This time Melissa discussed reducing your food cost, custom and DIY invitations, and budget decor.

To see what Melissa had to say about it and her strategic ideas on how to keep your guests happy and your budget met, you can check out Part II here.

Thrilled to announce that our very own fabulous Melissa DiStefano, Owner and Lead Planner of MasterPiece Weddings, was asked to be on TV20 last week. 

Her interview made up three parts of their week on Budget Chic Weddings. Part I can be viewed here and discusses cutting your guest list, faux cakes, reducing your floral budget, and limiting your bar options.

I know you hear over and over again, that the biggest way to safe money is to cut your guest list, but what if that just isn't an option for you?



Some people just can't cut the number of people. And I understand that!



But what if you cut the food - I mean, don't invite people and expect them to starve. But what are your options?



Southern Style:



What about a Tea and Cake Reception, or Champagne and Cake? If you plan your ceremony after 8PM, and note on your invitation, "Dessert Reception to Follow" you'd be in store for this:

and this: {Dressed up the Champage with different kinds of fruit}

cakes by Posh Pastry {for 2 Year Old birthday party}

So often, as we get closer to the wedding the client starts to wonder just how much people will drink at their wedding. For a few reasons, either they are buying the Adult Libations and need to figure out how much, or their venue charges per drink, and they aren't sure how much it'll cost and how to budget.... or, or, or.



There are several books that explain this, and lots of Booze Calculators online, but here's a nice breakdown for 100 guests at a reception. Just a generalization to get you where you need to go, and the cost should be roughly, including soda's and mixer's about $800 - and remember you can return unopened bottles after the wedding!



Alcohol Breakdown:



100 Guests:



167 bottles of beer

24 bottles of wine

9 bottles of liquor



Margarita/Sour Mix

1 cases of White Wine

1 case of Red Wine

Beer: (Amstel Light like) 6 {24 cases}

Jack Daniels: 1.75 liters

Tanguaray: 1 liters

Dewer's: 1.75 liters

Light Bacardi: 1.75 liters

Schmirnoff: 5 Liters

Jose: 1 Liter

Dry Vermouth: 1 bottles {if at all, in my Extra Dry Martini, I don't}

Sweet Vermouth {only if you want to do Manhattan's}

Brut Rose/Champagne – 15 bottles



Plus Soda and Additional Mixers

Things are tight all round right now, money is getting tighter, and if you watch the stock market ticker, you are probably dizzy by now!



I've noticed that brides are starting to cut back on things - and there are smart ways to cut back, and not so smart ways to cut back...



How difficult is it to make cuts to your budget?



That depends on how much you need to cut - and what you are willing to cut back on. The obvious choice is to cut back on the number of guests, because if you are paying $60 per person and cut 50 people from your guest list, that's $3000.



But what if cutting guests isn't an option.

Scale back, more affordable linens, more affordable china, a different menu, signature drink bar, instead of full open bar, only serve beer and wine instead of a full bar.



Scale back on your flowers, do some additional DIY projects, cut out the program, use a lesser paper on your invitations, don't do thermography printing, don't use cotton paper.



There are lots of ways to cut back...



These are just a few options on ways to cut back, but one thing to never skimp on is photography, I wouldn't recommend having Aunt Jane do your photography, unless Aunt Jane is a pro... the only you have in the end are those photographs... so better to higher a great photographer's cheapest package then risking not having any photographs at all.



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