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On Location, Knoxville, TN

Sunday, March 4, 2007
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I ran into an interesting report online today about how much people are spending on weddings. It sounds a little unbelievable, but anyone planning a wedding can attest to how fast everything adds up. I thought that those of you planning a wedding might want to see how your budget compares to that of the average American wedding couple.

The average American wedding in 2006 cost almost $27,000 with the average for weddings around Knoxville closer to $23,000. The following numbers are a general breakdown and should be adjusted for inflation since 2006.

Wedding attire (dress, tux, hair, makeup, veil, accessories) = $1,800-1,900
Wedding Ceremony (location, decorations, officiate, rehearsal dinner) = $1,800-2,300
Favors & Gifts (for parents, attendants, and guests) = $800-1,100
Flowers (bouquets, decorations/centerpieces, bouts, corsages) = $1,400-1,700
Jewelry (his & her rings) = $1,500-1,700
Music (ceremony & reception) = $700-900
Photography = $2,700-4,000
Reception (wedding night hotel, beverages, food, venue, rentals, cake) = $10,000-13,000
Stationery = $600-800
Transportation = $300-500
Engagement ring = $3,100
Honeymoon = $2,600

It all sounds very expensive, but it is possible to have the wedding you want and still stick to a budget if you prioritize. My husband and I paid for our wedding ourselves and had to find creative ways to keep the price down. By finding ways to cut back in some areas, we were able to spend our money on the things that were most important to us.

I booked the venue I wanted - Whitestone Country Inn. I picked the rings I wanted (after all, I do plan on wearing them every day). My husband Marcus wanted a sit-down dinner so that is what we had.

So which areas did I save money on? Luckily, I had a wonderful friend to do the photography. I found Hallmark invitations on sale, and we printed the inserts and STD magnets ourselves. I bought flowers and did the bouquets myself. We ordered his wedding band online. I made my own veil, tiara, and jewelry. The centerpieces were bought on sale at Target after Easter. We had a sit-down dinner but did not serve alcohol (would have been a bad idea since our guests had to drive home in the dark). We kept the guestlist small. We had live music for the ceremony but used CDs for the reception. We did not have a rehearsal dinner (our rehearsal was the morning of the wedding). We did not give out favors to the guests (from experience, I know that they aren't missed). The ceremony and reception were in one location so there were no transportation costs and no rental fees. Happily, Marcus's parents gave us some money as a gift to use toward the honeymoon, and I had enough frequent flyer miles to cover the plane tickets so we were able to go to Italy like I wanted.

Also, we did not hire a videographer. We did, however, have a friend shoot some video throughout the day and put together a little video montage for us. The first time I watched it, I cried, but now we can't help but laugh at ourselves when we see it.

We had an amazing, beautiful wedding. By deciding what's most important to you and what areas you can cut back on, you too can have the wedding you dream of.

Edited 2008: This thread has received some renewed interest lately. Unfortunately, I don't have up-to-date numbers so keep in mind that these figures are a couple years old now. My current clients usually spend between $3,500 and $5,000 on their total photography coverage. My clients appreciate good photography and consider it an important part of their budget so they are willing to pay for the time and skill necessary to create beautiful imagery. However, I am not in a high-end market. Those living in large cities or different parts of the country can expect to pay considerably more for comparable work.

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Home, Knoxville, TN

Tuesday, February 20, 2007
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I just saw this great first dance video on youtube and had to share it. The bride is actually photographer Julia Boggio. It took them 6 months of practice to get it all together. I've photographed a couple of choreographed first dances, but this one takes the cake.
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Maryville, TN

Wednesday, February 14, 2007
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Because I often work with out-of-town couples, I'm not always able to get to know my clients as well as I would like. Fortunately, Lois & Laramy live nearby in Maryville so we have been able to work together several times over the past two years. Their December 2005 wedding day was actually surprisingly warm, but the grass was brown and time was short. In the spring, they got dressed up again for more bridal and couple portraits. As with their engagement photos, they chose to do the session on the Maryville College campus.

Today I'm putting together their book from that session and wanted to share some of the layouts. (Yes it took her a while to pick out which photos to include, but it's difficult not to take a great pictures of these two) It's very appropriate to share this on Valentines Day as they both have such kind souls and make a very sweet couple.

On a side note, Lois is a teacher, and she invited all of her students to her wedding. In lieu of a flower girl, each child in her class carried a rose down the aisle during the processional. I thought that was such a sweet way to include them, and they were all obviously very proud and happy to be there.

Lois & Laramy's newlywed couple session

Lois & Laramy's newlywed couple session

Lois & Laramy's newlywed couple session

Lois & Laramy's newlywed couple session

Lois & Laramy's newlywed couple session

Lois & Laramy's newlywed couple session

Lois & Laramy's newlywed couple session

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Sunday, February 11, 2007
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I met Lisa in the 8th grade and consider her my oldest and dearest friend even though we don't see each other as often as we should. Her birthday was in January, but we finally got together Friday night to celebrate it with dinner at the Italian restaurant Bravo.  Justin (who I think looks a lot like Lance Armstrong) and Lisa are getting married this April at Heritage Park in Townsend, and I have the honor of photographing their big day. We shot their engagement photos in October, and this is image that they used on their 2006 Christmas card. We enjoyed seeing you two and can't wait until April!

Lisa & Justin are engaged

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Welcome!
Welcome to the Nancy Hellsten Photography blog! This is the place to be if you’re looking for wedding ideas and photography promotions or if you just want to view some great photos and see what I’ve been up to. If you or someone you know are getting married, having a baby, or just want some relaxed portraits with the family, please visit my website or contact me for more information. I would love to hear from you. Thanks for visiting and check back often to see what’s new.
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