THE BUDGET
The average cost of a wedding in America
was $33,931 in 2018 according to The Knot,
however Stoudt notes that even though she
has planned weddings on a budget of any-
where from $5,000 to $70,000, she typical-
ly sees the average bride’s budget hovering
more at $20,000.
“It just depends on who your people are,
how much of an impression you want to
leave and how much time and money you
want to spend on your wedding,” Stoudt
said.
DON’T SKIMP ON
“Growing up, any typical little girl is going
to have their dream wedding planned out
and have their Pinterest board that they’ve
been working on since they were like 10 …
Taylor and I were those typical girls,” Stoudt
said, however after professionally planning
weddings for four years, Stoudt and design
partner Taylor Reddoch have learned the ins
and outs of what makes a successful wed-
ding day to remember.
“These huge weddings that we’ve
planned out since we were little have very
much dwindled down to realize what the
most important parts of the day are, what
matters the most, what (the guests) are
going to remember and what the brides re-
member,” Stoudt said.
When it comes down to making cuts,
however, there are simply three things that
Stoudt notes as must-haves.
“I always tell my brides that come in for
the budget weddings that there are a cou-
ple of things that you don’t skimp on – your
photography, because that is the only thing
that you can take with you, everything else
is going to get thrown in the trash, faded or
hung in the closet. Your photography will
stay with you for the rest of your life. I always
encourage them to do a video because we
have that capability now … and don’t skimp
on the food because if you want your guests
to stay and have a good time, you have to
feed them something,” Stoudt advised.
THE TIMELINE
A costly mistake Stoudt sees most of her
brides make? Scheduling their vendors to
stay longer than necessary.
“Typically most weddings I start cleaning
them up and people leave at nine o’clock,”
Stoudt said. “I always tell girls I know you
think that they are going to party all night
long, but they’re not going to, so a lot of
money saving comes from the timeline and
seeing how long you really need all of your
vendors there.”
Stoudt takes her timeline for the entire day
extremely seriously, and it all circles back to
budgeting reasons. If a ceremony runs late,
it sets back everything that is scheduled af-
terwards, and if vendors suddenly have to
stay later than their contracted time, there
will be a hefty bill coming your way.
A strong suggestion to procrastinators
and those who are running eternally late –
staying on time means staying on budget.
THE FOOD
Stoudt recommends that if the venue
16 | HUNTSVILLE LIVING | WINTER 2020
allows, bring in your own fruit and cheese
trays for your guests to enjoy as appetizers
during cocktail hour instead of paying for
catering.
As for that beautiful six layer wedding
cake you’ve likely pinned on Pinterest – it
may be an impressive thought, however
Stoudt says that most of it will likely end up
in the bottom of the trashcan at the end of
the night.
“I can’t tell you how much cake I’ve thrown
away in this business. I throw away the most
beautiful cakes because by the end of the
night nobody wants to carry it home and
there’s a three layer cake sitting there that’s
never been touched,” Stoudt said, noting
that not everyone eats cake or sweets.
One of the easiest ways to save money on
a wedding cake and avoid the heartbreak of