Advice from Prosperity Mansion & Farm, an outdoor, Maryland wedding venue located in Frederick County Maryland and near Westminster.
Are you trying to save money, or do you want to have photos like this?
If you're planning your wedding on a budget, some people think a good way to lower their expenses is to forgo professional vendors and just have their family and friends help with food, music, bar-tending, photography and more. While yes, this does help save money, it is not necessarily the wisest decision.
Selecting a friend over a professional vendor for your wedding is never what we would recommend. However, we realize that you may be strapped for cash or simply don't want to spend much on your wedding day.
Opting for cheaper people on your wedding day can be a disaster. Remember you get what you pay for. People that actually earn their living from preforming specialized services cost more money. That's because they are the experts. These people have comprehensive knowledge and are skilled at their area of proficiency.
Most wedding venues such as Prosperity Mansion & Farm have approved vendors list. These lists have been compiled over time with vendors that are reliable and easy to work with. We have an approved vendors list that offer services at all different cost levels. You may also check the various wedding professionals out on websites such as Google to read reviews.
When it comes to planning a wedding, some people are so invested in finding the cheapest option that they are willing to sacrifice quality or incur major risks. There are certainly places where saving money on your wedding can still give you an amazing experience, but opting for not having professional vendors can cause more harm than good.
Professional vendors should be licensed and insured. Having precautions such as these can protect you from any accidents or incidents should they arise and give you recourse for them, which can't be said for your family and friends. If they cause injury to your guests or go bankrupt you want recourse.
If you knowingly use a vendor that is not licensed or insured, you are held liable in case of any incidents such as personal injury or food-borne illnesses at your wedding. All licenses and insurance policies should be current. If a vendor's license or insurance is expired, they are considered an unlicensed or uninsured vendor and you will be held liable. This is definitely not something you should be stressed about on your wedding day, so it's better for your peace of mind to hire professional vendors with these protections in place.
With insurance, you also have recourse in case there are any issues regarding that particular vendor. You then have a third party to make a claim with and help mediate your issues. We know of a wedding venue in Carroll County that had two brides hire the same photographer. Neither bride asked for a certificate of insurance or credentials. They were offered a cheap deal and took it. Sadly, the photographer went out of business right after their weddings and totally disappeared with their wedding photos. Had she been insured, the insurance company would have actually hired an investigator to track her down. She would suffer harsh legal ramifications if she didn't produce the wedding photos. But neither bride had any recourse except to hire an expensive attorney that would have far exceeded the savings that they thought that they were getting by hiring this person and far more importantly, now they have no professional pictures of their big day!!
The biggest risks come from not hiring a professional caterer. Caterers have to go under strict safety inspections for their kitchens and other spaces they use to prepare food, and many of their employees are following strong food safety protocol. If you choose not to hire a professional caterer, you have a much higher risk of food-borne illnesses being present at your wedding. The last thing you want is for you and your guests to get sick, so it's worth the price of a professional caterer to keep your guests happy and healthy.
Spending the money on a good reputable wedding venue is well worth the money. Here at Prosperity Mansion & Farm we are well prepared to help you navigate through issues such as these. That is simply one of the many things that we help with.
At the end of the day, the risks you face by not hiring professionals for your wedding is not balanced by the money you can save. It's in your best interest to hire professional wedding vendors to make your life easier as you plan your wedding and begin your lives together as a married couple.
Mission Statement:
Prosperity Mansion & Farm is committed to providing a beautiful wedding venue that is affordable to all couples. Our budget friendly venue allows you to celebrate your big day and then move on to the next phase of your relationship without financial burdens.
Prosperity Mansion & Farm proudly serves:
Frederick Maryland
Carroll County Maryland
Westminster Maryland
Baltimore Maryland
Montgomery County Maryland
Anne Arundel County Maryland
Gettysburg Pennsylvania
Hanover Pennsylvania
Littlestown Pennsylvania
Loudoun County Virginia and more
Contact us at: 443-350-8100
prosperity_mansion@yahoo.com
www.prosperitymansion.com