The average wedding costs are estimated at $28,082. 15% of couples do not have a budget and 42% end up going over their budget. The first step in planning your wedding is to come up with some kind of budget summary to help you figure out what money will be contributed to what wedding selections. There are average percentages that you can go off of in helping you create a budget. If you choose not to have a specific vendor, you can add that percentage toward another service or product. Below you will find a Budget Summary that we often use to get couples headed in the right direction for keeping within their budget.

We offer custom services to help you create a budget and continue to manage it throughout the planning process.Many often think that they do not want to spend money on a wedding planner. A good wedding planner or coordinator will save you money. By choosing Essence of Events, LLC for your wedding and event planning needs, we often pay for ourselves in savings. We are able to save you money because of our resources, negotiation skills, and relationships with vendors.

For more information on budget services and more contact us for a free initital consultation. 253.292.1482 info@essenceofevents.com

Essence of Events, LLC

Questions for the Photographer

Company: __________________________________________________

Address: _________________________________________________

Appointment Date: ______/_____/____ Time: _______ am pm

Contact: _____________________ Phone# :(______) _______________

Fax #:_______________________ E-Mail:________________________

Website: _____________________________________________________

Hours of operation:

Mon.-Fri. ______ to _____ Sat. ____ to ____ Sun. ____ to _____

Are you available for the date and time we have selected? YES NO

Are you licensed, bonded and insured? YES NO

Are you a member of any associations? YES NO __________________

How long have you been in business? ________________________________

Is this your full-time job? YES NO

What's you specialty? ________________________________________________

What is your style of photography? ___________________________________

Are you the one who will be showing up at our wedding? YES NO

If not, who will?

__________________________ (______)___________________

How many weddings have you photographed in the past year? ______________________________________

Past five years? ______________________________________________________

Do you have referrals and contact information for them? YES NO

Contact: _____________________________

(______) _______________________

Contact: _____________________________

(______) ______________________

How large have the weddings you've photographed been? ___________

What different types of settings have you photographed weddings in? _______________________________

Outdoors? YES NO

Do you shoot in both color and black and white? YES NO

Price difference? ____________

What are your fees? $________________________________________________

What does that include? _____________________________________________

What is your payment policy? _______________________________________

What is your cancellation policy? ______________________________________

Will you provide a contract for us to review and sign? YES NO

Do you charge by the hour with a minimum? YES NO $______HR.

Do you charge for travel? YES NO $__________

Do you require an assistant? YES NO

If so, who pays for that? _____________________________________________

What is the charge? $________________

What types of packages do you offer? _________________________________

What's included? ___________________________

Digital CD? YES NO Negatives? YES NO

Number of prints? _______ Albums? __________

Can we customize? YES NO

How many photos will you take? _____________

How much time do we need to allot for you to take the photos? ________

Do you prefer taking photos before or after? __________________

Are you willing to take location photos such as at a nearby park? YES NO

Will you scout locations? YES NO

Is there an additional fee for this? YES NO $_____________

Do you use digital cameras? YES NO 35mm? YES NO

Medium Format? YES NO

Lighting equipment? YES NO

Can we purchase negatives? YES NO Cost? $_____________

How long do you keep them? _________________________________

Cost for getting prints later? $___________

Cost of CD with digitals? $___________

Do you take reception photos? YES NO

How long will you stay? _________________

Do you allow family members or their guests to snap some photos after you set up the poses? YES NO

How long until we have the proofs? ___________________________________

How long until we have the actual photos? ___________________________________________________

Will you provide a contract for us to review and sign? YES NO

Can we see your portfolio? YES NO

Is the number of Photographs in the sample album the same as we will be getting? YES NO

How many proofs do you shoot at an average wedding? ______________

What format will our proofs be in? ________________

Will they be on traditional photo paper or a CD? ________________________

Will your company's name be stamped on the front? YES NO

Can we see proofs from a recent wedding? YES NO

Can you provide references of vendors you've worked with from recent weddings? YES NO

Contact info: __________________________________________________________

How many hours will you be at our wedding? _________________________

What are the overtime charges? _______________

What are your twilight charges? _______________

Will our money be refunded if your camera fails or equipment and our pictures do not turn out? YES NO

What do you think sets you apart from other Photographers?

Is there anything else you think we should know before we make our decision?

YES NO

Essence of Events, LLC info@essenceofevents.com 253.292.1482 www.essenceofevents.com

Essence of Events, LLC often gets requests for professional vendor referrals. Among these are referrals for local DJ's that we have worked with and would recommend for your event. The DJ we selected to feature today is DJRT, a Seattle event DJ. We had the pleasure of working with Ryan Tilton. Ryan has been in the DJ business since 2004 and still enjoys making each event the happy and stress free occasion that it should be. He was very easy to work with and did everything he could to ensure the wedding couple recieved everything they were looking for in a DJ. Ryan is not the only DJ that DJRT has to offer but with every DJ you are sure to get on that is personable, enthusiastic, and knowledgeable. They want you to choose the perfect DJ talent from their diverse team. We like that each of DJRT's DJs has created a video pitch to present their unique style for you to choose from!

You can give DJRT custom CDs for your event, select from their music library, and/or allow your guests to request songs from their music library during your event. If you don't want to worry about selecting all the songs, just give DJRT an idea of what you want to hear, and let them draw from their extensive library to pick the right mix for your event. Digital music purchases give DJRT a virtual music library of more than 8.5 million tracks. If they don't have a song already, they will just buy it right on-the-spot.

You need options for audio and visual? Create the exact feel you want for your event by selecting one of DJRT's audio and lighting packages that can be configured to create the ambiance you want, a pounding club feel or relaxing atmosphere. Feel free to add a second system for a ceremony or a projector to display a slideshow. A fully configurable system lets you choose any kind of atmosphere, from rockin' to romantic.

Thinking of your budget and want to ensure you don't go over? No worries with DJRT because their packages start at just $499! Feel free to contact DJRT or us for additional details or to get assistance with you event music planning. Essence of Events, LLC info@essenceofevents.com or 253.292.1482

So many often ask which we would recommend, a DJ or Band? This question comes up so often, we thought we would inform you of the options and our feelings on this often controversial subject. Alot can come from discussing what atmosphere you want to create for your event.

Both DJ's and Bands are usually more than happy to accomodate to contributing to your desired atmosphere and overall objective for your event. Both a DJ and a band can offer a variety of music selections and create both fun & energetic or a calm and relaxing atmostphere, for you & your guests. It's thought that a DJ can offer many more selections for genres & songs, this isn't necessarily the case. Although it is easy for a DJ to download off the internet pretty much any song that you request, a band can also learn requests that can be played live during your event.

Many worry that they can't get the lights and sound effects that maybe only a DJ can offer, but in reality it is easy to work with a band that has lighting effects or companies they work with that can offer just as much, if not more.

The average cost of a DJ is usually $1000 and up, a band which provides more than one person will cost about the same depending on the same factors that a DJ takes into account. Location, hours, date & additional equipment.

As you see we feel that the best choice is to select a DJ or band that suits your event, the atmosphere and who you are. With either selection of a DJ or a band you always want to be sure to hire a professional who is easy to work with, understands your needs and is able to offer you the services you desire within your budget.

For additional help in finding a suitable DJ or band, please feel free to contact us for a professional reference. 253.292.1482 or info@essenceofevents.com