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1. What did you learn about your topic that surprised you the most?

What surprised me most was definitely the budget that goes into the wedding. I truly did not take into consideration the amount of money it costs to plan and have a wedding.

2. Provide a real-life example of how this topic is relevant or interesting
for you.

This topic is interesting to me as it has always been a dream of mine to have a wedding of my own. To be honest, after this assignment my thoughts and opinions have definitely changed and I truly do not see myself spending this much money on a wedding.

3. If you could pass on your knowledge to a family member or friend, what do you think is the most important thing to pass on?

If I could pass along my knowledge to a family member or friend I believe the most important information would be setting realistic goals and budgeting effectively.

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https://www.manulife.ca/personal/plan-and-learn/healthy-finances/saving/five-tips-to-help-you-save-for-your-wedding.html

This website is informative and provides Canadians with five simple steps that will help couple start their marriage life in a better financial situation. I believe this information is useful and beneficial for couples to have to ensure they are financially prepared for their big day and beyond that day as well. The five steps include opening a wedding account (savings account), saving various amounts of money each week, save more money by trimming expenses, agree on and set wedding priorities, and lastly creating a realistic wedding budget (Manulife, n.d.).
I included this as I feel this information will benefit couples in the long run and overall will help them plan for a more successful financial future.

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https://www.weddingwire.ca/wedding-ideas/how-much-does-the-average-wedding-cost-in-canada--c1677

This website goes into detail on six easy ways to save money and spend less than the average wedding in Canada. These six ways are as follows lowering the guest count, prioritizing budget needs, choosing the less popular wedding season, choosing an appropriate alcohol limit, having a jack and jill party as a fundraiser to eliminate some costs towards the wedding, and lastly planning your honeymoon for a later date.

I chose this website because planning a wedding can be extremely stressful as it is such an important day, and it is imperative to plan for the special day. I think this website is insightful with ways to save and looks into factors that can be cut out on the special day in order to be cost effective.

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https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/493596/White_Papers/How%20Much%20does%20the%20averages%20wedding%20cost%20in%20Canada/How_Much_Does_the_Average_Wedding_Cost_in_Canada.pdf?t=1517942608031

This website gives the audience a closer look into how much a typical wedding cost.  According to the website the average couple in Canada expects to spend roughly $15,000 on their wedding day and most of the time couples easily double that number (Seventh Heaven, n.d.).  As well as the factors that contribute to the overall costs such as the style and size of the wedding and they incorporate the invitations, ceremony, venue, catering, attire, music and entertainment and more (Seventh Heaven, n.d.). The website is beneficial as it also provides information on how to effectively plan, budget, and prioritize these costs.

I chose this website because it is informative and realistic towards the factors that contribute to a wedding. As well as it gives Canadian couples tips and helpful ways to plan and effectively stick to their budget to have a successful wedding and come out of it with as little wedding debt as possible.

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https://www.focusphotography.ca/how-much-does-a-wedding-cost/

This website breaks down the wedding costs in Toronto and estimates the average wedding to be between $35,000 and $55,000. It breaks it down into percentages and makes it extremely easy to estimate how much money will be spent in each area. For example, this website estimates that the reception of the wedding will take about 50% of the budget. Whereas other things such as wedding attire, flowers/decor, and entertainment will average about 10% of the budget each. Obviously, every wedding will be different and it all depends on the Bride and Grooms wishes but on average it is useful information to have while planning a wedding budget.

I chose this website because not everyone likes breaking things down into every last dollar spent as it may be intimidating and over whelming when in the beginning of planning a wedding. By breaking it down into percentages it's easy to stay on track with the budget and plan exactly what areas may need more flexibility when it comes to budgeting.

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I included this picture as I thought it fit well with wedding costs and debt. Weddings are such a big event for most couples, and it is typically one of the happiest days of their life, but it is definitely a costly event. There is so much time, effort, and savings that goes into planning a wedding and I don’t feel many people truly realize this especially the day of. This picture represents a beautiful couple on their big day but all around them are the price tags affiliated in order to make this event happen.

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This picture displays a breakdown of the major factors within a wedding which include the attire, entertainment, vendors, general wedding needs, venue and food. I chose this picture because it goes into detail within these categories and gives an estimate of the prices based on the Greater Toronto area updated in 2019.

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This video covers special event insurance it may sound silly but after researching the amount of money that goes into a wedding this is something that could really protect couples from financial lost. This type of insurance comes in two ways cancellation coverage which would help cover costs if the wedding needs to be cancelled or postponed for reasons such as weather, illness. Liability coverage which helps covers cost if there is unforeseen damage to the venue. Things can happen expectingly, so I believe it is important to be prepared and be covered in this case. There is so much time, planning and money that goes into planning and having a wedding that this little step may definitely be necessary.

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What Is Wedding Insurance? | Allstate Insurance

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This video shares the average costs of weddings around the world from Canada to Australia to Nigeria. It then shares an average wedding budget breakdown and demonstrates in a graph where a percentage of your budget would go. As well as shares four simple tips to successfully budget for your wedding such as setting a realistic budget, setting your priorities, maintaining spreadsheets, and lastly look for reviews and get recommendations. This video also gives realistic advice such as prolonging your engagement to give more time to save for the big day and schedule and plan accordingly. I chose this video as it is realistic and relevant when it comes to budgeting and saving for the big wedding day.

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For the purpose of this video two ladies went to the same venues, flower boutiques, and limo places to book the same date, the same number of guests, a three-course meal, and open bar, but with that being said one lady is booking for a wedding and the other is booking for an anniversary party. The purpose of this to see if up-selling and wedding taxes is truly a thing. A former wedding planner with over seventeen years of experience states her past experience with weddings used to be about a celebration and bringing families together and now it’s about who has the bigger budget. This video did indeed prove that there is an up-sell the moment someone mentions a wedding.

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Wedding markups exposed (CBC Marketplace)

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For the purpose of this video Asha Tomlinson takes questions in regarding how to save on weddings with a former wedding planner Angelique Sobschak. They talk about different wedding styles, share tips on how to save, how to avoid the upselling vendors, and how to maintain a budget. Everyone has different visions and expectations for their weddings so these answers may vary for different budgets, guest lists, attraction, and planning involved. The reason I chose this video is because it is interesting to hear others as questions and hear the answers provided in regards to wedding advice as surely everyone has different opinions and visions for their weddings.

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Hello everyone, my name is Jenna and I am here to present wedding cost factors as well as how to effectively save and budget for your big day!