NOT DO IT ON THE BIGGEST DAY OF YOUR LIFE? THE AVERAGE WEDDING IN NEW ENGLAND COSTS UPWARDS OF $43,000, ACCORDING TO A RECENT SURVEY. BUT WHAT CAN YOU GET FOR $430,000? WE CAUGHT UP WITH LUXURY WEDDING PLANNER A.J. WILLIAMS OF A.J. EVENTS TO FIND OUT FOR LUXURY WEDDINGS. I WOULD SAY THE BIGGEST TREND FOR 2024 IS YOUR NON-WEDDING WEDDING. UM, AND WHAT THAT REALLY MEANS IS THAT PEOPLE ARE NOT LOOKING FOR THE STUFFY, TRADITIONAL WEDDING ANYMORE. THEY’RE LOOKING FOR SOMETHING REALLY DIFFERENT AND HONESTLY, THEY JUST WANT A PARTY. FOR WILLIAMS, THAT PARTY STARTS WITH A LOCATION, PREFERABLY ONE WHERE THE COUPLE CAN CONNECT AND CELEBRATE WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY FOR MULTIPLE DAYS. YOU WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU’RE AT A DESTINATION OR HOTEL THAT YOU FEEL REALLY COMFORTABLE WITH. WE’RE HERE AT THE NEWBURY. YOU CAN’T GO WRONG WITH THEIR CULINARY DEPARTMENT AND THEIR LEVEL OF SERVICE IS IMPECCABLE. NEXT, CONSIDER SKIPPING THE STANDARD WEDDING PLAYLIST FOR A TRIPLE PLATINUM PERFORMING ARTIST. WE’VE WORKED WITH EARTH, WIND AND FIRE. WE JUST RECENTLY WORKED WITH JOHN LEGEND, SO WE WORK WITH HEADLINE ENTERTAINMENT A LOT. A BEAUTIFUL TABLE TREATMENT CAN BE LIKE A HOLLYWOOD SET FOR YOUR WEDDING, AND THE TREND SEEMS TO BE GO BIG OR GO HOME. THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF A LUXURY TABLESCAPE. HERE YOU’LL SEE BEAUTIFUL FLOWERS. THE TREND THIS YEAR IS IS LESS WHITE AND GREENERY AND MORE POPS OF COLOR. WHAT WE’RE SEEING ALSO A LOT OF IS REALLY PERSONAL EXPERIENCES. AT EACH TABLE SETTING. WE’RE SHOWING A COACH REVEAL WITH REALLY WONDERFUL CAVIAR. SO THIS IS, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY A SPLURGE MOMENT FOR YOUR ATTENDEES. PEOPLE LOVE THE VISUAL OF HAVING A LARGE FORMAT WINE POURED FOR FOR RED OR WHITE DURING DINNER. AND, YOU KNOW, JUST IT’S LIKE A CONVERSATIONAL MOMENT TO IMPRESS YOUR GUESTS. A.J. WILLIAMS IS NOT JUST THE FOUNDER OF A.J. EVENTS, SHE’S ALSO A RECENT CLIENT THAT I DID PLAN MY OWN WEDDING. YES, HER 2023 NUPTIALS TOOK PLACE IN JAMAICA WITH A VERY SPECIAL GUEST OFFICIANT. I ACTUALLY PLANNED AN EVENT AND I BROUGHT ANTHONY ANDERSON IN TO HOST THE EVENT AND DURING THE EVENT HE SAID, I KNOW YOU GUYS ARE GETTING MARRIED. DO YOU WANT ME TO MARRY YOU? AND I’M LIKE, WHAT DO YOU MEAN? AND HE SAID, I’M ORDAINED. AND WE SAID, YEAH, YOU WANT TO MARRY US? YES. HE WAS WONDERFUL. EVEN WITHOUT ANTHONY ANDERSON, A WEDDING AT THIS LEVEL IS AN INVESTMENT. SO YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT A BUDGET THAT COULD BE ANYWHERE FROM $400,000 TO A MILLION. YET WILLIAMS SAYS ONE FINAL SUGGESTION THAT IS AFFORDABLE AT ANY PRICE POINT A HANDWRITTEN NOTE FOR EACH GUEST THANKING THEM FOR SHARING YOUR SPECIAL DAY. THAT IS JUST SO, SO THOUGHTFUL. AND I THINK THAT WOULD YOU KNOW, REALLY EMBRACE EVERY PERSON THAT’S AT THE WEDDING. AND FOR THOSE PLANNING A WEDDING ON A BUDGET, DO WE HAVE A PLACE FOR YOU? SO WHAT EXACTLY IS THIS PLACE? THIS IS SHIRLEY STUDIO. WE’RE A MICRO WEDDING AND SMALL EVENT SPACE, SO WE SPECIALIZE IN SMALL ELOPEMENTS AND MICRO WEDDINGS WITH UP TO TEN GUESTS. DEARLY BELOVED, WE ARE GATHERED HERE TODAY FOR THIS THING CALLED LOVE. YOU’RE A NATURAL SEED OF LOVE COULD GROW. TUCKED INTO A CORNER OF BOW MARKET IN SOMERVILLE FOUNDER, BARTENDER AND JUSTICE OF THE PEACE, JASMINE MARTIN HAS CREATED AN ALTERNATIVE TO CITY HALL THAT TAKES MOST OF THE PLANNING OUT OF YOUR WEDDING. OUR ONLINE BOOKING SYSTEM IS DESIGNED TO BE REALLY USER FRIENDLY. YOU CAN, YOU KNOW, BOOK YOUR WEDDING AND THE TIME IT WOULD TAKE YOU TO BOOK A HAIRCUT AND THE COST LIKELY LESS THAN YOU’LL SPEND ON HAIRCUTS THIS YEAR. FOR QUICKIE WEDDING, IT’S $300 AND YOU CAN BOOK THAT RIGHT ONLINE. AND THEN OUR PACKAGES RANGE UP TO 1400. WHAT IS THE 2400 GET YOU? IT IS TWO HOURS WITHIN THE SPACE. YOU GET FAVORS FOR YOUR GUESTS. YOU HAVE A COUPLE BOTTLES OF CHAMPAGNE TO KIND OF KICK THINGS OFF YOUR LEGAL DOCUMENT FILING AND A LITTLE POLAROID KEEPSAKE FOR YOU. DOES LOWER COST MEAN LESS DRAMA? I MEAN, I HAVEN’T MET ANY BRIDEZILLAS IN HERE, BUT, YOU KNOW, KNOCK ON WOOD, WE WERE JUST GOING TO PUT TOGETHER LIKE A LITTLE PLAYLIST THAT WE’RE GOING TO USE DURING OUR VISIT. WE MEET TONY AND AARON, A COUPLE JUST MOVING INTO THE AREA AND LOOKING TO TIE THE KNOT BEFORE HAVING A LARGER CEREMONY NEXT YEAR. WE WERE LIKE, WELL, DO WE WANT TO DO A COURTHOUSE OR DO WE WANT TO FIND SOMETHING ELSE? AND I THINK I SAW YOU ON LIKE INSTAGRAM AND I WAS LIKE, OH, THERE’S THIS LITTLE SMALL CHAPEL. SO WE CAN STILL HAVE A LITTLE SOMETHING. YEAH. TO MAKE IT A LITTLE MORE SPECIAL. AND LOOKING AT THESE WEDDING PHOTOS, IT WAS VERY SPECIAL. EL SO WHAT KIND OF FEELING DO YOU GET WHEN YOU ARE FINALLY ABLE TO SAY, I NOW PRONOUNCE YOU MARRIED AND IT’S THE BEST FEELING IN THE WORLD. I LOVE, LOVE YOU. SO NICE. DEARLY STUDIO MAY CATER TO THE IMPULSIVE, BUT MAKE SURE YOU PLAN AHEAD. IT TAKES THREE DAYS TO GET A MARRIAGE LICENSE IN MASSACHUSETTS AND BACK TO A.J. EVENTS. THEY ALSO PLAN LARGE CHARITABLE EVENTS. THEY SAY THE ENERGY AND EXCITEMENT AT THOSE EVENTS HELPS TRANSLATE TO HIGHER BIDS AND DONATIONS. STIL