Simple Wedding Budget Steps - Sarah Cronin
Wedding planning can bring so much joy. Planning to celebrate your forever love with friends and family is heartwarming and joyous. And then, there’s the money side of it. Nobody wants to talk about budgeting over decor and dresses, but alas, it must be done. Get the conversations about budgeting over towards the beginning of your planning process and make sure everyone is on the same page. Then, you can go on with the fun stuff. Here are some helpful tips to walk you through it.
You do need to have a general idea of what you would like in terms of the size and location of your wedding to help you know where to start with your budget. There is a huge difference in costs between a family farm celebration versus a Hawaiian resort wedding. Start with your basic vision. Your reception will normally account for about 50% of your dollars spent.
Once you have determined your venue type and size, it is time to invite the parents to a sit-down if they want to contribute to your wedding funds. Give them an idea of what you are thinking so that they come into your meeting having discussed details with each other ahead of time. Make sure you respect the amount of involvement they do or do not want to have in the process. You should also have an idea of how much you and your partner are bringing into the venture before this meeting. Don’t expect that your parents will be willing to pay for everything.
Some couples and their families will want to follow traditions, and some will not. Whatever you decide, it is your day and there are no wrong answers here. For those who are looking for some guidance on tradition, here is a breakdown of who normally pays for what.
Bride’s Family
Ceremony and reception site
Food and beverages for the reception
Invitations and other stationary
Wedding planner fees
Photography
Flowers for the ceremony and reception
Entertainment
Insurance
Bridesmaids expenses
Groom’s Family
Marriage license
Officiant fees
Bridal bouquet
Wedding night accommodations
Honeymoon
Rehearsal dinner
Groomsmen expenses
What else do you need to plan for in your budget? The categories that I break a wedding budget into include:
Beauty
Gifts and other celebrations
Jewelry and attire
Stationary
Ceremony
Reception
Photography
Flowers
Lodging and transportation
Honeymoon
Miscellaneous
Make sure when you are interviewing your venue, photographer, planner and others, that you understand all the costs involved. Make sure there are no fees that may not be front and center in the contract or discussions. If you plan well, you shouldn’t encounter too many surprises.
If your vision and your budget don’t exactly see eye-to-eye, here are some tips on saving money while still creating the wedding of your dreams.
Cut your guest list down. This is one of the easiest ways to reduce costs. Current times are making a smaller wedding more and more popular. People are finding that they can get more enjoyment out of spending their wedding day with their close friends and family, instead of everyone from your sister’s neighbor to your fourth cousins. Less people means more time for you with those who are really important.
Get married in the off-season. Prices on everything from venue to photography may be less during non-peak months. The same is true for what day of the week you pick. Many places offer a discount on Friday weddings.
Choose a venue that has natural beauty and purchase less flowers and decor.
Do your research on catering and dessert. Some local businesses may offer you great deals. Simple meals and desserts can be just as enjoyable as something on the fancier side.
Borrow and rent decor.
Decide what is really important to you and what is not. If that photographer that is a little more expensive than the others is an absolute must for you, then book them and find other areas to save!
Planning your wedding budget does not have to be a nightmare, so don’t avoid it. Once you have decided on your budget, it is really important that you track and stick to it. There are some great apps out there to help you track your wedding dollars spent. If you are more of a pen and paper type, shoot me an email and I will email you back with our FREE downloadable budget tracker - adelynneventco@gmail.com
