How To Navigate Your Wedding Budgeting
When you get engaged the excitement is running HIGH and it’s natural to want to jump right into wedding planning. One of the most important things to do, and what you SHOULD do before anything else, is sit down with your partner to determine your ideal wedding budget. You may ask yourself, “Do I really need a budget?” The answer is yes! And if you don’t, it very well may come back to bite you in the butt later. Every wedding is different, and everyone’s got their “number”. Knowing what that dollar amount is will make the planning process easier and help you be strategic as you make key decisions. Below are a few tips on how to plan your wedding budget:
Establish a wedding budget
Seems obvious, but you’d be surprised how many couples begin planning and making decision without establishing their budget first. Consider how you’re going to pay for it. Do you have savings? Will you be saving up over time? Are you getting outside assistance from family?
Two things that you should take into consideration:
Number of guests
Your guest count impacts so many areas of your wedding i.e. food and beverage costs, rentals (think tables, chairs, linen), table decor, the amount of stationary you’ll need, even your venue. If you have a larger guest count, expect larger venues to cost a bit more.
Your wedding location
The average cost of a wedding varies depending on where your wedding is taking place. Are you getting married in a major city? Expect wedding costs to be higher in metro cities compared to the suburbs (don’t assume a wedding in the ‘burbs will “cheap”).
Make sure your wedding budget is comprehensive
You’ll want to make sure all of the areas of your wedding are accounted for to ensure your wedding is as realistic as possible. Here are the main categories you should be sure to include in your budget
- Venue
- Tenting, HVAC, and Restrooms (if your wedding is outdoors)
- Food and Beverage
- Planning/Coordination
- Photo and Video
- Floral and Decor
- DJ and Entertainment
- Stationery and Signage
- Attire and Accessories
- Hair and Makeup
- Accommodations
- Transportation
Prioritize your key budgeted categories
Decide which areas of your wedding are the most important to you. Do you really want to go all out on hair and makeup? Do you want to impress your guests with a high-end dining experience? Any “high priority” areas should be budgeted higher. You may find that you may have to allocate more money to certain areas of your budget so having those categories prioritized will make for easier decision making as well.
Stay organized
It always helps to have a visual aide to keep you on track with where you’re at with your budget. You can also find an excel template for a wedding budget sheet. Whatever is easier for you, this will definitely be a useful planning tool that you should keep up to date and use often. Here are some suggested tools and resources:
Stick to your wedding budget
As you start booking wedding vendors, and looking at all the things you’ll need, stick to your budget! Its ok if your actual cost per category is a few bucks over. However, be cautions of going over budget more than a few dollars, because those “overages” can add up quickly across categories. Make sure you’re tracking as you’re spending to make sure you’re staying in budget overall.
Be mindful of wedding planning sources
It’s natural to do your research to find wedding budgeting resources. Look to the PROFESSIONALS. The best way to get realistic budget expectations is to look at vendors in those categories or hire a wedding planner that can help you. Every wedding is different, and you want to make sure you’re setting expectations based on YOUR unique wedding. Beware of planning advice on social media and Reddit – those couples likely have different budgets, guest counts, and located in different areas where costs vary compared to where you may be located.
Ready to start planning?
Start your planning experience (and your budget) with clarity with a Wedding Architecture Session to lay the foundation of your wedding before you start the planning process. If you’re ready to jump into wedding planning, learn how Birdcage and Blushers can guide you through our tailored wedding planning services.
Be the first to comment