Wedding budget
Once you got engaged, your next important step will be setting the wedding budget. There are plenty of sheets and breakdowns out there which you can download and use for your budget planning. The typical breakdown is as follows:
But there are things you’ll need to know before spending all your savings onto your wedding. So, here are some tips and hints on how to keep your expenses from mushrooming to a greater expense.
- Be realistic and do a research on finding out the cost of things in your area. Vendors’ quotations may vary greatly from one area to another, so you’ll need to meet the experts first, get their quotations and then figure out how much your dream will cost.
- If this figure strikes you as unimaginably huge, then this is high time to ask your parents if they are going to contribute.
- Another step is prioritizing. Off course, you can’t splurge on each element of the budget, so, choose your top priorities (it can be the lobster menu, exotic wedding location or renowned band for live-music) and cut the cost of the rest. Roughly 70-75% of your budget should be spent on the important things, while the remaining 15% – on the rest (and 10% keep “just in case”).
- Overestimate. Never ever underestimate the costs of products, the number of guests etc. It may sound wrong in reference to “saving money tips” but in the end of the day you will only win by planning a bigger budget and ending up with fewer expenses.
Where and how you can save money?
There are a lot of options to save money and make a wedding even with 1k-2k in the pocket. Let’s not be that extreme though. So, where you can cut the costs without feeling it?
- Choose low season. January through end of April is one of the “cheapest” times to marry. You can save up to 60% compared to September – October weddings. November can be another good option but keep in mind the Thanksgiving, annual vacations of your guests and weather’s freaking out (storms, hurricanes, snow, etc). Besides, you can save additional 20% on marrying on a week day like Thursday or Friday.
- Wedding venue. It can be your parents’ backyard, an AI hotel, a church. All-ins for instance have everything you need (food & beverage, waiting staff, equipment, coordinator) which can save up to 30% per guest.
- Stationary. Design your own invitation and pick a motive of your stationary with the help of online programs, print invitations, save-the-dates and thank-you cards at home.
- Flowers. The best way to save on flowers is to stay in season. Also herbs & evergreen will spare the costs still looking elegantly.
- Drinks. You can choose the set of drinks yourself without the help of a professional sommelier, supply bar with only a couple of kinds of beer, wine a signature drink or good spirits.
- Entertainment. If you insist on having a live band playing at your wedding, then it’d be better to break it up: different musicians playing at different parts of the day and then the whole band plays at dinner. But the real way to save cost is to hire a DJ which can play super-hot tunes.
- Make-up and hair style. Take a make-up master-class (and you’ll have skills for the rest of the life), go to the salon yourself instead of inviting the whole crew to your place, book an assistant of the beauty-artist.
- Cake. If you are a budget-minded bride but still want a huge many-layered cake, you can go for “fake” tiers. There can be two real layers and the rest is a good imitation. If size doesn’t matter, best option is 3 tiers cake. Decorations like ribbons and real flowers are less expensive and laborious than sugar-paste elements.
What elements you should not save on in your wedding budget!
- Food. You can save on anything else including your wedding gown but you cannot save on catering your guests. You don’t want them to get angry and disappointed by mistreatment.
- Shoes. The key of your Big day is your comfort. You are going to spend more than 12 hours on your feet so make sure you feel comfy.
- Photography. The wedding shots are everything what will last for life. This is your memory.
So, roughly speaking your wedding budget will go for:
- 40-50% for venue, food & beverage, rentals.
- 10% vendors like flowers and photographers.
- 5-10% entertainment.
- 10% bride’s and groom’s apparel.
- 5-10% coordinator.
- 10% miscellaneous.
Don’t forget to track your expenses. Save your bills and receipts and add them to the wedding budget sheet that you can download from internet.
