{Wedding Budget 101}

For those of you who may have been recently engaged over the holidays, congratulations!

Now that we are a few weeks into the new year, the early excitement has come down a bit and you are being hit with the reality that you are really getting married. You are probably asking yourself, “Now, what do I do?” “Where do I begin?” Most likely, this is your one and only wedding that you will ever have and you want it to be perfect. Therefore, I thought it would be great to give you some Beginning Planning Tips over the next several weeks. The first one and probably the hardest to maintain is: the budget.

Let’s look at what a budget is not.

A budget is not…
• … throwing a dart at a target.
• … the total amount in the parent’s bank account or your bank account.
• … what one or more girlfriends spent on their wedding.
• … necessarily what you see on TV (those are inspirations)

A budget is…
▪ A study of the range of what wedding products and services cost in your area, balanced against your individual style and personalities, inspirations and fantasies.
▪ Influenced by the number of guests you choose to invite.

A budget line item is not…
▪ “I only have $800 left for videography. Will you take that?”
▪ “Oh, my third cousin, Sam, is going to take the photos.”

A budget is:
▪ $1 Million
▪ $50,000
▪ $25,000
▪ $7,500

In other words, a budget is a specific amount of money set aside for all your wedding expenses.

Plan for about half your budget going towards your reception for food and beverage.
Other significant items to consider are:
• Fees – officiant, ceremony site, wedding planner
• Wedding attire
• Photography/Videography
• Flowers
• Décor
• Gratuities
• Entertainment – ceremony and reception
• Transportation
• Gifts
• Stationery – invitations, programs, menu cards, etc.
• Accessories – aisle runner, cake knife/server, favors, etc.

A bride with $12,000 to spend, should be able to experience as much happiness on her wedding day as one with $50,000. But that presumes she has enough information, common sense, and critical thinking to make consistently good decisions, and then does so.

Sit down with your honey at your favorite coffee shop, set your priorities with what’s most important to you, get creative and use self-control when spending those budget dollars.

10 Ways to save on your wedding budget:
• Save postage by sending RSVP Postcards.

• Wedding dress: shop off the rack, clearance or sample sales. Go vintage and restore your mom’s/grandmother’s dress and her jewelry.

• Veil: DIY.

• Decorations: DIY. Clip coupons from local craft stores. Choose pre-decorated venues at holiday times. Rent or borrow rather than buy. Nature provides a lot of her own decorations.

• Flowers: Arrange by color rather than flower type and choose in-season. Use single flowers rather than bouquets. Silk over fresh. Grow your own flowers from seeds.

• Venues: Generally less expensive are university chapels or your home church, backyards, flower gardens, zoo, city or state parks, your home etc.

• Reception: Buffet or hors d’oeuvre meal style rather than a sit-down. Host the reception on a Friday night or serve earlier rather than later. Cupcakes instead of cake. No alcohol or limited alcohol. Consider a venue that allows you to bring in your own food and drink.

• Professionals: Although I am a proponent of using professionals, hiring or not hiring depends on your needs but alas, you set the limits on their time and services. Check with the local college or university for interns in floral, music, videography, etc.

You can and will have a fantastic wedding.

Next week, we’ll tackle the guest list. That alone, could put a major dent in your budget.