How to Start a Wedding Budget

Let us chat about Wedding Budgets…….

You are engaged; and you want to have a wedding, so where do you start?

Your budget is one of the first things that you will sit down and discuss when planning your wedding. It can also cause the most stress during the planning process. This is the most important part of the planning process. Trying to figure out what you want to spend on your big day. How do you do that if you never planned a wedding and have no idea of what vendors charge or what is the cost of items you will be needing for your big day? Hiring a wedding planner is a great start! We can help guide you through the budgeting process and assist in referring you to vendors that fit your vision and budget. We can help save money, which sometimes can pay for the cost of a planner and save you stress! Start having conversations where the funds will come from. Do you have family helping? If so, how much are they contributing? When will those funds be available to you so that you can gauge the timeframe when hiring your vendors?

So many factors need to be considered when deciding on a budget for your big day. The top 3 areas that will affect your wedding budget:

The location of your wedding. Your wedding location will play a leading role in the creation of your budget. Venues that are situated in popular areas will generally charge more than smaller venues outside of main cities. Venues also have different packages and policies that you will need to consider. For example, some venues might require you to use their vendors, some of which might not fit in with your budget. A lot of venues also have minimum catering requirements that may go beyond your guest list. It is important to look at average costs of areas and venues before you make a final decision on where you want to get married.

The time of the year and day of the week. Wedding seasons make a big difference to costs. Planning to get married on a Saturday in the summer? Chances are you are going to end up paying a lot more for your wedding. Look at your budget and how it fits in with the venue and location you have in mind and whether you can move your wedding to another season or day of the week to save on costs. Vendors might also be able to offer you discounts for off-peak days and seasons.

The number of guests that attend. This is one area that can very easily get out of control very quickly. Your guests are going to take up a large portion of your budget, so it pays to be sensible about who you are inviting. The larger your guest count, the more you will spend on food, linens, center pieces and bar. Same goes for the size of your wedding party. The larger your wedding party, the more you will spend on bouquets, boutonnieres, and gifts.