Creating Your Wedding Budget
Arguably the least fun thing about planning a wedding is creating and staying within your wedding budget. In fact, you were probably feeling pretty good today until you just read that sentence and it brought you down! The good news is you can have almost everything you feel is essential at your wedding if you follow our tips:
Choose a dollar amount for your wedding
1.Unless you have spoken extensively with friends/family members that have recently gotten married in your area, and we guarantee you will be surprised at the price of many aspects of a wedding. Before choosing a number for your budget and then feeling frustrated and overwhelmed, start by researching venues, photographers, caterers, wedding bands and entertainment, etc., to get an idea of pricing in the area you want to get married in first. This in itself may take some time as you may realize halfway into this, you want to explore other sites for your event to influence cost (i.e., city prices vs. suburb prices). It’s okay to keep your options open, remember you can and will be very happy in the end- but taking the time to do this is important
Prioritize what is important to you and your partner
2.For my wedding day, I fell in love with a venue I thought I couldn’t afford. I literally couldn’t picture my wedding being anywhere else and thought there was no way to make it work. After listing various aspects of my day in order of significance to me, I found I could have my wedding at the venue of my choice if I scaled back on other things. For me, this was the right decision. For someone else, they may have moved on to other venues, knowing that their “splurge” would be on flowers, a photographer, wedding dress, etc.
Month and Day Bending
3.Many venues and vendors have discounted pricing if you have flexibility on your wedding day. Think outside the box and again reflect on your wedding list you made. You may have pictured a summer wedding, but if you can get more of what you want all for changing a wedding date, perhaps that is something to consider.
Kindly ask for Help
4.You may feel as though it’s an awkward discussion to have but politely sitting down with your parents and potential in-laws and having a conversation about your wedding day cost what, if anything, they can and are willing to contribute can be well worth your time. It takes a village!