How to budget for a wedding?

Are you getting excited about the wedding details from the wedding dress to wedding cake, wedding breakfast to honeymoon? Would you like to know how to budget for a wedding? It’s time to wind back to the beginning and crunch some numbers.

1. Have a heart to heart and set a wedding budget

The amount you choose to spend on your wedding day is your choice and will be influenced by several aspects. Firstly consider who will be paying for what, the savings you have available and the contributions you have been given to determine the overall ceiling for you wedding fund. Before signing on the dotted line for anything on your wedding wish list you must discuss how you will pay for it. Not doing this can lead to unrealistic expectations and financial stress.

2. Break down your wedding budget

 It’s time to get a grip and break down the overall wedding budget into individual components. The best outcome is to try and go into as much detail as reasonably possible. The more wedding details you can consider the more equipped you will be to prioritise what is important to you both to achieve your dream wedding day. Drafting a comprehensive wedding budget will enable you to allocate appropriate amounts against each element accordingly and allow you to keep track of your spending commitments and payments as they occur, thus helping you to stick to your wedding budget closely.

3. Evaluate your venue needs in line with your budget

The key point to remember when deciding on your venue is that the venue itself and associated hire costs will probably form a substantial percentage of your wedding budget. You want to choose a location that offers the right balance in terms of style and affordability. If additional factors such as furniture hire, bar hire, and decoration are to be included it is worth considering if this meets or exceeds the budget you have set yourselves.

4. Don’t overdo it and lose sight of your budget

Not overdoing it can be especially challenging as every couple wants a memorable wedding. I often see couples wanting extras such as doves, fireworks, horse and carriage; which is all well and good as long as you can afford it. Regain control and don’t allow yourself to be swept up in every direction. Remind yourself frequently of your wedding goals and what you want to achieve and you will find yourself focusing your budget in the right areas. If ever in doubt ask yourself these 3 questions: Is it essential? Is it a priority? Will any guests notice if we don’t?

5. Be transparent with wedding vendors about your budget

Clarify your expectations with the wedding experts you approach. Be transparent with potential vendors about the budget you have available. You will want to be clear about how much you are able and willing to pay. Wedding vendors in return will be transparent with you if it is far below their starting prices and other wedding suppliers will be willing to help you think outside of the box. The cake is no doubt an example of something guests look forward to seeing and tasting on the wedding day. If you are struggling to stick to your budget in this area, be transparent with the cake maker about your budget so they can tailor ingredients accordingly. For example by swapping ingredients such as buttercream for icing, or fresh flowers for sugar flowers, they can help you have your cake and eat it too.

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Planning a wedding and above all sticking to a budget isn’t easy but it is certainly possible. If you love the idea of sticking to your wedding budget, but just don’t have the time to dedicate to it, why not consider investing in a wedding planner? Wedding planners, like myself are pros when it comes to wedding planning and will have all the hacks to get the most out of your wedding budget. Find out more about me.