It’s Budget Time
It may not be the most fun aspect of planning your wedding, but it is an important one that needs to be considered once you are engaged and are starting the planning process. You may think you have a good idea on estimating how much things cost, but in reality those figures may not be exactly accurate. We can help you set out a realistic budget that won’t have you as the next contender on one of those reality TV shows.
Breaking it Down
Having a budget helps you keep track of what goes where, who has been paid, and who hasn’t. Budgeting is all about spending every penny in the most valuable way, on the right things and cutting out any unnecessary spending. We recommend that couples sit down together and discuss this big part of getting married, out of the way. This way the not so beautiful part of your wedding is over and done with. The best thing to do is break down by percentage how much you have to work with, where you want it to go and where you are not willing to compromise. An example is your photographer, they can be very expensive, but this is one investment that results in the memories that you and your family will cherish and that will more than likely decorate your home. You may want to allocate more money here than on invitations and wedding favors. The largest cost usually is the venue rental and the catering and it all depends on the number of guests you are having.
Spending Trends
Recent trends have seen couples spend more per head on food but spending less overall by keeping the guest list down. People are much more food conscious and choose to go more elaborate on the style of menu while keeping it intimate. It is becoming more popular to impress the guest and make the entire event into an all-day big celebration. Whatever your personality or style of wedding you desire, we can help you plan your budget accordingly, so that the fun part of planning can begin as soon as possible!
The advice to list your top three priorities is so important. That s what we did at the outset and it resulted in a fairly unusual wedding budget. Photography was our top priority and we ended up spending way more on that than on anything else. And we were able to save a boatload on catering by using a nontraditional venue where we could hire whomever we wanted.