Definitely not the most fun wedding-related topic… But so important! Also, who doesn’t like a google doc?!
With couples able to have weddings again (and re-ceptions) in the coming year, we thought it would be helpful to talk about how to create and stick to a wedding budget .
While it’s tempting to start with all the pretty things, we always recommend working backwards from your total budget. Big or small, come up with a number that is reasonable for you as a couple and fits with your financial goals.
Prioritize. Maybe you each pick the one thing that’s the most important to you, or come up with tiers of most important to least important (maybe some things you’ll do without if the budget doesn’t allow for it).
Utilize Google Documents to organize everything and especially create spreadsheets to calculate and track everything.
Break vendors/items into categories: DIY vs. hire. The DIY category might include friends/family who are willing to do something for free, at cost or for a discount. Of course this also includes anything you will make yourself. These things still need to be in the budget because the service might be free (i.e. your time), but you still need to purchase supplies.
Remember that the guest count will greatly impact your budget, but not everything. It’s good to break down these two categories into fixed costs (items/vendors that won’t depend on the number of guests like the wedding dress, photographer, DJ) vs. variable costs (items that will depend on the number of guests such as food, drinks, invitations). The venue is kind of both - the total number will affect it on a large scale (25 vs. 200 people), but once you select one, it won’t really be affected by the final number.
Do your research and set reasonable expectations. Get lots of quotes - keeping in mind experience levels, what’s included, and how location will impact cost.
Stick to the plan. We know this is easier said than done, but you don’t want to have regrets because you went over budget or skimped on something really important *cough* photographer *cough*.
And of course, if we’re working with you, we’re happy to talk about your budget and offer advice!
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