Let’s talk budgets!
From the early stages in your planning, it’s important to set a realistic budget. This should be established even before a venue is chosen, the aim of this is to exceed your expectations but not your wallet. Choosing an affordable wedding venue is crucial to the budget!
With the ever-changing prices due to supply and demand and a knock-on effect from the pandemic for things like flowers and fuel it’s not easy to estimate costs. I like to give my clients a realistic idea but it’s so important for you to ask yourself these 4 questions before even determining a budget.
1. What aspects of the wedding are the most important to us?
2. What can we afford over the amount of time we have to pay this in? (Remembering that most vendors will need paying in full 2-4 weeks before the day of)
3. Will we have any help paying for the wedding i.e., family members?
4. How many guests will be in attendance?
Inevitably there could be surprises along the way, those 10 extra guests you didn’t plan on but had to invite or the Pinterest idea you found that you just had to have.
My advice is this:
- Prioritize your spending, the big-ticket items need to be booked first, Venue & Food
- Speak to your coordinator, they already know which vendors will suit your needs & budget – don’t start looking at $6000 photographers if it’s too far out of reach
- Be realistic with your original budget, you can’t plan a wedding for 200 people on $5000 – it’s just not attainable
You can still have the wedding you dreamed of by being practical, try creating an intimate guest list, choose an off-peak day for discounts at venues, have a smaller bridal party, shop sample sales for gowns, have cupcakes for dessert the list is endless!
Final note for the day, Debt free weddings create happier marriages!
And remember only the cake should be in tiers 🙂