Nail Your Wedding Budget in 8 Simple Steps

Every person who has ever got married or planning to will agree with me that the arrangement of the wedding is one of the most beautiful moments in life. Still, at the same time, it is one of the most problematic activities and of course one of the most expensive too. Finally, weddings are supposed to be about love happiness and new beginnings, but they can and often do leave a major dent in your budget. When spending gets controlled, this ensures couples give themselves the best wedding plan they desire without emaciating themselves. Well, you surely don't have to go into debt to fulfill your dream wedding if you just set your mind to it. Here are eight simple steps that you have to follow when setting your wedding budget.

 

 

Start with a Realistic Total Budget

Though it is essential to discuss enjoyable aspects of the wedding preparation, first of all, it is necessary to define the overall budget for it. Let your partner and you agree on how much you feel you are in a position to spend. It is necessary to factor your resources and other funds you may get from relatives of other sources. You must allocate contingency – approximately ten percent of your total budget – for such things as extra costs that may arise during the assessment. This will be a good financial base to lay down and will form a base for some of the planning that you will need to make. Think about the big picture: What do you envision your big day would be like when it comes to a wedding? These vision statements will aid in determining the right budget for your organization. You both should agree on the style of your event ahead of time so that all those discussions about what you want in the end will not disrupt your planning. 

Prioritize Your Must-Haves

Each couple has their specific requests concerning the organization of the wedding. Maybe you’ve always desired for big reception hall, high-quality food or a beautiful dress. Regardless of what specific concerns you may have, try to define them from the outset and ensure that you are devoting more of your budget to these goals. Thus, the aspects that are valuable to you receive more attention while other aspects that are not so valuable can be confined to limited funding. For example, if photography and videography are your priorities, you might choose to have a relatively basic decor or homemade invitations to cut your spending. The prioritization list that you decide to develop will assist you in decision-making, especially when you have many choices. 

Research Costs Thoroughly

When you have the big picture, the second step involves carrying out a detailed cost analysis. Marriage-related costs may range from a few hundred dollars and up to tens of thousands depending on your particular region, date, and chosen service providers. Take the time to get price comparisons from different suppliers for services like halls, food, photographers, and flowers. Besides, you should also add on other costs that may be burdensome such as taxes, tips, service charges, and delivery expenses. Compare prices with other similar weddings on wedding blogs or forums or use professional budget planning services to find out the average cost of a wedding in your region. You can also seek advice from friends or relatives, who have just had their wedding ceremony. 

Create a Detailed Budget Breakdown

The simplest but most effective guideline here is to see that your expenditures are methodologically divided into appropriate categories. It is best to begin with the distribution of your overall budget to basic expense categories that include the venue, food and beverages, rental clothing, ornaments or enhancements, entertainment, and professional services including photography and transportation. Distribute definite quantities to each bucket according to your concerns and studies. For instance, if your overall funding is $20000, it becomes $8000 for halls and feeding, $3000 for photography, $2000 each for clothing and more. There are many numerical, graphical or tabular tools available to manage your budget such as Excel or wedding budget apps to track expenses and make changes. Periodically reviewing the budgets will assist you in being in charge during planning. This brings out a level of detail whereby every single expense is captured and the idea makes it easier to transfer funds from one category to another. Other tools include tracking your budget with Google Sheets or having a wedding budget app like the Wedding Wire.

 

 

The Guest List Should be Chosen Very Carefully

Of course, it is quite clear that any wedding guests whom you invite will affect the entire expense of the event. An increased number of guests leads to increased costs in feeding, cards, chairs, and other favours. It may be tempting to invite all your friends, relatives, coworkers, etc however, if the wedding is to be a private affair it is possible to save thousands of dollars. Take a seat together and make a list of people in order of their importance when choosing the attendants, it should include relatives and friends only. To handle the number of people you expect to be your guests you should begin with a master list and divide it into multiple sublists, each with a different priority level.

Be Strategic with Your Venue

Selecting the right venue is typically one of the most effective decisions for a couple planning a wedding. Catering is usually a large part of your total cost, but that does not mean you have to go without exciting styles for countertops. Other available choices that should be considered are public parks, community halls and other private premises. Such locations can be cheaper, and they have their perverted sort of appeal. Further, having your wedding during a low ordering period or a working week also translates to large cuts in costs. Some venues also offer vessels such as tables, chairs and simple decorations as part of their packages thereby minimizing cases of hiring from other companies.

DIY Where It Makes Sense

To part with a little cash a bit, get hitched and incorporate DIY in your wedding to create that personal feeling. Of course, the main focus of the event is the creative process: be it designing your invitations or making centerpieces by hand. However, one must also make sure to be realistic while doing it on one's own. Some projects, as a result, are likely to take longer or be pricier to complete than hiring a professional, for you have to buy the materials in large volumes. Make sure to budget your time and pick DIY elements that interest you and you are capable of doing in the first place lastly, do not shy away from Getting assistance from your friend or a family member.

Take Care and Check Your Expenditure Daily

Even if you create meticulous budget documentation, new expenses become easy to incur as the ceremony day comes closer. You should always spare some time and think about how you’ve spent your money and whether it corresponds to your planned budget. If you’re going over your budget in any particular area, this is the practice you use to recognize it and adjust. For instance, after realizing that flowers add up more than planned, then you might opt for less entertainment or less decor. It helps avoid any nasty surprises in terms of finances as you prepare for the big day – the wedding day.
Open the budget spreadsheet at least once a week and try to match receipts with the expenditures you recorded. Where possible a separate credit card should be used for the wedding expenses it is easy to track and if the card offers cash back or points it can be of added benefit. 

Stay Flexible and Open-Minded

Both time and cost constraints are fully negotiable and it is thus possible to stick by the pantry’s budget without having to skimp on any of the offered services. Be willing to search for other solutions for selecting any spaces and suppliers. Instead of one big wedding cake, there is the dessert table and instead of a wedding cake, it has cupcakes. Likewise renting clothes instead of buying them is another way of cutting costs without having to compromise on fashion. If you base your planning on being able to check out places on the internet, then you also get to decide when exactly you will do your planning, you get to plan at your leisure, during off-peak rush, full of sales, and with discounts.

Creativity must be pursued here, and ordinary thinking cannot be employed. It shall make it possible for you to work on challenges flexibly by coming up with solutions that will suit budgets.

 

 

Conclusion

Your special day is one in which you want to celebrate love and it does not need to cost a fortune to do so. It means if you stick to those eight basic rules in planning a wedding: defining your working budget, and priorities, analyzing prices, elaborating a schedule of obligatory payments, using effective guest list regulation, choosing wise location strategies, admitting DIY, and targeting spending you would be able to have the wedding of your dreams! Again the aspects of a wedding go beyond cooking, clothing and dance but instead focus on the happiness with your spouse and friends. It will be possible to look at the special day with joy and pride when you have planned and budgeted properly. It’s possible to transform this aspect of the wedding planning journey so that you have a fun and rewarding experience.