When planning your wedding, it is easy to get caught up in everything pretty!  How could you not?   With so many wedding inspiration blogs, Instagram, Pinterest, Etsy, how could you not want everything that is out there?!

First thing you have to realize, before you can really start the wedding planning, you must set a budget!  I’ll say it again…because it is crucial…SET YOUR BUDGET first!  So…now that we have established that your budget is the first MUST DO for your wedding planning, let’s go into a bit more details, shall we?

Spend Wisely

If there is one other important piece of advice I can give is to not spend your budget in one place!  It is easy to spend most of your budget on your first purchase, only to later find out you have no money left over and are later scrambling to pay for everything else.  So, please...please...spend your money wisely!

Contribution

Money is never a fun subject to talk about, but it is a necessary subject to discuss.  Better to get the money talk out of the way from the beginning, as it sets your boundaries and ensures everyone is on the same page.

Determine who will be contributing to your budget. Will you and your fiancé finance the wedding yourselves?  Will either of your parents contribute?  While tradition always dictates the bride’s parents finance the wedding, in modern times, this rule no longer applies.

Be sure to reach out to all parents involved, ensuring they aren’t feeling left out.  Will you have sponsors?  Now is the time to reach out to them and confirm they will be contributing.  If you and your fiancé will be paying for the wedding, be sure to sit down, review your finances and be realistic on how much to set aside for the wedding.

Having a wedding planner is a huge plus, as he/she will assist you in setting a realistic budget for your wedding, based on what you have in mind.  Your wedding planner will help you determine if your dream wedding will fit within your financial parameters.

It’s a Numbers Game

Now that we’ve determined who all is contributing to the wedding budget, it’s time to breakdown your wedding.  Only problem, you don’t really know how much a wedding will cost; you may know the average costs, but not the costs that will be right for your wedding.  Here is where your wedding planner comes into play, as he/she will help you better determine what individual costs run.

We have found a percentage model for wedding budgets work best.  Many wedding planning sites and/or smart phone apps allow you to plug in a budget total, and the program/app just calculates a recommended cost, but will it be right for you?   We have a created a more realistic percentage model breakdown, one we feel will help you determine what each category entails:
Ceremony: Includes your ceremony venue, church coordinator, officiant, cantor.
Reception: Factor in your Venue rental, Food & Beverage costs, Wedding Cake and Desserts, such as dessert bars, craft beer bars or even coffee catering bars!
Photography | Cinematography: You will want to factor, not just photographer’s costs, but costs of albums and photo enlargements.  For your cinematographer, factor in any extra film footage, and any other film documentations such as Love Stories and Save the Date trailers.
Florals | Décor | Lighting: This includes anything and everything floral, linen and décor rentals, such as lounge furniture, as well as lighting décor for both ceremony and reception.
Stationery: All things paper are to be factored in this category, from invitations to Day Of stationery {Escort & Place cards, Menu Cards, Programs, etc.}.
Entertainment: Factor in your band, DJ and any other entertainment you would like for your reception and ceremony {outside of the church cantor and music}.
Wedding Planner: Well, we think this one is pretty self-explanatory.  :)
Attire | Personal Grooming: Factor in the wedding gowns, veil, shoes, as well as grooms' tuxedo, shoes, cufflinks.  Now, most often, many couples choose to exclude the attire from wedding budget and just splurge on themselves.  The choice is yours.
Miscellaneous: We like to keep a buffer for any unexpected expenses, extra small items, such as guest favors, out of town welcome baskets, unity candle, cake knife set and sign-in book.

Keep in mind, this is OUR recommended percentage breakdown.  If you feel one category is more important than another, you can make the necessary adjustments, as ultimately, we want your wedding budget to work for YOU! 

Happy Planning!