As an event coordinator and the daughter of an accountant, I’m very aware wedding budgets. I’ve assisted couples at both high budget weddings and those within much more reasonable price ranges, and I’m always interested to see the event come together from a vendor standpoint. Which vendor’s captured the hearts of the couple; which areas are most important to them? For some couples, playing favorites means booking their first choice venue, band, florist, etc. But for most, that’s not the case. And in so many cases, opting against having all of the things (!!) and instead choosing a few favorites makes all of the difference.
Here are three quick budgeting tips:
Photo via Belle the Magazine; Graphic by Carly is Inspired
1. Establish your budget early & stick to it: Establishing your wedding budget may be uncomfortable (few people love talking about money), but it should be one of the very first things you tackle in your planning process. You need to know who is contributing to your wedding’s overall cost and how much they’re comfortable contributing. Also, know how much you’re comfortable contributing. Once you establish your budget, don’t deviate from it. Your wedding will be one awesome day, but one awesome day isn’t worth being in debt for many days.
2. Days & seasons matter: You’ve likely heard this before, but it’s worth mentioning again. Wedding professionals are the most in demand on Saturdays because your guests will not have to take off from work in order to attend your wedding. Think about hosting your wedding on a Friday or a Sunday. Also, there are two wedding seasons. The first runs from spring through early summer, and the second starts at the very end of summer and runs through much of the fall. Many vendors, like venues, charge a premium to work during this high time, so be prepared. Also, know which flowers are in season. Hint: peonies are only in season during the early spring.
3. Choose Your Top Three: As I mentioned earlier, you may want to hire your favorite vendor from each category, but for most people that’s just not a possibility. And that’s OK! So you’re not left wondering “what if”, decide on your top three must-have vendors with your fiancé, and allocate your budget for them first. From your guests’ perspective, the food served and the music played are highly important because both tie into their overall experience. Realize that your photographer will take photos that you will turn to over and over again, so love the photographer you choose. And know that event planners love working with great industry pros – most planners have a number of suggestions for you that will likely help you and your budget. Hint: your venue, food, and drinks often comprise just about half of your budget depending on your guest count, so plan accordingly!
Bonus: Pinterest is wonderful for searching for inspiration. Visuals are far easier to present to vendors because they can see exactly what inspires you, but don’t let Pinterest rule your budget. So many pieces that are pin-worthy might not be budget-friendly, so be open to suggestions that will incorporate an idea you love at a price that won’t cause you to start to loathe it.
Do you have any budgeting tips? Leave them in the comments below!
Stay tied to Carly is Inspired…
Great tips Carly! Another one would be that managing your guest list is exceptionally important. You can have a really nice wedding on almost any budget as long as you have a reasonable guest list to go with it.
Yes, ma’am!! I completely agree. Thanks for commenting!
Our venue allowed us to bring all of our own alcohol and it really helped us save money! We were able to return any bottle that wasn’t opened.
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