It’s no secret that setting a wedding budget is a super important step in the planning process. After the celebrations have been had and you’ve shared your engagement with the world, it’s time to get serious. It is THE one thing you need to do before anything else in the planning process. Gather with all of the decision makers, sit down, and have the (maybe somewhat) difficult conversation about money. We’re getting down to the nitty gritty and maybe not so pretty realness when it comes this topic.
Be Realistic
We cannot stress this one enough! Understand that if the guest count goes up, the budget must go up. It is not realistic to think you can have the wedding of your dreams, with inspiration pins saved of things you’d see at a Kardashian wedding, with 150 people for $25,000. The more elaborate your vision, the more expensive the wedding is going to be. The more guests you have equals more tables equals more linens and centerpieces. It’s a simple concept that sometimes people aren’t willing to accept. Also, know that if parents are involved in this step, and it has maybe been a few years (or decades) since they got married, and times have changed my friend! We are not saying that $25,000 isn’t a lot of money, because it is! But, it does not get you very far if you have that champagne taste and want to have a high guest count.
You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know
If you haven’t planned a wedding before, don’t worry, you are not expected to know everything right away. That’s where we come in 😉 When you’re shopping around for a new roof, there is probably a lot you don’t know initially, so it’s hard to project what you’re going to spend on a roof. The same goes for a wedding! Costs vary on locations, style, guest count, seasonality, etc, so how are you supposed to put out a hard number? Let us help you set the budget that is realistic for you and everyone involved in the planning. This may look a little different than you initially imagined but it will start the planning off on the right foot with the right expectations moving forward.
Who, What, How
Once you’ve made a realistic budget that everyone is comfortable with and that suits your style and vision, it’s important to know the who, what and how of setting a wedding budget. Often times, there are multiple people contributing to the wedding. Knowing who will contribute what and how right off the bat will help with difficult conversations down the road. This can be done by divvying up the budget by one partner’s family pays for xyz items at the wedding and same with the other side. Sometimes, they families leave it up to you to split the costs and give a lump sum at the beginning. However it is going to get paid, it’s a priority when starting out to know who is going to pay (for) what.
If you’re not quite sure where to start, getting a professional involved is a great first step. We offer budget assistance in some of our services and would love to help you understand the costs that will go into the wedding of your dreams. Setting a wedding budget is tough, but once you’re over that hump, it’s downhill and fun with the planning from there!
