Close your vision + imagine. Imagine yourself inside your dream wedding dresses. Imagine passing by countless family and friends as you walk down the aisle. As you browse around you see the gorgeous decor that covers the gorgeous venue and also the flawless bridesmaid gowns matching the general theme. You then picture the grand reception that follows the marriage with probably the most delicious food and unique design. Everything’s perfect.
CUTTTTTTTT. We need to re-take that, which was too well choreographed ... too perfect. Reality Check Please! Argh, these movie scenes really put our wedding expectations far too high. Sadly while our imaginations have unlimited wishes, reality includes a big fat budget. So the real question is, how can we get our wedding under our budget?
Firstly, we must break down the budget to know what we spend probably the most and least on. So let's possess a quick look at this.
Recommended Breakdown of the Wedding Budget
(Now don't forget this is a vague breakdown which could vary a great deal based on preferences)
This may be the biggest chunk of the marriage. It includes renting out a venue space together with hiring a catering service for the food. Any additional request like a bar service or perhaps a setup and cleanup service may also be included in this price.
Weddings are magical moments that you ought to cherish for the rest of your lifetime. And there’s no better method of doing that compared to photos and videos. The price put aside for photography involves big-day coverage, photo albums, and prints, as well as either a highlight reel or perhaps a feature film
The kind of decor ranges largely according to preferences. But the main elements that usually take up your budget for decor are flowers, ceremony arch, reception centerpieces, lighting, and extra rentals.
This includes the marriage dress! I know right, tight budgeting. Not only does it include the marriage dress but it includes the tuxedos, bridesmaid gowns, and any hair-making-up service you may like. Don’t forget jewelry is roofed in this budget range too!
While having a marriage planner is really a matter of preference, there are plenty of advantages that include having one. Not only do they organize the marriage day management and setup, but they’re excellent with recommending certain venues, coordinating rehearsals, and helping with wedding budgets - precisely what you need.
Prices vary according to whether you are looking for a live band or more of a DJ. Apart from living music, other areas involved within this budget include microphones and sound systems.
Putting aside 2% of the budget for stationeries allows guests to obtain a glimpse into the marriage as the invites often match the theme of the marriage. Menu cards, thanks cards, and put cards will also be included in this budget.
In order to prevent chaos on your big day, well-organized transportation is KEY. A bus or shuttle bus would greatly help your friends and relatives to be prompt and get through to the correct venue. Also if the reception venue differs from the ceremony venue, organized transportation for that guest toward the reception venue can make things easier.
If you need an officiant to legally bind you and your spouse together, be prepared to put aside 2% of your budget for hiring
Now, remember, you’ll hopefully be wearing these rings for the rest of your lifetime. So you’ve reached like them plus they got to become the right size. That’s why around 2% of your budget should be invested in rings to purchase the rings themselves together with any resizing fee, custom engraving, or insurance.
While an attractive wedding with your favorite people has already been a gift on its own, many couples prefer to organize small gifts for their guests in memory of the wedding. This 2% could include any gifts from wedding ceremony gifts to gifts for the spouse.
Nothing into it right? Now that you be aware of recommended budget breakdown for any wedding, let’s go ahead and possess a look at some suggestions that might further help stay inside your budget.
Tips to successfully remain inside your financial allowance
1) Choose a date that's typically off-season. Usually wedding season peaks in summer and at the beginning of fall. This means venues could be more expensive then. If you are flexible using the date, aiming for any wedding in spring or winter can help to eliminate the expense.
2) Limit your guest list. As we just reviewed, catering plays a part in that big 50% of the budget breakdown. To put it into perspective, the typical price per person for catering is all about $70. So the greater guests you invite, the greater expensive it gets
3) Go easy around the flowers. Having considerable amounts of flowers can lead to adding thousands to the general price tag. While fresh flowers are beautiful, it might be much cheaper to look into green plant alternatives. While flowers do help set the atmosphere, there are many other ways to do this.
4) DIY. Bring out your inner creativity and cut costs by hand-making certain parts of the decor or perhaps the cake. You can provide a go at creating the table plaques and signs yourself.
5) Shop used. Honestly whoever will easily notice the difference between first and used deserves a medal as so frequently it’s impossible to inform. Secondhand shopping is really a life hack for saving cash on decor or boho wedding dresses. If you’d rather not shop secondhand for the wedding, you may also rent items and clothing.
6) Discuss who contributes what. Is awkward because this may be for many it’s mandatory. Whether it's just both you and your fiance or additionally family and friends that have chosen to contribute to your budget it's so important you figure that out ASAP. This will help you further calculate your financial allowance and give you a much better understanding of spending.
Now, you may not exactly seem like a budget pro right now as it’s so incredibly difficult to plan for a day you’ve been awaiting all your lifetime, but there are lots of ways to have your perfect wedding and cut on the overall price. At the end of the day, probably the most important part may be the exchange of vows between both you and your fiance encompassed by friends and family, anything else is just a bonus ;)