Avoiding the Poor House - Tips for setting and keeping a wedding budget

By Guest Blogger: Amira Harris, WPICC of Posh Productions serving Calgary and the Okanagan Valley

 

Putting together (and sticking to) a wedding budget can seem like a daunting task. Considering all the differing variables that go into it (different vendors requiring different payments at different times) it is enough to drive anyone crazy.

Trouble is some couples just do not take the time to map out a wedding budget. For one, the task is somewhat overwhelming. There are many costs that go into a wedding that some brides simply overlook. For another, new couples simply do not know what to budget for certain expenditures. After all, it is not everyday you put together a reception for hundreds of people. In putting together a wedding budget, you need help. With the assistance of a wedding planner, not only can you put together a good budget, but you can also stick to it.

The first step in putting together a wedding budget is figuring out overall how much you are willing to spend on the wedding. This needs to be an all-inclusive cost. Come up with a figure that is something you can afford, something you can borrow, or something you can put on your credit card. It has to be a number that you are comfortable with, that will not put you in too big a financial hole, that, quite honestly, you are willing to spend, without regrets.

Once you know the total cost, you need to figure out what to budget for all the expenditures of your wedding (how much for flowers, for entertainment, etc.). This is where your wedding planner will come in. Wedding planners work in the business and understand the differing price points for services. They understand immediately how to match what kind of wedding you want with how much you are willing to spend. A wedding planner will make sure your budget includes all wedding expenditures, from gifts to the wedding party to the cost of the honeymoon

From the overall amount of your budget they can help put together how much to budget for each wedding expenditure. It is not a process where you simply hand them a dollar figure and they will plug in the numbers. It is a collaborative process. The wedding planner will work with you to find out what is most important to you. For instance, do you care more about the entertainment or the venue? How important are the flower arrangements? How important is the attire?

From these answers your wedding planner can assist you in putting together a preliminary budget. This budget will spell out tentative amounts to be spent on each expense.

As you begin booking vendors for your wedding, your wedding planner can assist you in sticking to your budget. They will point out to you if you are overspending on certain budgeted costs. They can hold meetings to see where you are at in regards to your overall budget.

What you need to remember, and what your wedding planner will remind you, is that if you do not want to spend over your total allotted amount, you will need to make adjustments to your budget as you move along in the process. If, for instance, you spend more on entertainment then you were allotted in your budget, you will need to spend less on some other expense so as not to go over your total budget.

Putting together and sticking to a wedding budget can be an intimidating task. A wedding planner helps make it less so. Their expertise can help you create a reasonable budget. Their attention to detail can ensure (or at least remind you) to stick to that budget.

Comments

[Monica Hill]

Great read Amira... keeping things within budget can certainly be a daunting task, but the benefit of a wedding coordinator is certainly outlined here!

[Claudia Kent]

Perfect topic for today's couples Amira. I also encourage couples to wait until their theme, colours and vision are established before buying anything. You can feel compelled to pick items up on sale, etc. and then find out you aren't going to be able to use them. I have seen it time and time again. So, having a wedding coordinator to "bounce" ideas off of is invaluable as well as cost efficient.

[Sharon Auld]

I like the point about adjusting your budget accordingly when you spend more of your budget in one area. Many people just keep overspending without making the adjustments and that is a sure way to go into the "poor house"! Thanks Amira.

[Michelle K.]

This is a great post Amira. Couples question budgets all the time and having a wedding planner can defiantly keep them on track.

[Kate Tonner]

This is a great post for planners, and for brides alike. Obviously when planning your big day you want everything to be perfect, but the budget is such an important part of the planning process! You don't want to end up "wedding poor". Yes you afforded it and got everything you wanted, but now you can't leave the house for the next 10 years because you've used all the money you had!

I think that especially in the current state of our economy, coming up with and sticking to a firm budget will leave you with a much happier couple in the end. Of course there may be areas that they will go over, but as mentioned in the post, the budget should be shifted accordingly. The marriage is about what comes after the one day...and couples need to keep focus on that portion too!