Budgeting for your Wedding

What's your Budget for Your Wedding?

A budget is very important for you wedding, especially if you are spending someone else's money (your parents, or possibly your fiance's parents). Here is a basic list of what you should put in your budget and the average percentages of what brides spend in each section.

To figure out your amounts just take your total budget and times it by the percentage listed.

​​Example:
​$20,000 budget
Reception Location 9%
$20,000 x 9% (or 0.09) =$1,800.
So, you should spend approximately $1,800 on your reception location.

• Ceremony Fee 2.5%
• Ceremony Decorations 1.5%
• Reception Location 9%
• Reception Decorations 4.5%
• Food and Service 33.5%
• Beverages and Bartender 9%
• Cake and Cutting Fee 3%
• Wedding Gown 6.5%
• Veil and/or Headpiece 1%
• Bridal Accessories 1%
• Hair and Make-up 0.5%
• Massage, waxing, facial, etc. 0.5%
• Bouquets/Boutonnieres 2%
• Band/DJ/Orchestra 6.5%
• Photographer 6.5%
• Videographer 5.5%
• Invitations 4%
• Car/Limo Rental 1.5%
• Wedding Favors 1.5%

Obviously, everyone will have personal preference as to what they want to spend on different things. You'll need to go through the budget after you have calculated the amounts and figure out if you think any are too high, or too low. You can then spend accordingly!

Who pays for what?
In the modern world, it is not uncommon for the couple to pay for everything themselves, either because they are well-off financially or they think it is too awkward to ask their parents to pitchin. If you do happen to have both parents willing and able to help out with the costs, here's the traditional list of who pays what:

​Bride and/or Her Family

• Ceremony location/decorations
• Reception location/decorations and service
• Food, beverages, and cake
• Bride'sbouquet, boutonnieres, and corsages
• Bouquets for bridesmaids and flower girls
• Floral arrangements for ceremony and reception
• Invitations, announcements, and other stationery
• Bride's dress, veil, and accessories
• Photography and videography
• Transportation of wedding party to ceremony and reception sites

Groom and/or His Family

• Bride's engagement ring and wedding bands
• Rehearsal dinner
• Groom's wedding clothes
• Marriage license and officiant's fee
• Honeymoon

Keep in mind that this list is not usually the norm - it's just a guideline. You should have your parents pay what they feel comfortable paying for, or what you feel comfortable letting them pay for. The rest should be picked up by you and your fiance.

Article by www.weddingconnections.ca

Expect the best on Your Wedding Day!

So you’re engaged. Where do you start? Where do you go? How do you plan what’s probably the biggest event of your life? It can be a little overwhelming especially if you have a limited budget.

The first thing future brides usually do is buy a wedding magazine. They are full of photos of designer dresses and massive weddings where budgets are in the range of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Since contentment lies in the gap between expectation and reality, this ideal can set you up for big disappointment when you look at your savings account. You want the extraordinary wedding in the magazines and on the TV, but you only have an ordinary budget.

You set a budget, but forget about it once you see the dress of your dreams and tally up the number of guests you want to invite. It’s easy to get swept away with the glamour of what’s available for weddings these days. But is it worth it? According to the “Bestman” from Wedding Bells Magazine, “memories last forever, and debt almost as long”. Think about what you want most for your life together. Do you want to start your marriage with a staggering debt that can turn into the number one reason for divorce?

This is your day. It’s about the commitment you are making with your chosen partner. The guests, the party, the gifts, the details, are all peripheral to this promise. The most memorable weddings are not always the most extravagant. It’s the little touches that guests remember such as the 1st dance, or a moving speech. What guests really want to see is a happy couple who look relaxed and madly in love – that doesn’t cost a penny, just preparation and contentment.

Expect the best for you as a couple and not some New York magazine’s version of the best. If you manage your expectations based on your resources, you will maximize your contentment and have the extraordinary wedding you expect.

Article by Magna Goerke

Four Big Decisions for your Wedding Day

As soon as you get engaged, there is a flurry of activity and decisions to be made. Then there is a lull, and another flurry of activity just before the wedding. After you share the good news, the first flurry starts with four big decisions that can affect each other significantly - Budget, Location, Date, and Guest List.

BUDGET - Your budget will affect everything. Don’t worry about an exact number to stick to as you will likely modify it a few times. You should, however; set some parameters right away to make sure the other decisions are realistic. Bear in mind that the most memorable weddings are not always the most extravagant. It’s often the little touches that guests remember such as the 1st dance, or a moving speech so try to be imaginative rather than just flashing your cash. What guests really want to see is a happy couple who look relaxed and madly in love. That doesn’t cost a penny but it does require preparation.

LOCATION - Ideally you should book your location a year in advance as the popular sites go fast. Unless you have a great private location with flexible dates, this can determine your date due to availability. As an example, your chances of getting a location for 07-07-07 are pretty much nil and none unless you booked it a long time ago.

DATE - Many choose a date on a long weekend so they and their guests can have an extra day. This isn’t as opportune an idea as it sounds at first. Costs can be greater on holiday weekends and cheap flights may be less available. You may gain some out of town guests and lose some local guests that made holiday plans before they knew about your wedding. So know your guest list and pick a date accordingly. If budget is an issue, you might want to consider a Friday which is often discounted instead of the popular Saturday for your wedding day celebration.

GUEST LIST - The guest list will affect many decisions. Where will your guests be coming from and what is the most central location for everyone? How large a venue will you need, and how much of a budget is required? Although it’s not very romantic, it’s important to realize that there is a cost attached to each invited guest. One of the most significant wedding mistakes is inviting too many people. If you keep the numbers low, you have a better chance of connecting with your guests in a meaningful way and perhaps be able to accommodate everyone at a more intimate and economical setting.

All these decisions can be challenging to make, especially when you have so many people to please. Set priorities early on so you know the parameters you have to make your important decisions within.


Article by Magna Goerke