How to Set a Budget for Your Wedding (And Stick To It)
Weddings are the start of a new beginning for the husband and wife, a shared life. It is but natural to want the wedding to be beautiful, romantic, memorable, and unforgettable. It is not easy to prepare for a wedding. There are one hundred and one things to do from the bridal party and purchase wedding dresses and accessories, hiring endless people to do every little thing like photographer and videographer, caterers, florist, planner, and a lot more. There is the job of mailing in the wedding invitations. And what about the honeymoon? There is no wedding without a honeymoon.
You have to plan it carefully. A romantic honeymoon in Paris or a tropical one in Hawaii? Planning for a wedding is joyful, but it isn't stress-free. How can any bride and groom walk down the aisle happy and without stress? Can you make it to the altar to say I do without being overwhelmed with the task? What about the budget that you need? Did you save enough to cover the costs, or funding is the main problem you need to solve? Read on, and let me walk you through the aisle to set your wedding budget and not go overboard.
Don't Rush
You will be spending time with each other for the rest of your life(if you are faithful to your vows.) Why do you have to rush it? Have a more prolonged engagement, that way; you will have time to maneuver. You can nail vendors with the lowest prices and have the advantage of searching the market. One more thing is that you can select your wedding date that is out of the wedding g season. Remember that from April to October, event halls and catering services are the craziest. Reservation is full, and the waiting list is long. As a result, except for the price of everything to be higher than that of the offseason. If you want to save, don't rush and plan longer, you will enjoy every detail of your preparation if you are not pressed for time.
List Down Contributors
Sometimes family members are willing to contribute to the wedding. There is the grandma who wants to shoulder her granddaughter's bridal gown or an Auntie who wants to buy a wedding cake as her gift. It is best to find out who your relatives are interested in taking part in the expenses for your wedding. It is the first important step in calculating your appropriation. Talking about money is not fun; it can be uneasy for everybody involved, but if your family will be eager to share your expenses, it is worth your trouble. If you established the amount of assistance you could get, you could now focus on how much you can contribute. According to the survey, an average wedding now costs up to $36,000 which is why many couples took out a wedding loan. Can you afford to spend that much? Can the groom shoulder the rest of the expenses? If not, settle for the amount that each of you can contribute. From your shares and that from your loved ones, you can now plan your budget for your dream union.
Narrow Down the Guest List
Now that you established your budget, it's time to count your guests. Your expenses are practically about your guest. You can't invite everyone, so ask yourselves what they hope for at their wedding. Will it be intimate, or you want everybody on both sides to be attending? The number of your guests prevails over the vastness of your venue, and the most significant proportion where your budget falls is on food and drinks. Get together with your family members and ask them for names of people they want to invite. You do not wish to be surprised when you only have a one hundred seating capacity, but it turns out to be a hundred and fifty because you did not find time to ask your parents and siblings who they might want to invite. Start the list with your immediate family, followed by your best friends and colleagues.
Enlist People with Talent
If you seek contributors, why not also seek talented friends and relatives. Why spend when you can ask your loved ones for a favor. There may be a singer in your family that can sing your couple's song while you are walking down the aisle. A friend whose hobby is photography can be your wedding photographer. A cousin whose passion is baking there comes your wedding cake; you'll have to buy the ingredients. Utilize their skills and talent to work because, for sure, everyone wants to get involved and help in a time like this. They would not know what help they can give if they won't be asked. These people can lighten your load and help your wedding get organized, as well as, keep your budget smaller.
Look for a Flattering Gown, Not the Most Expensive One
Your wedding dress stands as a reminder of your special day. You'll be eighty, and when you see your gown, all the happiest memories will come flooding in. Some preserve it for the memory, but others want to give it to their children as a legacy. Look for a simple gown that will flatter you. It will be the most important dress you will wear and own. Take time to choose it. Now that you can search almost everything online, it will not be hard for you to find one. If you want one that is expensive, there is no need to buy it. Just remember it's cut and the fabric used, then you can buy what you need and go to your favorite dressmaker and let her do her magic on you.
Choose a Simple Meal Course
Plan first on what time of day your wedding and reception will be. It is the day where all your loved ones are present, even those relatives that you don't see for a long time. They might find one to linger more for dancing or just mingling. So if you set your wedding in the morning, you will be serving them lunch, snacks, and even dinner. It is a lot of trouble for you might as well set if for dinner then you'll be doing a one time meal. Also, choose a buffet-style instead of platted one; it is less costly. Select a simple selection of food to serve. Pick what your guests would like to eat since you know most of your guest by heart. If you limit the food selection, you can also limit the amount of food being wasted. Remember eaten or not; you'll still be paying for all of it.
Choose Flower of the Season
Women in general love flowers; there is no wedding without flowers. You dream of a marriage filled with flowers. It can happen but don't buy imported and costly ones. There are plenty that can look as gorgeous as the expensive kind. It will only be depending on the arrangement of the florist. Hydrangea can be your centerpiece; a blue thistle makes a perfect boutonniere flower. A clematis or orchids can be a fancy trailing bouquet. And even roses are available whole year-round and can be used by both genres. All flowers are beautiful, it doesn't have to be expensive for your wedding to be a special one. Remember that you have a budget to meet.
Be Prepared for Unexpected Expenses
What will you do if your one hundred guest capacity turns double? It is a primary problem that may arise. Are you prepared to order more food, additional chairs, and tables? What if your budget is limited to a hundred? It's your wedding day, yet you are stressed out of your head about how you will pay for it. Be prepared, set aside an emergency fund on your budget. If you have a $30,000 account, spend only $25,000 and save the remaining $5,000 as your fallback cash. In doing so, you will have peace of mind. If nothing arises, then this money can be your startup cash after the wedding.
Be a bride with a plan. Spending a lot of money on your wedding can't be an assurance of a grand wedding. You have to make a spending plan to make sure that you'll have enough money to spend on everything that is needed for your wedding. Sticking to your budget will keep you out of debt. Make your wedding a start of a good life ahead of you and not a start of all your difficulties.
