Wedding Planning 101: Cutting Costs

Image Via Buzz Feed

When I stumbled upon this article on Huffington Post about what brides would have done differently for their wedding, it got me thinking. Thinking about wedding budgets. With weddings averaging upwards to 30-50 thousand dollars the burning question that comes to mind is "whose paying for all of this?" Yes on your big day you want to feel like royalty but at what costs? Keeping up with the Joneses is not smart if your going to be broke after having the "wedding no one could forget." Considering your budget and what you can afford is the beginning of the conversation but hang on with us and we'll show you how to make a budget and keep it.

Image Via Huffington Post||NewYork Magazine

Prior Proper Planning

Asking yourself how much is too much to spend is a tough question because it's based on so many factors. Rule number one, disregard all preconceived notions on what the  average wedding budget is and break out your old school calculator and start adding and subtracting. Begin to research prices of your venue, average cost per guest at your venue, and start to build your own list of prices. By looking beforehand you can have a more realistic view of what your dream wedding will look like as compared to your real numbers.

The Cost of wedding

Now that you have a guide you can start thinking in practical terms of what you and your spouse will be comfortable spending. This is also the time you start thinking about your values for your wedding. If you want to create a wonderful experience for your guests then your venue and food should be be areas were you are unwilling to comprise money wise.

Pass the credit card please

Are your parents paying? Will you  and your fiance both be covering all the wedding costs? Or will it be an even split between you, fiancé and your in-laws? Having these conversations early will help avoid that awkward moment between you and your in-laws when you have to ask "are you covering this?" 

If you and your fiancé are covering the total wedding cost be realistic. If you need to save, skip out on going out to dinner every week and start counting your coins.

 Organization is key

The next thing to do is the hardest part for most couples. Setting up a budget. Use a program like excel to create a budget spreadsheet and make a list of everything you'll need for the wedding. Don't forget to add little things like invitations, graphic designer costs, postage, shipping of your dress and the list goes on and on.

 Be sure to add a spend column so you can compare your estimated prices to your actual costs and reallocate money as needed. Don't forget to add an overall budget column too! 

Lastly as well all know in planning, everything doesn't always go as planned and some things end up being more or less then what you budgeted.Create a contingency budget that presents your max budget if needed.

That's all for now, but don't worry we have more! Just stay tuned! Don't forget to share in the comment section on how your budgeting is going!

Still need more help? Want more ideas? We've got em! Contact us and we'll be happy to sit down and talk about some ideas with you! Have some ideas of your own? We'd LOVE to hear them! Share some of your inspiration with us.

 www.zaharasdesign.com

804.464.7327

info@zaharasdesign.com