Tips for Budgeting Your Wedding
Congrats on getting engaged! How did he (or she) do it, in front of the Eiffel Tower? A sky writer? Atop the Empire State Building at night with a bunch of peonies? Well, whatever the situation was now you’re engaged and after the magic wears off you’re left with a monster of a task in front of you: planning your wedding.
Big or small, weddings can cost a lot of money so we are here to let you in on all of the budgeting secrets so that you can have the wedding of your dreams without having to donate your plasma for extra money.
Make a spreadsheet of all of the expenses you will have or will potentially have
You may not think you would need to budget for a second pair of wedding shoes because your dog ate your original pair and has yet to pass the stiletto heel in the backyard but it could happen! And we know, It sounds like quite the task, and it most definitely is, but if you take the time create a spreadsheet of every single thing you can think of that you may need for your wedding day it will make the process so much easier to just have a number that you can reference for the duration of your planning. However, it is very easy to miss a lot of the little things that go into a wedding and thats what we here at Ivory & Beau are here for. Check out our planning packages here.
2. Figure out what is most important to you and your significant other
Now, we understand that maybe a planner is not of the utmost priority for you (worry not, our feelings are not hurt). If that is the case, a great way to organize your spreadsheet is by prioritizing what is the most important to you and your significant other. Whether that be food, drink, music, etc. make a list of what would make you guys the happiest. What is the Ivory & Beau most important element to a wedding you ask? The photographer and videographer. Photo and video are some of the ONLY elements of your day that you will get to keep forever after the wedding is over, so in our opinion, spending the most money on quality photo and video of your wedding day is the most important thing.
3. Collaborate with those who are helping you with your wedding
It is important to include whoever is helping you pay for the wedding in your plans. You can divvy up the costs between your parents, friends, grandparents, etc. or whoever else is offering to help and that way you know what budget you are working with!
4. Figure out where you can skimp
This may go along with prioritizing but figuring out where you can skimp is the best way you can save some $$$. And skimping does NOT mean buying cheap items or services that will end up making your wedding day a bit more chaotic than it needs to be. By skimping we mean figuring out if there are certain things that can be DIYed or maybe bought online for cheaper, do your research is what we are saying and don’t just by the first 20 crystal blue vases you see…look around!
5. Save & save & save
This is an obvious one but if you can, give yourself a solid amount of time to just save up money for your wedding. Whether that be designating a portion of each of your paychecks to a wedding fund or having a jar in the kitchen for spare change, every little bit helps and you’ll be happy you have some fun money to play around with come the wedding, or even the honeymoon!
Check out our video on YouTube or IGTV for a more in-depth conversation on this topic!
