A brides best planning tool
is her Wedding Budget!
General Wedding Budget Tips to get you on the right path to planning your wedding day.
1. Your long term financial plan should always be considered when planning your wedding budget. If you are planning to buy a house, continue your education or start a family you may want to consider having a small, intimate and meaningful wedding instead of the big, lavish, dream wedding.
2. This can be accomplished by maintaining a guest list containing 175 to 125 family and friends.
3. Save money by planning your wedding for earlier in the day (luncheon), which is less expensive than later in the evening (dinner/dancing). Having the ceremony and reception at the same location will also save you money. Our site has many simple and money saving wedding decorating ideas to help you save even more money.
4. Decide what you “must have” to make your wedding day special and focus on those items and compromise on the less important items.
5. Traditionally the bride’s family has been known to pay for the wedding, but this is no longer the case. Couples are setting a new trend and are now paying for a large portion of the wedding themselves, although both family normally do contribute to the wedding expenses.
6. If your parents offer to contribute to your wedding expenses you should gracefully accept their generous offer and let them know that although you are grateful for the financial assistance you want them to understand and agree to let you have the final say in the decision making process, since it is your wedding.
7. If your parents don’t offer, you may have to ask each of your parents for help. Always be sensitive to your parent’s financial situation and don’t be upset if they cannot contribute as much as you would like or need them to. It’s best to meet with each set of parents separately.
8. Be sure to prepare your budget before speaking to your parents. They will appreciate the fact that you have given your budget serious thought and can provide them a better idea of what their money will be used for.
Here is a $20,000 Sample Wedding Budget
Wedding Item Budget $20,000
Food - 40 % $8,000
Reception - 10 % $2,000
Attire - 12 % $2,400
Flowers - 8 % $1,600
Photography - 5 % $1,000
Videography - 2 % $400
Music - 7 % $1,400
Invitations - 3 % $600
(Save on your invitations with Simple Wedding Ideas)
Gifts & Favors - 4 % $800
(Simple Wedding Ideas has money saving Favor Ideas)
Wedding Rings - 2 % $400
Ceremony - 2 % $400
(Use Simple Wedding Decorating Ideas to decorate your ceremony)
Transportation - 1 % $200
Miscellaneous - 4 % $800
Start creating your own wedding budget. The best way to adhere to your budget is to write down every estimate and actual cost and be sure to use Simple Wedding Decorating Ideas to save you money.
Must have items Estimate or Actual Cost
Wedding Dress
Tuxedo
Rings
Wedding Ceremony Site
Reception Site
Flowers
Food/Caterer
Beverages/Alcohol
Other Expenses
Invitations
Photographer
Videographer
Music
Gifts & Favors
(Get Great Wedding Decorating Ideas for your Favors)
Transportation
Miscellaneous
Important Vendor Contract Tips: Always get everything in writing to ensure you get exactly what you have agreed to with each vendor. Your contract will guarantee that each wedding vendor will deliver exactly what they promised on your wedding day. Read each contract very carefully and be sure each contains the following:
Day, Date, Price
Deposit Amount Required & Paid
Balance Due with Date
Payment Schedule
Delivery date, times & locations
Detailed list of service or products ordered including:
-Type of flowers, color, number of flower in bouquet, etc.
-Services to be provided (i.e. Photography, Videographer, Music) Number of hours, breaks, etc.
-Number of table & chairs ordered, color & number of table cloths ordered, etc.
-Be sure to make add changes to each contract, if changes are made during the planning process.
-Be sure your vendor has a “back-up plan” in case the vendor gets sick, has an accident, etc. on your wedding day.
-How will your vendor be dressed? This will assure that your vendor will be appropriately dressed at your event.
-Get the name & phone number of the person or persons that will be in charge of each service on your wedding day.
-Get cancellation and/or refund policy in writing.
-Each contract must be signed and dated or the contract to make it valid.
-If possible pay with a credit card. Federal consumer protection laws protect all payments made with credit cards.
-Protect your investment by purchasing wedding insurance. A variety of plans are available.
I hope that these simple wedding budget tips have been helpful to you as you plan the wedding of your dreams.
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