Sarah Lizabeth Barker - Planning A Wedding For Dummies

TABLE 3-3What’s Included in Your Wedding Budget?

There are several pieces to the pie that someone may pay for, so you don’t have to include that in your total budget. For example, maybe your parents have given you money for your wedding, but they want to also pay for your dress and aren’t considering that as an item you need to include in your budget. Or maybe you have a relative who hasn’t given you money for your wedding but wants to pay for your cake.

Use Table 3-4as a guide to help you set up an Excel file that will include all your wedding budget needs, how much each vendor costs, payments made, the date of those payments, the remaining balance due, and your total budget. The reason to do this in an electronic form is so that you can adjust the budget as needed based on your specific requirements.

TABLE 3-4Sample Budget in Excel

Percentages of how much you should spend per item do not hold as much clout as they did in the past. Remember, the key is to consider what is most important to you and your fiancé. Table 3-5is designed to serve as a guide, to give you a general idea of how much you should spend on each category. It’s not going to fit you exactly, so if you don’t need an item, allocate that percentage to something important to you. The categories are set up to be very vague so that everything under that category fits within the percentage.

TABLE 3-5Budget Percentages

Let’s talk about who you know. Is there anyone in your life who provides a service that you need for your wedding? Resourcing your connections can help you save money on your budget. If someone provides a service you need (not a product), you may even eliminate the financial obligation if they donate the service to you for your wedding day.

In the next chapter, we’ll discuss picking your perfect team. Using your connections can be very valuable in saving money for your wedding. However, sometimes, you get what you pay for. We’ll spend time discussing that soon, but for now, if it’s an important item on your list, make sure you’re using a pro. For an item that isn’t as important, this is an area where you can save.

Once you have determined how much you have to spend, if you find yourself over budget, reach out to people you know and see if there is a resource you could use to save some money. Your friends will hopefully be the most honest resource you have in picking good vendors and saving you some money. Social media is also a great resource to see who your friends have booked for their events or if you have any friends who provide a service you need. Additionally, there are several local forums where other couples post what they’re looking for and their budget. If you need to save money in a certain vendor category, resource those forums and ask for referrals.

Regarding flowers and decor, hit up the local buy-sell trade. After a wedding, couples often sell the items they don’t need anymore. It’s a resource to purchase linens, candles, and table decor. My only caution about this is that you need to make sure it’s worth the savings. If all the candles are already almost burned fully, there’s no need to purchase those. If the linens are stained and in bad shape, then try renting those through your rental company.