fbpx
+64 274 672 126 [email protected]

Setting and sticking to a budget

 

Your wedding is most likely one of the biggest events in your life and also one of the biggest events that you need to organise. Getting carried away and spending a fortune is so easy to do. Of course, you want to get your wedding right and make it one to remember, but getting carried away can happen if you’re not careful! Setting a budget is a vital way to keep some money in your pocket at the end. Before you dive madly head first into organizing, read these budgeting tips and tricks to set and stick to your budget.

 

You may have already nailed this part, but if you haven’t, get ready to dream! Envision what you want your wedding to be like, whether it is a picnic in a park, barn style or in a marque. There are so many different wedding styles and settings to get inspiration from that it may become overwhelming. To stop this sudden, “Woah…” feeling don’t think of the specifics straight away, it doesn’t matter what colour the napkins are just yet. Think about the look, the style, the people, and the emotions to keep it unique.

 

Time to smash the numbers. Not everyone has a budget planner that they stick to fully – and that’s fine. But for many couples, a planner needs to be put in place. The first step is to spell out clearly how much money you are comfortable spending? Are just you two contributing, or is family offering you money? If you and your partner have separate bank accounts, how much are both of you putting in? Talking to your parents about money may not always be easy. It’s helpful to go into the discussion with the mindset that they may or may not be able to help out financially. But hey, it’s better to ask than miss out! One number that needs to be discussed is the guest count. No matter where you are or what type of wedding you are having it is important to open up a Google doc and start inputting names of invitees, as the number of guests will definitely have a big effect on your budget.

 

Let’s face it, you and your partner aren’t going to have the same things at the top of their list. A great thing to do is to sit down separately and write both of your priorities – three or four maybe. Then get back together and discuss what you have written down. This way both a little bit of time and money can be focused on the things that are most important to you both.

 

You should now have a starting number of guests, a vague idea of how much money you are willing to spend and a vision of what you want your wedding to look like. Now the hard bit… is it all possible? The sad truth about most weddings is that the numbers don’t add up. It is now time to get real and think is it really possible to have 250 fam and friends at a sit-down dinner for only $4,000?

 

If your numbers do not add up to your original plan, unfortunately, it’s time to reevaluate. There are other options though, such as questioning if it is worth spending the extra money; or should you take some wedding elements out in order to stick to the budget; or change some elements, such as the venue. A great option is DIY, as it is such a cute, personal touch to add to any wedding.

 

When you are creating your budget, look at what is flexible and what is not. If you find a perfect venue for a low price, then set that in stone, make it absolute. It can be so easy to be stuck with that image in your mind of a wedding being palatial and magnificent, with caterers dishing out the food with amazing table pieces and crockery. Your wedding, of course, should be glamorous with that little bit extra… But do you really need to spend all that money? When you think of a wedding as a day you make vows to the person you love and have a great party afterwards, you realise maybe not quite as much money needs to be spent. There have been many weddings that are super cute and memorable with cake in a courtyard. Keep it simple and go back to the basics, and spend money on the things that you actually need!

 

Organising a wedding can be very stressful if you make it that way. If you ever feel tempted to bust the budget, always try to imagine the end picture and what is going to be most important and memorable when you look back on the big day. Beautiful doesn’t always have to be the expensive option. The most important thing to remember is that weddings are meant to be celebrated with the people you love.

We are experts are helping our clients set a budget and then helping them stick to it. Get in touch to see if we can help you.