Paying for a wedding can easily cost you over $10,000 if you’re not careful about your budget! This is rarely the kind of money people just have lying around, and most couples have to save for around a year before they finally tie the knot.
The idea of bankrupting yourself before your wedding is a scary one, so let’s make your budget proposal a much more relaxing prospect!
As such, it’s key to plan your wedding budget to a level that is realistic, while still allowing you to have the big day you’ve dreamed of. To do that, we recommend keeping the three things below in mind as you go.
How Many Guests Will Be Coming?
The size of your guest list will decide how expensive various other factors involved in your wedding will be. For one, the cost of the catering, as the larger the guest list, the more food you need to provide.
Secondly, you may need to get a bigger venue in order to invite as many people as you want, as capacity limits can be strict. Writing down a list of the people you and your partner want to come along is crucial, but so is thinning out that list a little! Putting a hard upper limit on the guest number, such as 100 max, is usually the best way to go.
What Kind of Venue are You Interested in?
So, where do you want to get married? This is the key question behind finding the right wedding venue for you, in a location that offers the kind of backdrop you always imagined. Once you’ve got this idea locked down in your head, you can start scouting out potential venues and get an idea of what places like these will cost.
You can do this from the comfort of your own home by using a booking site to find a wedding venue that springs to mind immediately, and you can then find plenty of other recommendations that offer the same setting, amenities, services, and backdrop. You may even find there’s a wide price gap between them all, and that could make planning your wedding budget a lot simpler!
What Else are You Currently Paying for?
Couples who are about to get married usually have a bunch of other bills to deal with too. You may be trying to afford your first home together, and you’re in the middle of saving up a deposit. Or you may already have a mortgage, and now you’ve got hefty recurring payments to fork out for in the long term.
Either way, a wedding isn’t the only big thing you’re budgeting for right now. Don’t forget this when you’re putting cash into the matrimonial pot. Only put away what you can afford, and think about extending your wedding timeline by a few more months.
A wedding budget is a tricky thing to put together. Use the checklist above to ensure you’ve remembered the most important factors.