Your budget is one of the first things you will discuss when planning your wedding. Below are the first three wedding budget decisions you will need to make. Once you have these three decisions made, you will then set and determine the overall budget for your entire wedding day.
Wedding Budget Decision #1: Venue
Your wedding location will play a leading role in the creation of your budget. Venues in popular areas may charge more than smaller venues outside of central cities. Each space may also have different packages and policies that you will need to consider. For example, some may require you to use their preferred vendors, some of which might not fit in with your final budget. There may also be minimum catering requirements that fall beyond your guest list. It is essential to look at the average costs of areas and venues before deciding where you want to get married.
Wedding Budget Decision #2: Date
Wedding seasons and the different days in a week can make a big difference to final costs. Were you planning to get married on a Saturday in the summer? You may pay more for your wedding than had you chosen a Friday or Sunday in November. After you have narrowed down your venue choices, inquire with them during your initial consultations to determine if you can save on any money by moving your wedding to another season or day of the week. Other vendors might also be able to offer you discounts for off-peak days and seasons. Pink Spruce Photography offers discounts for Sunday wedding dates!
Once you have your venue and date chosen, you can begin to book your other vendors. But, before you can finalize your overall budget, you will need to know one last thing.
Wedding Budget Decision #3: Guest List
Your guests will take up a large portion of your budget, so it pays to be sensible about who you are inviting. You will face multiple types of charges per guest for everything from drinks and food to the chair your guest is seated in. Ensure you fully understand which expenses are per guest. Do not forget details such as favors and invites. Also, keep in mind that your wedding party will count towards your guest total, but you will also have additional expenses such as wedding party gifts to factor in for each member. Not only does your total guest count matter, but so does the number of loved ones you ask to be a part of your wedding party.
After booking your venue, securing a wedding date, and calculating costs based on the number of guests you plan to have in attendance, you can then fill in the rest of your budget and start booking your additional vendors.
Bonus Wedding Budget Decision
Here’s a bonus wedding budgeting tip: Working with a wedding planner from the get-go could be an added savings as they can often help you find better prices and keep you on track financially throughout the planning process.
Read more wedding planning blog posts here.
The wedding featured in this blog post was captured by Pink Spruce Photography at Myrick Park in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Pink Spruce Photography is a boutique destination wedding photographer based in the Midwest. See all of the weddings and engagements Pink Spruce has captured at Myrick Park here. Are you interested in booking Pink Spruce for your own wedding? Please fill out the inquiry form, and Jen will be in touch!
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