Basic rule:
Prioritize. Planning. We don’t want everything at once on a limited budget. We must be able to choose. We think sensibly, and discourage impulse purchases.
In practice, all budgets for key areas are distributed as follows (this is an average data, each wedding is individual):
- 30−35% - Restaurant and banquet
- 15−20% - Décor, floristry, and officiating
- 20−25% - Wedding photographer and videographer
- 15% - Entertainment and hostess
- 15−20% - Images of the bride and groom
- 5% - Printing, transportation and other expenses
Often, because of the inability to intelligently allocate their costs and expenses, it turns out that the organization of the wedding is very expensive for the newlyweds. A popular situation is when impressive purchases are made before budgeting. As a consequence, there is not enough money for the banquet menu, but the wedding dress from the designer is already hanging in the closet.
I urge you to plan your shopping and spending. Make sure you don’t just have to write them down afterwards and get upset. I have a budget planner for you to help you calculate your expenses and overall budget. Email me and I’ll provide it to you completely free of charge.
Write a list of your top, priority services, opposite the average price for them. This will help you navigate and choose the best deals.
Six ways to cut wedding costs:
- Rent things you can do without buying.
- If you can do without it, don’t buy it.
- Don’t skimp on something that has a lasting effect and directly affects quality and memories.
- Optimize your travels. Minimize the amount of wedding trivia.
- Keep track of your budget. Plan, not write down expenses as they are incurred.
- Don’t skimp on what’s valuable to you!
Budget in advance for 5−10% of your budget for various contingencies. This will help you stay within your overall budget.
There is no such thing as a small thing. In my own wedding experience, I can tell you that all of these small expenses then translate into a tangible penny. So let’s forget the phrase «it's a trifle» and keep track. It’s clear that there are major expenditures, and then there are less important, which still affect the final amount. If you don’t take them into account, you are not in control of your budget. Write down all your spending in a budget planner. Divide all of your wants into high-priority and less important ones. Those that have a lower priority, order last.
Mistakes that directly lead to higher budgets:
- Making quick and rash decisions.
- Acting without comparing prices.
- Not keeping track of costs and budgets.
- Not comparing prices.
- Not setting priorities at the outset.
- Saving on everything to the detriment of quality.
- Try to please everyone.
- Want a wedding «like theirs.
- Indulge in trends.
- Not keeping track of small expenditures.
- Fail to set a budget.
- Changing the number of guests.
- Buy a wedding dress before approving the format and style of the wedding.
Invite only those who really matter and who you want to see.
I perfectly understand that every bride wants everything to be perfect on her wedding day. Consider the example where the florist is shown a picture and asked to embody it with 100% consistency. But also, there is a second option, to replace the flowers with similar in appearance and color, but much cheaper. Replace royal roses from the gardens of France, with ordinary roses of the same shade. Visually the picture will be the same, but you will save your budget for other purposes.
I’m not telling you to give up on your ideas, things you’ve been dreaming of. Just look wider, be able to substitute and compromise if your budget is limited. And in some places, you can just trust the performer, just stipulating the concept and budget. This way, you will save some money, and the preparation for the wedding itself will be less exhausting and nerve-wracking.
Only you decide what should be at your wedding.
Wedding venue.
Sometimes it is cheaper and more reasonable to choose one venue that includes a room for the gathering, a beautiful place for the ceremony and a restaurant for the banquet. And sometimes a park area for a photo shoot. This at first glance may not seem logical. But, as a rule, you can use less decor at such sites, you do not need to spend money on renting chairs, and you save a lot on moving, both time and money. At the same time, do not waste nerves while waiting in traffic jams. Initially, choose a venue of suitable style. In the decor of flowers — the most expensive part, you can use analogues of expensive varieties of flowers, try to decorate with fabrics, glass, mirrors, wood.
