Let’s chat about the big scary word that keeps popping up during wedding planning… BUDGET. If you haven’t done research around your geographical area on standard wedding costs, I would definitely suggest it before you book anything!! Every wedding looks different, but there are some costs that you just can’t avoid. It’s important to know average wedding costs in your geographical area to set appropriate standards before you start planning.
Now, let’s dive in to a couple of cost saving measures for you to consider before diving into wedding planning:
1) GUEST COUNT
This may seem super obvious to you, but it’s important to think about. Adding just one additional person to your guest list can add hundreds of dollars to your budget: i.e. chair, place setting, meal, drinks, cake, sparkler for send off, and so much more.
2) FLORAL
I have seem some of my floral budgets be the same cost as one of my smaller weddings. It’s important to have reasonable exceptions when it comes to floral. Usually I suggest around 30% of the budget be set aside for design. This can go up depending on your style! Be mindful of how big and how many arrangements you are requesting, reuse everything you can, and be flexible on the types of flowers based on season and price. Be upfront with your florist about your budget.
3) BAR
Everybody likes to have a good time at a wedding, and of course a little liquid courage helps a dance floor thrive! So how do we manage our bar cost on a budget? As great as an open bar sounds, if your budget doesn’t allow it here are a couple of other options: Have a few select beer and wine choices available and create signature drinks, this will lower your bar tab but keep the juices flowing all night! Or you can set your budget at a number and once your tab reaches that number switch to a cash bar.
4) VENUE
Figure out what style your wedding will be before booking your venue. Sometimes spending a little more on your venue will save on your design budget. It takes a lot of money to cover up an out of style inexpensive venue, but way less to accent what’s already beautiful! It’s also important to know if tables, chairs, linens, etc are included and whether that will affect your budget later as well.
5) CAKE CAKE CAKE
To be honest, you’d probably cry if you knew how much wedding cake I’ve thrown away at the end of the night… Instead of a big huge traditional cake that will most likely not get eaten, try some of these alternatives: donuts, cupcakes, decorated cookies, macaroons, bundtinis. Or get a small single tier cake for cutting and photo ops, then have sheet cakes of the same flavor in the back for catering to cut, your guests will never know the difference.
Hope this helps you with some tips and tricks to shape your budget. Find me on social media to let me know if these tips were helpful! @bettertogetherplanning
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