Weddings can easily cost tens of thousands, making it absolutely vital that you stick to your maximum spend. That being said, when you actually start to plan your big day, this can get tricky, as your ideas build and grow. No one wants to start married life with a mountain of debt, so here are some tips to help you stick to your wedding budget.
Know Your Strengths & DIY
I know I’m useless with scissors and have the world’s worst handwriting, but darn it if I don’t have a bit of a knack for design. I knew I wanted a logo so I designed one myself… and I used it on everything. Using Picmonkey + Zazzle, I created our response cards, programs, menus, stickers for favors, and a few other pieces that would have cost at least double if someone else had done them.
But could I have chalk-boarded welcome signs? Nah, fam. Like I said, know your strengths!
Know Your Maximum Spend
To stick to your maximum spend, you need to actually know what this figure is. With that in mind, you should sit down with your partner, take a look at your finances, and come up with a realistic budget that you’re both happy with. Don’t forget that wedding planning often comes with unexpected costs, so you should plan for this by adding an extra 15% on top of the price.
Save Your Money Elsewhere
Once you start saving for your big day, you should keep the money somewhere other than your main bank account. This way, your finances won’t get mixed up, so you won’t spend your wedding fund by accident. Many couples like to store their money on gift cards so that they can only spend the cash on the wedding. This also lets loved ones run errands for you with ease.
Give Yourself Some Time
As long as there’s no real rush to get down the aisle, a longer engagement is preferable. This way, you have more of an opportunity to shop around, compare prices, and wait for price drops, like Amazon Lightning Deals. You also have the chance to haggle with vendors and suppliers without having to worry that you don’t have anyone booked yet. We were engaged for just over a year and it seemed to be the perfect amount of time.
Move Outside Wedding Season
Reception venues, catering halls, and more are all busiest during the wedding season, which spans from mid-April to mid-October. If you want to keep costs low and don’t mind the chillier weather, then tying the knot just before or after this time is the way to go. Even planning for a week or two outside of those months can make a huge difference.
Prepare To Make Compromises
Although there are going to be things you know you want for your wedding, you should try to be open-minded about everything else. Sticking to ideas too closely can leave you spending much more that you can afford to. If you’re happier about making compromises, there will be fewer disappointments along the way.
This came into play with our wedding cake. I’ve mentioned this before, but our cake was actually included with our Mayflower wedding package. However- upgrading the cake from a simple textured icing design to more decoration would have easily cost an extra $600. We opted to purchase some edible glitter and silk flowers to add a little extra flair and we LOVED the way it turned out!
Unload Any Unwanted Items
You are going to have to buy a lot for your big day, most of which you’ll never need to use again. Instead of leaving these things to gather dust in your attic, you should pick out the items you’re not too bothered about keeping and sell them online. This way, even if you spent a little more than you were happy with, you can make some of the money back.
photos by Darrell McDavid Photography
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