Forming a wedding budget, knowing what features are most important to both of you and finalizing what you are willing to spend before you start booking reception halls and buying dresses is essential. Many people do not realize how expensive weddings can be and burst their budgets before they even get started. The following checklist will help you prioritize what you want to spend your wedding dollars on and form a budget that you can stick to.
First, decide how much you want to spend on the wedding as a whole
Final responsibility for wedding costs has been stated by tradition but there is really no right or wrong way to handle the costs. It is really a matter of personal preference. Some of the options are...
- Bride's parents assume all primary costs
- Groom's parents assume all primary costs
- Both sets of parents share all primary costs
- Both sets of parents and bride and groom share all primary costs
- Bride and Groom assume all primary costs
When setting your budget priorities, compromise on quantity and not quality!
The amount of your budget will not necessarily determine the style of your wedding: you can have a formal wedding and reception on a limited budget with careful planning and a smaller guest list.
When dividing your budget among the necessary expenses, keep the following percentages in mind (theses are average wedding categories and budget percentages)
- Transportation - 2%
- Bridesmaids' Gifts - 2%
- Rentals - 3%
- Stationary - 4%
- Music - 4%
- Photography - 9%
- Flowers - 10%
- Bridal attire - 13%
- Reception - 50%
- Miscellaneous Fees - 3%
To determine a guideline dollar amount for each category in your budget, use this equation...
your total budget x each item's estimated percentage =
dollar allotment for each item
Prioritized the following aspects according to what is most important to you...
- Number of guest to be invited
- Wedding Site (church, synagogue, hotel, club, at home)
- Reception Location (church hall, hotel, club, at home)
- Bridal Attire
- Food and Beverages (what kind and how they will be served)
- Flowers (what kind and how many)
- Photographs (to be taken by a professional or family friend)
- Music (soloists, live music, taped music, dancing)
- Transportation (a limo, luxury rental care, family car)
After having computed the amounts for each category, you may want to re-evaluate your priorities. Make whatever adjustments are necessary to more closely meet your expectations.
Your budget should be flexible enough so that unexpected costs will not ruin it.
You can usually expect to pay from 10 to 50 percent as a deposit for all services. (This deposit is often required in cash.)
You may want to consider opening a new checking account allotted exclusively for your wedding and reception expenses.