It’s not as exciting as finding your dress but creating your wedding budget is one of the most important parts. Yet it is often something that remains an after thought for many couples, and it’s not until later in the planning process that it pops up.
As wedding planners though, one of the first questions we ask our clients is, “What is your wedding budget?” Then if they don’t have one, “Can we help you to create one?” Today we’d like to share some ideas about what your budget needs to include, plus our top tips on how to avoid budget blowouts.
Creating a Realistic Wedding Budget
With the average wedding in NZ costing around $30,000, it can be a very expensive day. Being on the same page from the start in terms of budget is therefore vital. First up, decide upon a number; how much are you willing to spend on your wedding? Then next, identify where this money is going to come from; savings, family or borrowing.
From here, use your budget as a guide to make decisions about:
- Ceremony and reception venue
- Number of invited guests
- Bride and groom attire
- Bridal party attire
- Wedding photographer and videographer
- Flowers
- Catering and beverages
- Hireage of wedding furniture, décor and accessories
- Music
- Celebrant
- Wedding transport
We suggest ranking wedding expenses in terms of your priorities. For instance, it is more important to you both that you invite all 150 of your friends and family as guests, but less important is having a live band. Making compromises will be necessary to stay within budget.
As your wedding coordinators, we can most certainly help you to create and stick with your budget. We will also be honest and tell you upfront if something you want is going to be unfeasible, rather than letting you get your hopes up. We’d love to have a chat with you to discuss your upcoming wedding, and we invite you to book a time to chat with us today.
How to Stick within Your Wedding Budget.
Within your budget you will have allocated specific areas with an approximate cost based upon your top priorities. It’s ok to adjust these amounts when required to avoid going over budget, and in fact is preferable to spending extra.
We recommend keeping track of your wedding spending as you go, as this helps to avoid nasty surprises. Other things you can do to remain within budget include:
- Host your wedding on a private property.
- Host your wedding during winter, or on a weekday. Off-peak dates are usually a lot cheaper for venues and catering.
- Host your ceremony and reception at one venue. This avoids paying two venue fees and additional transport costs.
- Hire your wedding décor and furniture instead of purchasing it. Not only is it cheaper, but you are not left with 50 place settings or tablecloths afterwards to sell.
- Work with an experienced wedding planner. Not only do they have many great industry contacts, but they can also help suggest cheaper alternatives and still achieve the wedding of your dreams!
Our goal is to make organising your wedding as stress free as possible, and that includes sticking to your budget! We’d love to meet up with you to discuss your ideas and the ways in which we can help. Contact Leah today to arrange a time to meet up and have a chat.
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