Start a Spreadsheet.
Your spreadsheet should have three key components.
- Budget breakdown by category.
- List of all possible spendable items in each category.
- Able to track your spending.
If you can maintain this list and live by this spreadsheet, your wedding will be a success without you going into debt for the big day.
Breakdown your budget by category.
A typical wedding budget will be broken down like this.
- Venue, catering, and bar: 40%
- Photography and videography: 15%
- Wedding attire and beauty: 5%
- Music and entertainment: 10%
- Flowers: 10%
- Favors and gifts: 2%
- Transportation: 3%
- Stationary: 3%
- Cake: 2%
- Decor: 10%
It is important to understand that this is a general template that you can start with. This is your wedding and you can start adjusting based on your priorities and vision for the wedding. If you have a venue that will do the ceremony and reception, you can cut out transportation right now. And if you’re anything like me, I like to include a 5-10% buffer for surprises, but that means I need to cut down somewhere else. So tailor this list according to your liking and understand that it will be a fluid and working budget as you start spending. This will be more clear in the next step.
List all spendable items in each category.
This step is a bit overwhelming, but it will also be nice to delete or add where you see fit. If you do not want a veil or ceremony programs, delete the item and look at what you desire for your wedding. If Grandma is offering to pay for your wedding dress, make sure you put $0.00 on the dress and perhaps you can put more towards something else. Chances are you already have a Pinterest board filled with the vision for your day. Here are spendable items by category.
Venue and catering: event space rental, church donation or officiant fee plus tip, marriage license, tables, chairs, place settings, linens, tips for delivery and setup staff, tips for reception staff and attendants, catering plus tips, cocktail hour and reception bar, bartender services plus tips, champagne toast, liquor license and liability insurance, any upgrades at the venue
Photography and videography: engagement photos, wedding day photos, ceremony and reception raw footage, wedding album, prints, DVD, and/or video
Wedding attire and beauty: wedding dress, reception dress, jewelry, veil, suit or tuxedo, shoes, dress and suit alterations, engagement rings, wedding rings, ring insurance, ring resizing, day-of hair and makeup plus tip, pre-wedding haircuts and colors, manicure and pedicure
Music and entertainment: DJ, live band, tips for the musicians, sound system, microphone, activities and games (e.g., photo booth, corn hole)
