 Planning a wedding comes with a lot of costs. Enter setting a wedding budget—and sticking to it! Determining your priorities and allocating expenses early in the planning process will ensure your big day looks like the wedding you’ve always envisioned. As wedding planners, we frequently assist couples with this step. No matter how big or small the budget, the importance of tracking every expense is a constant! While online calculators exist to help with this, there’s no replacement for an experienced planner to help you build your wedding budget. The calculator can give you an idea of which categories should constitute your overall budget, but its usefulness stops there. Using a generalized percentage system to determine how much of your budget should go into each bucket isn’t realistic. Not only does pricing vary wildly from state to state, but a calculator doesn’t know your unique priorities! Working one-on-one with a planner is the wisest choice for setting a realistic wedding budget. However, we recognize that a planner’s services may not be in the budget for some couples. We also know that many couples prefer to have a solid foundation of knowledge before talking to their planner! No matter the reason, we’re glad you’re here, and we hope to shed light on setting a wedding budget you can stick to. Here’s your budgeting roadmap! 6 Steps for Setting a Wedding BudgetTalk to Your FamiliesIf your family will help you pay for the wedding, this is the first place to start. Gently initiate a conversation about budgeting to determine who will contribute and how much. Often, people already know which aspect of the wedding day they want their money going toward—usually one of the essentials like flowers or stationery. Likewise, there may be “extras” they’d prefer you to cover. Respect their wishes, and use what they tell you to determine how much you and your partner will be responsible for.  Outline Your PrioritiesSit down with your partner and determine your priorities for your wedding day. Is it delicious food? Gorgeous mountain views? Or an incredible guest experience? Once you know your nonnegotiables, you can ensure they remain the primary focus of your budget. Otherwise, you may allocate too much for items that don’t top your wishlist. Get OrganizedNext, create a categorized list or spreadsheet with each of your budget “buckets”—online calculators can help with this step. Review the list with your budget contributors to determine if the overall budget will encompass each item or if a separate fund will cover certain ones. For example, we often observe that the bride’s dress, couple’s rings, and honeymoon get pulled from the wedding budget and paid separately.  Plug in the NumbersHopefully, by now, you’ve chosen and booked your venue. The venue site fee often represents the most significant portion of a wedding budget, so it’s imperative to plug this number into your budgeting spreadsheet as soon as possible. Your venue will also dictate expenses relevant to items like the bar, catering, and décor rentals, depending on what their packages do and don’t cover. Use Percentage Recommendations as a GuideGeneric budgeting calculators can also come in handy for this step. However, they aren’t the end all be all. You can use their percentage recommendations as a guide when outlining your budget—as long as you keep in mind that these tools advise allocating a lower amount for each bucket than most experienced vendors command. As a rule, it’s better to expect to pay MORE than less to avoid exceeding your overall budget.  Remember Your PrioritiesEven after outlining specific “wants,” it’s easy to get swept up in trends and down payments and forget what you want your wedding day to look like. Look at your priorities again to determine if they’re still accurate. If they are, ensure that a realistic portion of your budget gets set aside for them! Ultimately, the best advice for setting a wedding budget is: to set a wedding budget. We’ve witnessed too many couples make the mistake of skipping this step and paying for it (literally!). As long as you manage your expenses by referring to your budget often and updating it as your vendor team grows, you can count on success. Of course, if you’d like professional guidance throughout the process, Sapphire Celebrations would love to help! Our planning packages encompass the entire wedding planning process, from setting your budget to management on the big day. If our services interest you, we would love to connect! Vendors:Comments are closed.
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Angela Johnston
LET’S CONNECT TO START DESIGNING YOUR DISTINCTIVE COLORADO EVENT TODAY
Sapphire Celebrations combines the energy, perspective and creativity of two generations when planning weddings and events throughout Colorado. Founded by a mother and daughter team, Sapphire Celebrations reflects their Colorado heritage. With family roots dating back to 1907 and covering the northeastern plains and Rocky Mountain vistas, there is no team better qualified to plan your Colorado wedding or special event. Pamela and Angie are proud of the high level of service for which Sapphire Celebrations has come to be known. Two principal wedding designers and four event concierges take pride in exceeding the expectations of couples who entrust us with their wedding day. Archives
June 2024
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