A wedding budget allows you to estimate and adjust costs for each item you want for your wedding such as flowers, food, her dress, his suit or tux. It allows you to reallocate money from one category to another if it is needed. It’s a tool for maintaining open communications with your partner, your parents, your partner’s parents, and any other decision makers. Here is a roadmap to create a wedding budget you can live with easitly!
Hey, John!
Nicole and I are planning our wedding. How much money should we budget for our wedding?
Thanks!
Kirk in Canby, Oregon
Hey, Kirk!
Thank you for this great question!
I suggest that you think in terms of percentages: What percentage of your budget should be spent on flowers? Or rings? Or the reception?
The way I set it up is to list the budget idem (attire, photographer, or cake) in the left column of an Excel spreadsheet.
In the column next to that, I put the percentage.
In the six columns after that, I list $5,000 wedding, $10,000 wedding, $15,000 wedding, $20,000 wedding, $30,000 wedding, and $50,000 wedding. Then I pull out my handy dandy calculator and start figuring out my numbers.
Let me be specific. Here are the items and the percentage of your budget:
- Invitations & stationery: 2% of your budget
- Transportation: 3%
- Wedding Rings: 9%
- Wedding Clothes: 7%
- Hair & Make-up: 1%
- Ceremony & Reception Venue Rental: 37%
- Catering: 29%
- Cake: 2%
- Alcohol: 8%
- Event Rentals (tables, chairs, plates, silverware): 6%
- Wedding Planner: 6%
- Marriage License and Officiant: 1%
- Flowers: 8%
- Lighting & Decorations: 6%
- Photography & Videography: 16%
- Ceremony Musicians: 3%
- Band: 13%
- DJ: 5%
- Guest Entertainment (poets, painters, dancers): 4%
- Favors and Gifts: 1%.
|
Item |
% of budget |
$5,000 wedding |
$10,000 |
$15,000 |
$20,000 |
$30,000 |
|
Invitations and stationery |
2% |
$100 |
$200 |
$300 |
$400 |
$600 |
|
Transportation |
3% |
$150 |
$300 |
$450 |
$600 |
$900 |
|
Rings |
9% |
$450 |
$900 |
$1350 |
$1800 |
$2700 |
|
Clothes |
7% |
$350 |
$700 |
$1050 |
$1400 |
$2100 |
|
Hair & Make-up |
1% |
$50 |
$100 |
$150 |
$200 |
$300 |
|
Venue Rental |
37% |
$1850 |
$3700 |
$5550 |
$$7400 |
$11,100 |
|
Catering |
29% |
$1450 |
$2900 |
$4350 |
$5800 |
$8700 |
|
Cake |
2% |
$100 |
$200 |
$300 |
$400 |
$600 |
|
Alcohol |
8% |
$400 |
$800 |
$1200 |
$1600 |
$2400 |
|
Event Rentals |
6% |
$300 |
$600 |
$900 |
$1200 |
$1800 |
|
Wedding Planner |
6% |
$300 |
$600 |
$900 |
$1200 |
$1800 |
You and your partner could negotiate.
Example 1: If you send e-mailed invitations instead of printed, you save that money in your budget.
Example 2: Let’s say that one of you has their heart set on peonies. In season—a few weeks in spring—peonies are less expensive.
Option 1: Move your wedding to a spring date which your florist suggests.
Option 2: Reduce expenses for the bride’s dress and groom’s suit and reallocate that money to flowers.
Questions you might ask yourselves:
- Do you rent the groom a tuxedo or buy him a beautiful, tailored suit he can later use for job interviews or important meetings?
- Do you need ceremony music, a band, and a DJ?
- Do you need Guest Entertainment?
If you have questions, reach out to me!
Your friend in the wedding business,
John Shyne
Images courtesy of Pixabay.com.
© 2023. Come Rain or Shyne, LLC. All rights reserved.
