One of the biggest deciding factors in many wedding planning decisions is the wedding budget. Couples need to consider their budget before they begin to plan the wedding or the cost can easily rise higher than expected.
How Does a Couple Begin Budgeting for Their Wedding?
First the couple should figure out who is paying for the wedding. The couple should sit down with each set of parents and discuss the budget. They need to find out if their parents are willing contribute to the fund or what parts of the wedding day the parents are wiling to pay for. Sometimes parents want to pay for something in particular such as the wedding cake, the wedding dress, or the invitations instead of giving a lump sum of money.
The next step in budgeting for a wedding is deciding how much the couple wants to spend on the event. This is the time to be realistic about how much money is saved or can be saved before the big day.
What is a Wedding Budget Worksheet?
A wedding budget worksheet should be the couple’s best friend during the wedding planning process. The couple can find budget worksheets in wedding magazines, on wedding websites, or in wedding planning books. However, the couple should make their own worksheet that reflects their own wedding needs and desires. For example, a wedding budget worksheet online may suggest that ten percent of the budget be spent on flowers and decorations but the couple may not want to spend that much of the budget in that area.
Every wedding purchase should be noted in the wedding budget worksheet. If the bride spends one thousand dollars on her wedding dress and has one thousand and five hundred dollars in her budget for attire, she has five hundred dollars left to buy the veil, shoes and accessories and get alterations made on the dress. If a couple notes each purchase, they will constantly be aware of how much money is left for each part of the wedding.
Do the Couple’s Parents Get to Make Wedding Planning Decisions if They Help Pay for It?
The short answer is yes. If the couple’s parents are giving the couple money to help pay for the wedding, they should be included in the planning process. The couple can limit conflict by doing their research. For example, the couple could research wedding reception vendors and decide on their two top choices. Then they can take their parents to the two locations and ask for their opinions. This way the couple will still get the day they envision while including their parents.
The wedding budget is one of the first things that couples should consider when they begin wedding planning. To make the process easier couples should figure out who is paying for the wedding, discuss how much they are willing to spend, put together a wedding budget worksheet, keep track of all expenses, and include parents on wedding planning decisions if they helped with the cost.
Related ReadingFor more information on wedding budgets, read Wedding Budget Types and Planning a Wedding on a Tight Budget.
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