If you are currently planning a wedding, or helping to plan a wedding, this post is for you. As someone who has planned her own wedding, I myself have fallen victim to these wedding budget mistakes. A wedding can be a tremendous expense and if you’ve visited my blog before, you know that I’m a big advocate for spending you money wisely. A wedding is a once in a lifetime moment (hopefully) so it’s okay to make it count and splurge a little. However, don’t get caught with your pants down (figuratively speaking). From unplanned expenses, to useless expenditures, keep reading to learn how to avoid these top wedding budget mistakes.
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Most people will tell you to focus on the big expenses which include the venue, entertainment, and food. While these expenses will likely suck up most of your budget, there are other things sprinkled in between that can take you over budget. For example, wedding bands, flower girl accessories, bridal party gifts, and vendor tips are too often considered after thoughts when budgeting. I recommend you allocate a “sludge” fund in your wedding (about 10%) of your budget for miscellaneous items that will come up throughout the process. Alternatively, there are plenty of free downloadable wedding spreadsheets that list out all of these expenses so you’ll be sure to remember. These spreadsheets at Off Beat Bride cover everything from pre-planning to day of.
If you’ve just started planning a wedding, you’ve likely conducted a bit of research on what everything might cost. However, the costs you’re likely being served via a quick Google search tend to be national averages. As someone who lives in a major metropolitan city, imagine my surprise when my floral budget tripled vs. what I had planned, all because I didn’t do the correct research. I based my calculations off flimsy data that didn’t support my wedding size or location. Before you commit to anything, get quotes from a few vendors. Wedding websites like theknot make it very easy by providing a singular point of contact with vendors via their vendor manager section. They also run several promotions with discounts and free samples to help you work through those costs. Alternatively, tracking vendors and their estimates via a simple spreadsheet will go a long way. Conducting this sort of thorough research upfront will prevent sticker shock down the road. Additionally, having a better idea of where your total budget will land, will allow you to adequately save ahead of time. If you’re having trouble getting started on saving, you can check out our list of Ways to Save Money Fast.
Maybe you or your future spouse has been dreaming of a royal-esque wedding since the days diapers. However, the reality is that your wedding day is really just about the two of you. All those other things are just their for entertainment and shouldn’t take away from your moment. For example, let’s avoid the big wedding parties. I still have no idea how brides or grooms manage to have double digit parties-on both sides! It’s a beautiful thing to have your family and friends close to you while celebrating. However, maybe they can all celebrate with you-without the matching dresses. Large wedding parties end up being costly on both ends. Additionally, for the ladies who are reading, let’s be honest-you never wore that dress again.
It’s amazing how much vendors will get you to spend on things no one cares about or notices-literally. From monogrammed cocktail napkins, to engraved party favors, these little things add up and don’t bring incremental value to your day. Ironically, many of these “personalized” items end up looking generic and dated. My advice for bringing more personality to the wedding is to invest your money into something that speaks to you as a couple. For example, in lieu of party favors, my fiancé and I made a donation to a local animal shelter as we’re both animal lovers. We printed cards for guest to read at the table, letting them know we made a donation in their name. A gesture like this allows you to better control your budget and is far more personal than monogrammed napkins.
Yes this is your day and yes you want it to be perfect. However, unless money is no object, you will be faced with choices. Prioritize the big expenditures and mandatories first like the venue, entertainment, food, etc, and then start tacking on everything else like favors, centerpieces, Photo Booth, etc. At some point you may have to make choices between what’s more important. The good news is that a superior vendor will work with you. I wanted to keep my flower budget low so I asked my florist to create varying centerpieces with flowers and candles to minimize costs. Negotiating and streamlining are also great tactics for reducing costs. My fiancé and I were able to reduce our entertainment cost by over $1,000 by purchasing not just the entertainment, but the lighting and Photo Booth from a single vendor. Photographers can also offer flexible packages to shoot half a day vs. the full day. There are many ways to get most of what you want but it may require you to be a little flexible and prioritize.
Your wedding day is special and it’s important to have it be a reflection of you and your future spouse. However, planning a wedding that has gone way over budget can add significant stress to you and your relationship. Avoid these mistakes to help you and your spouse get off to a strong start. Not sure how to even approach your future spouse about money? Don’t worry- I have a free downloadable guide to help you work through those difficult conversations.