Taking Charge of Your Wedding Budget
We love weddings but more importantly we love marriage. It’s important to remember why you are walking down the aisle and that can be harder to do when wedding stress takes over. It’s our wish that your wedding experience will be one that reminds you for years to come of how amazing love and partnership can be. It’s our hope that your wedding will be the beginning of many adventures together. In order for that to be the case, it’s our wish that you manage wedding stress and prioritize your wedding planning in a way that allows you to enjoy your “I dos.” We’re working through a series of topics to help navigate wedding planning based on the amazing couples we’ve worked with and how they made sure to keep their focus on what was really important to them. Today is a biggie, taking charge of your wedding budget. It is in no way easy to budget for a wedding, or anything else for that matter. Money can be a huge source of stress and that’s why you need to control it rather than letting it control you.
avoid getting sucked into myths
There’s a lot of information out there regarding wedding budgets. Some sites will break down what percentage of your overall budget you should spend on various items. Your wedding budget will be unique to you because your priorities might be different than any other bride out there. Additionally, services cost what they cost. You can’t go to a caterer and tell them that you think you should spend $5 per person because your budget calculator told you so. You’ll have to do some legwork and find out how much things actually cost. Take a deep breath before doing so as some of the numbers might shock you. It might help to get two different numbers, one for your ideal vendor and one for the vendor that’s good enough if you can’t afford your ideal vendor.
know that you can do a lot with a little
Your wedding guests are attending in order to help celebrate your love, they don’t necessarily care about the details. Of course, that doesn’t mean you don’t want to create a great experience for them and make sure they have a fun time. There are an endless list of ideas on pinterest and wedding planning blogs which can make you feel like you have a million things you need to do. Instead, search for the ideas that provide a big bang for your buck. Find the ideas that are inexpensive and yet memorable, the less is more mentality, the things you can DIY or delegate to a talented friend. As photographers, we know how to photograph your personal touches in a way that tells your wedding story regardless of what you spent on them.
decide what you actually need
Staying in your budget is a must but fitting everything into your budget might not be possible. Decide what items are most important to you and fit those in first. Then, find creative solutions to fit in the other categories. Here are a few ideas we’ve seen, they might not all appeal to you but the point is there’s more than one way to slice a cake… literally. Ideas: Get a small cake to cut and then serve sheet cake to your guests. Or, skip the fancy and expensive wedding cake and have all of your aunts bring a pie. Make your own flowers, you can even do it ahead of time with dried or preserved flowers. Have a lunch wedding instead of a dinner one. Serve wine and beer and let your guest purchase their own cocktails. Choose an epic location that needs minimal decoration because it’s so beautiful. Limit your guest list. Don’t get me wrong, custom designed invitations from an amazing stationer are worth their weight in gold. But if you don’t have the gold, you might not be able to have that on your wedding list. Choose a few things that are important to you and do them really well.
In summary:
- avoid wedding budget myths and figure out what works for you
- know that you can do a lot with a little
- decide what you actually need and ignore the rest
Know that when you look back through your wedding album and re-live your wedding day, you won’t see the money you spent. Rather you will see the joy you felt, the people you were surrounded by, and the setting you created for the wedding day. Find ways to craft a wedding day that enhances your experience because it matches your style and personality. We’ve seen it done equally beautifully with budgets of all sizes.
FREE comprehensive e-guide: Prioritize your planning so your wedding is a memorable adventure.
Stay tuned to the Bergreen Blog as we continue to tackle various topics that are cause for wedding stress. We want your wedding day to be a unforgettable experience, but an unforgettably goo one! Feel free to view more wedding photography advice posts and if there are questions you have or tips you are looking for, don’t hesitate to get in touch or comment below with how we can help! Download our FREE guide on how to prioritize your wedding planning.
We are Marc and Brenda Bergreen, a husband and wife photography team specializing in outdoor weddings and other adventures. As Colorado adventure wedding photographers we’re here to help you plan and capture your ideal mountain wedding. We also frequently travel to California and other wedding destinations to document your love in a variety of memorable settings. Don’t hesitate to contact us and let us know how we can help! Be sure to follow us (weddings instagram & adventures instagram) and/or like us (facebook) to stay tuned. In the meantime, remember to…
