It’s time to budget for your big day! Narrowing down your wedding budget is no easy task. There, I said it. In my experience talking with brides, it tends to be one of the biggest stresses on the to-do list. But I’ve got you covered with these tips on how to create a wedding budget!

Likely the biggest bash you’re throwing, your wedding is something you want to handle with care. With many details to narrow down, consider and plan for — making a wedding budget becomes a top priority very quickly. 

Not sure where to start? It’s okay, you know I’ve always got you covered.

How To Set A Wedding Budget — Start Here!

Review Your Savings And Budget  

Doing a detailed analysis of your savings and your funds set aside for the big day is the first place to start when it comes to building a wedding budget. Consider your savings, your partner’s, and any potential contributions from friends and family that may assist in the overall expenses. 

It’s also important to prioritize where your wedding budget will go. For instance, if the media for your day is going to be over what you had anticipated – but you know that it’s extremely important to you to have a quality photographer or videographer to capture your memories – then it may work for you to revise your budget to utilize costs for this vendor. This could look different for everyone. 

If you feel florals, hair and makeup or any other type of vendor is a high priority for you, then make sure you are prioritizing the things that matter to you most so that you can feel happy and confident in these important aspects! 

Create A Trackable Worksheet  

Once you’ve narrowed down your available funds, it’s time to track where it will be going. I recommend having two tiers to review against. Consider reviewing estimated and actual costs to plan accordingly. As you will likely reach out to a few vendors to get multiple quotes, having an estimated column to plan against can help with a general overview of spending. 

Remain Mindful When Setting A Wedding Budget!

While it can be very tempting to splurge or go over budget, make sure to weigh out costs before doing so. Having a little extra for unexpected funds OR the big ticket item you simply can’t go without, balancing out all of these possibilities should be accounted for in your budget.

Be Open To Savings

Okay, so you maaaaaaay be over budget. Let’s talk about ways to save or cut back if needed! Things you can look at specifically to cut costs include:

• Editing the guest list (sorry!!)
• Opt for a DJ rather than a live band
• Design your own invitations
• Save on vendors
• Create your own decor 
• Review venue costs and packages

Although setting a wedding budget can seem really stressful, there are always ways around the roadblocks to make things work for you.

I hope these tips on how to create a wedding budget can help you prepare one that works for you while ensuring you have THE wedding that you’ve always envisioned! And if you’re still searching for the wedding photographer of your dreams, get in touch!