budgeting your wedding

Welcome back on the blog!

Today we’ve got an important topic on the blog and I am sure that everyone can take something home on this.

We’re talking about BUDGETING YOUR WEDDING. Life is expensive these days, rent, mortgage, groceries,… we’re all struggling on different ends. So how are you supposed to pay for an entire wedding? It sounds like an impossible thing to do but there are some tips and tricks which might help you budgeting your expenses. (Please note these are only tips and tricks, I am no financial advisor or accountant, so please don’t come after me haha).

SET YOUR PRIORITIES

What’s most important to you and your fiancé?

Try to imagine your wedding day, what would you be most excited about? Is it important to have all your family and friends around? Do you have your dream wedding venue? Do you love details like flowers, decorations, wedding favours, photo booths…? Will you dance all night and party or do you like it quite and relaxed?

Ask yourself all these questions, you don’t have to have an exact plan yet but a general idea will help you focusing on the important parts of your wedding day and that’s where your money should go to.

ADJUST YOUR BUDGET

Now that your priorities are set you can start adjusting your budget to your wishes and needs. So what does that mean? It helps you eventually cutting off costs at other ends and putting more money into the important parts. For example:

Beautiful Bouquets and flowers are your priority but you like it intimate and chill, so why not cut down the guest list? Result: Less people to pay for and a smaller venue.

You are absolute party people but don’t care about the fancy table decorations? Keep it simple with the decorations and wedding favours Result: more budget for good entertainment.

You LOVE beautiful photos but you don’t need a fancy dinner? Food trucks are your best friends. Result: less costs on expensive catering.

Or maybe all of this is just too much? what about you ELOPE? Result: saving money on all ends and keeping it simple

You see I could continue this list forever, each wedding is individual, these are just examples.

DO IT YOURSELF

If you are a creative person (and even if you’re not), there are many things that you could yourself. It’s not only a lot cheaper to create things for your wedding day yourself, it can also be super fun, especially when you do it together with your future husband, friends, family,…

Ideas for DIYs:

Make your own table decoration

Decorate your wedding arch

Make/ Build your own seating plan

create your own photo wall

…

SECOND HAND

Not everything has to be brand new, a great way to save money is to look for second hand items. This could be anything from table decoration, flowers, neon signs over to wedding dresses (there is a great second hand bridal boutique in Christchurch), suits and jewellery. Most of the time a wedding item is only used once so it is usually in great condition and a lot more affordable.

Where do I find second hand wedding items?

Facebook marketplace and Facebook groups

Bridal boutiques

OP-shops, second hand stores

Or what if you just HIRE it for one day?

You don’t have to purchase everything at once!

Planning a wedding is pricey, so don’t try to pay everything at once. A little tip if you have money now but your wedding is still a while away, buy vouchers in the value you’d like to purchase your item. Example: You’d like to buy drinks now for your wedding in a few years, but not all drinks last that long. Simply buy vouchers in a bottle store now, so in a few years time you can use your vouchers to purchase the drinks! This little hack doesn’t work for everything but it’s worth giving it a try.

and lastly… SOMETIMES LESS IS MORE

We get so overwhelmed by all the inspiration we see and with a world of social media we all dream about a “perfect instagram wedding”. But at the end of the day do what makes YOU happy, it doesn’t have to be bling bling and you don’t need EVERYTHING. Sometimes less is more, and maybe save your money for a honeymoon after? :D

I hope I could help you a little budgeting your wedding, and remember money is not everything, it’s the memories you make that count!

Until next time

Aliena X