Planning a wedding is exciting but it can also be very daunting experience especially if you do not know where to start. Having a budget in place will be the key to success in getting the wedding of your dreams but at a cost that will not break the bank balance!

Discuss your budget

You may have already talked to your partner about what you feel your wedding will cost or what you are comfortable spending. Before anything else sitting down together to discuss what you can and want to spend on the day is essential to getting the planning process started. You do not want the experience to become stressful by overspending and losing control of costs. Be realistic with your figures and ideas from day one and you cannot fail.

How are you paying

Once you have an idea of your budget do you know how you will be paying for it?  Will you be getting funds from family members, using savings or do you plan on saving and paying as you go through to the wedding day.

Knowing where your money is coming from and when you will have it will be really important when it comes to looking for a venue and suppliers as deposits will be required to secure your chosen date. It will also give an indication as to when is a realistic time to actually start planning your wedding day.

Budget Breakdown

Manage your budget more efficiently by breaking it down into elements of the day.  Create a spreadsheet or find lots of helpful templates online and allocate what you think is a realistic budget for each part of your day:

Venue

Catering

Transport

Wedding Dress/Suits

Rings

Photographer

Hair/Makeup

Cake

Flowers

Rings

By allocating a budget for each element it will be so much more helpful when it comes to researching your suppliers and their costings. Breaking this down will allow more control on how and where the money is spent.

Guestlist

Having an idea of how many guests you are wanting to invite will help you realise what is a realistic budget for those numbers.  Will you be keeping the wedding intimate with family and close friends or are you hoping on a big event with additional guests for the reception.  This all needs taking into consideration to enable control over the spend.

Stick to the budget

This one may sound boring but the one rule to follow!  If you have set a realistic budget for the day, you want and followed these steps then this should be an easy one! By setting out a detailed plan and budget, organising your day will be made so much simpler and less pressure so a more enjoyable experience!

Take your time

Planning a wedding takes a lot of time and work so do not rush the process.  Enjoy the journey in creating your dream wedding day!