How do you make a wedding budget?

Janezhang

I need to keep costs down for my wedding, but I don't know how to go about it. I originally was going to sell tickets for my wedding, but after the reaction I got here, I think that it would probably tick off most of my guests, so that's out.
I have no experience with weddings, event planning, or budgets. How do I make a wedding budget, and stick to it while still having an elegant wedding?

crazyguy

You need to be a bit realistic with the costs of a wedding and what you can actualy afford.

You can keep some cost down to a minimum and on other things then spend a bit more, may be worth while listing down all your requirements and total guests and then take it from there with the venue and reception and so on !

LEJC

Why dont you head over to the weddings and anniversaries board...there are loads of brides there who are planning their weddings on various budgets and I'm sure they will be mor than happy to share their budgeting tips and planning spreadsheets with you....

firstly you need to consider the type of wedding you want and how much you have to spend on it....then make a list of the things that are important to you on the day and allocate a portion of your budget to each thing ....

I have to say i wouldnt be keen on buying a ticket to a wedding but there are other things that you can do a little more accepable to help with costs....like asking for a cash gift or donation to your honeymoon or house fund instead of a gift...

Best of luck with your planning....and do pop across to the other board...they are a freindly lot and very keen to share tips!

LegalBlonde

we had a proper budget and a big wedding and i don't know what kind of wedding you want but just remember you are doing it to get MARRIED not plan an extravagant event.

Registry office fees etc are what £70 for the two of you, rings £29.99 argos, white dress or any dress you want £30+ and IMHO you could invite as many guests as you like and explain that the reception is at a pub/restaurant where everyone pays their own. IMHO that is more acceptable than selling tickets.,

If of course you want more than this you will need to look at both your wages, how much you could afford to save each month, then work out how much of the "Non negotiable" stuff you *want* (not need) costs, and work out how many months you need to save for - then you have your date!!!

Person_one

Get some perspective? Its one day, its not worth going into debt or alienating all your friends for! You'll still be married at the end of it whether its a party for 200 in a castle or 50 people in a room above a pub.

Don't bother with a posh wedding car, ask the person you know with the nicest car if you can borrow it and stick some ribbons on.

Don't pay thousands for a 'pro' photographer to turn your day into a photoshoot and produce cheesy cliched pictures, advertise for a final year photography student who'll be glad to have the pictures for their portfolio and will be just as capable.

Don't waste hundreds on a cake, it just gets eaten.

Nobody ever listens to the string quartet.

Huge elaborate centrepieces just mean you can't talk to the person opposite you across the table without peering round it!

Very few people can tell the difference between a £700 dress and a £2500 one. Monsoon, Phase Eight, Debenhams etc. do lovely simple wedding dresses for far less than you'd pay in a bridal shop.

Most of your guests will enjoy a relaxed knees up far more than an 'elegant affair' anyway. Whatever you do, do not view your guests as a potential source of income. Ask yourself, do you care enough about anybody else's wedding to help fund it?

Person_one

Oh, and get wedding insurance.

gonzo127

also think abou tthe skills of your friends and family, my wedding we had a aunty make my wifes wedding dress, a friend did the flowers, my mum did the cake, another friend did the make up, etc and what we said was if they do these things as the gifts instead of money or other normal wedding gifts.

not only did it help us out in that we didnt have to pay for these things, it also made it more special (to us at least) because so much of our friends and family time and effort had gone into these aspects of the wedding

NAR

Think of a budget figure, multiply by 10, and then spend the next 5 years paying off the debt.
But you will have had an elegant wedding!

Lara44

Yes!! I am getting married in 2 weeks and the real costs were usually between 3 and 5 times what I had expected in my head. Getting the venue is the most difficult part. It took us a year, but it was worth not folding and paying exorbitant rates. If you don't want a hotel look at all different types of organisations: schools, community centres, art galleries, libraries, town halls, church halls, charities, working mens clubs, the lot. Some of these might be completely unsuitable but hopefully you'll find your gem.

Idiophreak

Person_one wrote: »

Get some perspective? Its one day, its not worth going into debt or alienating all your friends for! You'll still be married at the end of it whether its a party for 200 in a castle or 50 people in a room above a pub.

I'm getting into debt for my wedding and not in the slightest worried about it...if you're going to get into debt for anything, I think the wedding's quite a good reason...better than a big TV, a fancy new car etc. Each to their own.

Person_one wrote: »

Don't bother with a posh wedding car, ask the person you know with the nicest car if you can borrow it and stick some ribbons on.

What's wrong with having a wedding car?

Person_one wrote: »

Don't pay thousands for a 'pro' photographer to turn your day into a photoshoot and produce cheesy cliched pictures, advertise for a final year photography student who'll be glad to have the pictures for their portfolio and will be just as capable.

We're paying thousands for our photographers - because they know how to take photos without turning the day into a photoshoot and the don't produce cheesy clich!d pictures - which, as you admit, is what you'd end up with if you hired a student...To say nothing of all the other services a professional photographer will provide that a student simply will not. Personally, I love the idea of having a lovely professionally designed photo album to remember our special day. Some people may be happy with a tesco photo album and some free prints from snappysnaps. Each to their own.

Person_one wrote: »

Don't waste hundreds on a cake, it just gets eaten.

If it gets eaten, how can it be a waste?

Person_one wrote: »

Nobody ever listens to the string quartet.

I do! I quite like them!

Person_one wrote: »

Very few people can tell the difference between a £700 dress and a £2500 one.

...but it only matters whether one person can tell - and that's the bride!

Person_one wrote: »

Most of your guests will enjoy a relaxed knees up far more than an 'elegant affair' anyway.

You're making an assumption here, that relaxed = cheap and elegant = expensive. In our experience, places to have an elegant do are dime a dozen - it's much harder (and thus more expensive) to find somewhere to have a decent relaxed reception.

Idiophreak

In terms of constructive advice to the OP - I'd list everything that you want on your day and use that to determine your budget. There's no point starting with the venue, as you don't know what you can afford until you've budgetted for everything else.

So list out the dress, suits, rings, flowers, car, decorations, favours, gifts, honeymoon, beauty treatments, photographers, band/dj, lighting, bridesmaids dresses, church (if required) and then take that from your total budget. That tells you whether you've got £2k or £10k left for the venue. The trick is to think *carefully* about EVERYTHING you'll spend start to finish and make sure it's included.

A couple of examples:
We thought of my OH's hair and makeup as expenses.
We didn't think of tanning sessions leading up to the day, facial treatments she had, trial runs of the hair.

We thought of the cost of flights and hotels for the honeymoon, and park tickets, evenings out etc.
We didn't think of the number of holiday clothes we'd need to buy

We thought of the church cost.
We didn't think of costs for the organist, bell ringers, etc

Those three examples, alone, probably added £1500 to our budget - quite a chunk.

As you go through each thing, think about the little surprise costs that will be added on...

Suits: Is the groom going to wear a new pair of pants, socks, shoes, cufflinks, belt, vest etc?
Bridesmaids dresses: Are you going to pay for their accessories, too? Shrugs? Shoes?
Dress: How about bridal underwear, veil, bag, shoes, new tights, altertions, jewellery.
Cake: Will you have to pay extra for a cake stand? Toppers?
Honeymoon: Are you going to need to buy new suitcases? Will you be getting a passport in your new name? Will you need a hotel the night before?

With wedding budgets, the devil really is in the detail - best to get this estimated *then* look at doing the venue - this is normally quite transparent - X amount for hire, Y amount per person. Simples.