A Wedding Budget Breakdown + Suggestions To Plan Your Dream Wedding

So that you’re newly engaged. Congratulations! After you’ve announced your relationship status and had your justifiable share of celebrating, it’s time to start out planning to your big day with a marriage budget breakdown!

This implies putting together a marriage budget spreadsheet with percentages and categories.

It’s no secret that weddings are expensive. And also you’ve probably already looked up “planning a marriage on a budget” to see what’s possible.

While you almost certainly laid out the marriage of your dreams in your mind — the amazing venue, the designer dress, those gorgeous florals — it’s vital that you just set a practical wedding budget to make sure you don’t derail your long-term financial goals.

Why a marriage budget breakdown matters to your funds

Lending Tree found that 30% of engaged couples will leverage debt to fund their wedding. That’s definitely not method to start out your funds in marriage.

Being clear on what you’ll be able to truly afford will enable you to avoid being a component of those statistics. Plus, you’ll be able to still have a marriage on a budget that’s fun and stylish.

To avoid your wedding day becoming overly expensive, listed here are some guidelines to enable you to create a practical wedding budget while still keeping your long-term financial goals intact.

Suggestions for creating a practical wedding budget breakdown

Wedding Wire’s Newlywed Report found that, on average, couples expect to pay about $16,000 on their wedding but as an alternative spend closer to $29,000! Why? Most couples set a rough budget before doing any research, in order that they underestimate how much the venue or catering costs (sometimes by quite a bit).

Similar to your monthly budget, you’ll must make a plan for how one can spend your money in your wedding.

It’s really easy to go overboard attempting to plan your destination wedding and obsess over tiny details that add unnecessary costs. For this reason it’s essential to make a marriage budget spreadsheet.

It is best to also give attention to what matters to you and the way much you’re willing to pay for specific things. Do that as an alternative of just determining the typical cost of a marriage and assuming yours shall be the identical.

So once you’re searching the web with the words, “planning a marriage on a budget”, know that every one results shall be different and based on individual experience.

You CAN have an attractive wedding without hurting your financial health. A practical budget helps you do exactly that.

1. Determine how much of a marriage you’ll be able to afford

As you outline your wedding budget checklist, it’s idea to first sit down together with your companion to discuss your long-term financial goals and what amount makes essentially the most sense to pay to your wedding based on those goals.

Having this conversation will allow you each to set realistic expectations and avoid unnecessary disagreements down the road. It’s also vital to have a conversation together with your families should you shall be receiving financial support from them to pay to your wedding.

Some questions you’ll wish to answer together include:

Will you be getting financial support out of your parents or family? In that case, how much?
Are you and your partner paying for the marriage yourselves, or are you contributing to your wedding expenses along with your loved ones’s help? In that case, how much will you each be contributing?

Once you understand what these numbers are, you’ll wish to add them up and use that final number as the idea to your wedding budget breakdown.

2. Layout your wedding guest list size

Determining your wedding guest list size is a crucial step in creating a practical budget breakdown.

The variety of guests you invite can significantly impact your overall wedding expenses, as each additional guest adds to the price of food, drinks, favors, and other wedding-related items.

To find out your guest list size, start by making a preliminary list and consider aspects similar to:

Close family
Clan
Family friends
Your pals
Plus-ones

And for the budget-conscious, you might wish to limit the guest list to only your immediate family and closest friends.

3. Determine the time of yr to your wedding

Time of yr is an element often missed when setting a budget for a marriage.

But wedding costs often vary based on the season, with peak wedding months, similar to spring and summer, having higher prices for venues, vendors, and other services.

Alternatively, off-peak seasons like fall or winter may offer more budget-friendly options.

In order you prepare your wedding budget, consider the weather, availability of venues and vendors, and any potential discounts that could be available during specific times of the yr.

4. Select a venue or destination (One in every of the largest costs in a marriage budget breakdown)

And we will’t forget certainly one of the largest, if not the largest, wedding expenses: the venue.

The venue not only sets the tone and ambiance to your special occasion but in addition plays a serious role in your budget breakdown.

Different venues have various price points, so it’s essential to research and compare options, similar to:

Size
Location
Indoor or outdoor space
Amenities (i.e., restroom, dressing rooms, kitchen, dance floor)
Included services (i.e., venue coordinator, serving staff, cleansing, arrange)
Accessibility

Take into account that popular or sought-after venues often include the next price tag. But should you’re open to alternatives, you would possibly explore less conventional venues, similar to public parks, community centers, and even hosting your wedding at a personal residence.

Moreover, destination weddings can provide unique experiences but may require additional costs for travel and accommodations.

5. Download our free wedding budget breakdown spreadsheet

The method to stay on budget is to set an amount and track your expenses throughout the marriage planning process. As you start with planning, here’s an important free wedding budget spreadsheet to enable you to lay out the prices we mention below!

Click the image below to download this worksheet in PDF & Excel formats!

Wedding budget breakdown example (In percentages)

After determining your “number,” it’s time to establish a typical wedding budget breakdown. Let’s say you intend on spending about $20,000. (This doesn’t include the cost of the honeymoon.)

Remember that is just to make use of for instance. You could determine to spend roughly in your big day.

Below are different categories that you just’ll want to incorporate in your budget. We’ll go over them intimately in addition to discuss the typical budget percentage you may allocate for every one.

Reception: 40% to 45% (The biggest cost in your wedding budget breakdown)

The foremost category in your wedding budget spreadsheet shall be for the reception. The associated fee of the reception will likely take up the majority of your budget, which is about 40% to 45%. Reception costs will include the price of the venue, food, wedding cake, rentals, etc.

So, to get the marriage budget breakdown, you’ll take your total budget of $20,000 and multiply it by 40% to 45%, which is between $8,000 and $9,000.

Ceremony: 2%

Calculate about 2% of your wedding budget breakdown towards ceremony costs. This includes your officiant and marriage license fee.

Some people plan to have the ceremony at the identical location because the reception. So the venue is included in your reception costs mentioned earlier.

Otherwise, you’ll need to pay for a ceremony venue, which isn’t included on this percentage.

Wedding attire: 8% to 10%

A lavish wedding dress, tuxedo, makeup, and hair can get costly. Not to say accessories! It normally runs between 8% to 10% of your wedding budget breakdown. So, based on our example budget, the overall cost can be between $1,600 and $2,000.

Wedding rings: 3%

When creating your wedding budget checklist, don’t forget to incorporate your wedding bands. In fact, this isn’t the cost of the engagement ring; that’s an entire other expense.

But the marriage bands are an emblem of everlasting love that represents your union, so it’s a vital a part of your checklist! The common is about 3% of your budget should you’re frugal.

Photography and videography: 12 to fifteen%

The subsequent biggest expense in your wedding budget breakdown is the photographer and videographer. You’ll be able to plan on this costing about 12% to fifteen% of your budget should you’re very frugal, which can be about $2,400 to $3,000, though the price may be much higher.

Try to seek out a photographer with excellent reviews to make sure they capture the memories of your big day in the easiest way possible!

Flowers and decorations: 7% to eight%

Whether you would like an attractive display of red roses or twinkling lights adorning the venue, the typical cost for flowers and décor is about 7% to eight% of your total budget. So include about $1,400 to $1,600 in your wedding budget spreadsheet for decorations and floral arrangements.

Entertainment and music: 6% to 7%

Are you considering of a DJ or a band to your wedding? Either one has different costs and expenses. Nonetheless, you’ll be able to block off about 6% to 7% or $1,200 to $1,400 in your wedding budget spreadsheet for entertainment.

Wedding invitations and stationery: 3%

Invitations, stationery, and menus, oh my! There are lots of kinds of wedding stationery you’ll need to account for in your wedding budget checklist.

Between save-the-date cards, wedding invitations, ceremony programs, and more, this can cost you about 3% of your budget. Remember to check your guest list to see what number of invites you’ll need and calculate costs from there.

Transportation: 2%

If you happen to determine to supply transportation to your guests to make sure everyone arrives on time, it’ll cost you about 2% of your budget in fees. So make sure you allocate around $400 or so should you go this route. You may as well only supply transportation to your wedding party to in the reduction of costs.

Bridal party gifts: 2%

One other expense to take into account to your wedding budget breakdown is bridal party gifts. You could opt to get keepsake gifts to your guests, too, so make sure you budget accordingly. It is going to run you about 2% or around $400.

Wedding insurance: 2%

Don’t let unexpected events spoil your big day. Remember to add wedding insurance to your wedding budget spreadsheet! The insurance covers lost pictures, deposits, rings, and other items.

On the very least, make sure you get liability insurance to cover accidents in the event that they were to occur. These policies can run around 2% of your budget.

Wedding planner: 10% to fifteen%

Hiring a marriage planner might help alleviate the stress of wedding planning and be sure things run easily in your big day.

A marriage planner can assist with vendor coordination, timeline management, and overall event design.

The cost of a wedding planner typically ranges from 10% to fifteen% of your budget, which amounts to $2,000 to $3,000 based on our example budget.

Wedding Favors: 1% to 2%

Wedding favors are a thoughtful method to thank your guests for celebrating your special occasion with you.

These small tokens of gratitude can range from personalized keepsakes to edible treats.

Allocate about 1% to 2% of your budget, which amounts to $200 to $400 based on our example budget, for purchasing or creating wedding favors.

Miscellaneous and unplanned expenses: 2 to five%

It’s also idea to assign 2% to five% or so of your total budget to cover any miscellaneous, unplanned, or surprise expenses. So a buffer of about $400 to $1,000 needs to be put aside for this category.

Examples of things that would come up are deciding you wish a day-of wedding planner or opting for an additional hour for the photographer. These are expenses you might not concentrate on until closer to the marriage.

Remember when creating your wedding budget breakdown that costs will vary depending on the marriage location, time of yr, day of the week, etc., but you could find average wedding costs online to get a general idea.

17 Ways to leverage your wedding budget breakdown for essentially the most savings

It’s natural that your big day reflects your tastes. Fortunately, that doesn’t require an arm and a leg, nevertheless it does require some extra work on each of your parts. Here’s what you’ll be able to do to get more out of your wedding budget without actually spending more.

1. Negotiate with vendors to lower your wedding budget

The primary tip that may appear obvious is negotiating prices and contracts with the people you utilize to your wedding.

Caterers, photographers, florists, and DJs will often work together with your specific budget. Be willing to barter and walk away should you cannot afford a rate being offered to you.

For instance, ask your caterer for sample menus and costs per person, then see which areas you’ll be able to in the reduction of on (i.e., perhaps you simply need two passed hors-d’oeuvres as an alternative of 5).

It is going to enable you to to return and negotiate the worth down for his or her services. Photographers, florists, and DJs can even normally be willing to return down on prices to shut the deal. It could prevent big bucks or can release money in your wedding budget checklist for other categories!

2. Don’t go crazy with expensive wedding stationery

Letterpress, gold foil, jeweled boxed, feathered… It’s easy to go crazy over your wedding stationery, and people costs can add up fast.

Some fancy letterpress invites go as high as $5 to $7 per invitation — yikes. As a substitute, decide to print easy, more cost effective invitations; you’ll be amazed at the gorgeous options that exist.

One in every of my favorite online printing presses is Minted, where you’ll be able to select beautiful wedding invites for a reasonable price.

3. Skip the catered, sit-down dinner to maximise your budget

Skipping the flowery catered dinner is how one can plan a marriage on a budget easily. Most wedding venues offer in-house catering services because they make a ton of cash on the large markups involved.

If you happen to can discover a venue that lets you bring your individual caterer, you could find one which not only makes great food but in addition matches your budget.

A frugal alternative is to decide on a family-style dinner with shared platters that may be passed across the table. Doing this will prevent as much as 20% off your catering cost.

Although formal catering is sweet, it’s definitely among the many pricier options. A family-style dinner creates a warm atmosphere for individuals who would love to have smaller, more intimate weddings.

One other consideration? Dinner is often the most costly meal on the subject of planning a marriage on a budget. Brunch or lunch is a somewhat lighter meal, and folks are inclined to drink less alcohol within the daytime, so you’ll be able to save a ton of cash there, too.

4. Consider a second-hand dress

If you happen to’re a bride who finds that your dream dress is out of your budget, try finding it online from second-hand wedding dress sites similar to OnceWed.com or StillWhite.com. You’ll be able to save as much as 75% off wedding dresses which have been pre-loved, dry cleaned, and preserved for his or her next owner.

One other alternative is renting out formal wear. You’ll be able to rent a dream wedding dress as an alternative of dropping hundreds of dollars to wear it for one occasion.

The identical goes for the suit for the groom. Suits will also be rented and it’s an important method to cut costs on materials that don’t have long timelines when it comes to how often they shall be worn. Buying preowned or renting is a giant part of getting a marriage on a budget!

Alterations and accessories may be costly as well. But you’ll be able to still add a customized feel, you’ll be able to sew on lace details, beads, or appliqués to an easy dress, or design and make your individual veil or hair accessories.

5. Get married any day but Saturday

Saturday is the most costly day to get married, especially in the summertime and fall. Why? Because everyone desires to get married on Saturday!

You could give you the option to book your dream venue at a substantial discount (anywhere from 10% to 40% off) by getting married on a Sunday or a weekday.

And should you select a date that’s off-peak (like within the winter or early spring), you would possibly give you the option to avoid wasting much more! Choosing a less expensive day to get married is how one can plan a marriage on a budget without much effort!

6. Serve signature cocktails to avoid wasting on alcohol costs

Serving signature cocktails is an awesome method to show your personality at your wedding. It helps you manage the quantity of money you spend on alcohol (should you decide to serve alcohol) since the varieties available are limited. You’d still be serving great drinks, though.

7. DIY your decor and use seasonal items

A straightforward method to have a marriage on a budget is to do your individual decor! Reap the benefits of the skills your mates, bridesmaids, and family could have! Enlist their assist in creating your wedding ceremony and reception decor.

Pinterest is great for getting inspired, and you could find a ton of great decor items out of your local craft store at a fraction of the price that you just’d pay to a florist or event designer.

And since floral arrangements could be a huge budget-buster, consider buying flowers, boutonnieres, and corsages in bulk from Sam’s Club and Costco. Doing so can prevent hundreds compared to working with a florist.

Work out your wedding colours, then watch a couple of YouTube tutorials on how one can put together an arrangement. It’s totally doable!

8. Select a less expensive photography package

As you saw in the marriage budget breakdown, the second costliest cost is the photographer.

Many persons are very particular about their wedding photography, so if there’s a photographer that you just absolutely should have to your wedding, consider selecting their least expensive photography package.

Do you actually need a photographer at your wedding for 10 hours when your mates and family can even be taking pictures as well? Once people start dancing, half-hour of those photos are adequate, as, after that, it’s only a bunch of repetition. Plus, those photos rarely make it into the marriage album.

9. Skip the flowery wedding cake

Everybody loves cake, but that doesn’t mean you should splurge on a three-tier wedding cake. An elaborate confection can set you back tons of of dollars. And as a rule, guests are having an excessive amount of fun to even notice what sort of cake you served.

Get monetary savings by choosing a single, six- to eight-inch tier cake atop a Styrofoam base. If you should serve cake to your guests, purchase a couple of sheet cakes from Costco or your local bakery for about $40 apiece. Your guests won’t ever know the difference, and you’ll be able to still get those glamorous cake-cutting photos.

10. Forget the marriage linens or bring your individual

In case your venue has wood tables that don’t have to be covered, go for a country look without linens. You would save between $500 and $1,000.

If the provided tables have to be covered, buy a reasonably fabric in bulk online or at your local craft store and DIY your individual linens for major cost savings. Online tutorials like those on YouTube can enable you to start on customizing your individual linens.

11. Ask a friend to officiate

You’ll be able to save between $200 and 400 by asking a friend to officiate your wedding. A friend can easily get ordained online for around $50.

Also, should you don’t feel comfortable with asking a friend to officiate for the primary time, asking someone you’re near who has experience with officiating weddings is one other alternative.

12. Consider a smaller wedding to lower your expenses

Simply choosing a smaller wedding is how one can plan a marriage on a budget. Small and easy weddings may be just as beautiful as large fancy weddings.

The massive difference is the amount of cash that you just’ll save. At the top of the day, your wedding celebration is simply for sooner or later, and your marriage is for a lifetime!

So it makes more sense to step into your marriage financially sound than to blow a ton of cash should you cannot really afford it for a one-day wedding party.

13. Extend your engagement timeframe

Assess the marriage budget spreadsheet you’ve created. If it looks like paying to your wedding shall be a stretch, consider extending your engagement. It’s an important method to lower the quantity you’ll need to avoid wasting every month while still having fun with that exciting planning phase.

14. Track your spending in your budget breakdown

It’s vital to trace your wedding spending to make sure you’re staying according to your budget. Use your wedding budget spreadsheet to account for all expenses. Little expenses like hair accessories, place cards, and cake toppers are inclined to add up, so use caution!

15. DIY and get creative

And here’s some great news — there are tons of clever ways you’ll be able to save in your wedding. From DIY options to easily re-thinking the day you exchange vows, today’s weddings can fit nearly any budget.

16. Plan for unexpected and last-minute costs

One other smart wedding budget trick is to put aside money for unexpected expenses and last-minute costs which will arise.

Despite your best efforts to account for every thing, there could be unexpected expenses like alterations to your dress, additional decorations, or unexpected vendor fees.

To plan for unexpected costs, consider allocating a buffer amount—around 10% to fifteen% of your total budget—to account for unexpected expenses.

17. Get appropriate insurance

Many ignore wedding insurance when planning their big day, but it could actually provide worthwhile protection and peace of mind.

While nobody desires to take into consideration potential mishaps on their big day, having appropriate insurance coverage might help mitigate financial losses and alleviate stress.

Wedding insurance typically covers a range of scenarios, similar to cancellation or postponement resulting from extreme weather, illness, accidents, or venue bankruptcy.

And a few policies also offer liability coverage in case of accidents or property damage through the event.

Expert tip: Take your time while making wedding budget decisions

The marriage planning process may be overwhelming. So many selections to make, so many individuals to discuss with!

First off, take your time. Second, trust that you may make the smart decisions with preparation and right information.

Lastly, be yourself. You don’t should put yourself in debt to have the marriage of your dreams. Get clear on what you would like and use the resources you may have here.

Create a marriage budget checklist. And be sure to trace your spending on a marriage budget spreadsheet or a marriage budget calculator.

How are you going to save to your wedding and likewise keep your emergency fund intact?

Once you understand what things will cost you and have your wedding budget checklist squared away, it’s time to start out saving. Construct a line item into your existing budget to start out putting money aside to your wedding.

Take into account that you might must forgo certain things to fulfill your big day’s savings goals. Things like every day coffees, gym memberships, vacations, shopping, etc., might have to be placed on the back burner whilst you save to your big day.

If you happen to decide to put your long-term savings on hold whilst you put aside money to your wedding, it’s vital to maintain your emergency fund intact. Because life happens no matter whether you’re planning a marriage on a budget or not. Your emergency fund mustn’t be used toward your wedding expenses.

What’s an inexpensive budget for a marriage?

A marriage budget depends totally on the private preferences of the couple, the placement of the event, and what number of persons are on the guest list. All of which may vary widely from individual to individual.

So an inexpensive budget can range from a couple of thousand dollars to tens of hundreds or more. All of it will depend on you.

The budget needs to be realistic and manageable for you and your partner, making an allowance for your financial situation and priorities.

Is $5,000 enough for a marriage?

While $5,000 could be a tight budget for a conventional wedding, it is totally possible to plan an attractive and meaningful wedding with $5,000.

You’ll be able to do that by leveraging cost-saving strategies, similar to choosing a smaller guest list, selecting a non-traditional venue (e.g. a backyard or public park), or DIY-ing certain elements (e.g. decor and food).

Is $10,000 amount for a marriage?

With todays resources and DIY options, you’ll be able to work with any budget. That said, $10,000 is amount for a marriage.

The secret’s to be realistic together with your expectations and spend only on what’s vital to you. Take time to determine how envision your special occasion and keep that in mind throughout the marriage planning process.

How do you budget for a $30,000 wedding?

Because it happens, $30,000 is the average cost for a wedding nowadays in the US. So, you’re in place to have a conventional wedding if that’s what you’re going for.

Put together a marriage budget spreadsheet using the odds and categories mentioned in this text. You’ll be able to take out some expenses and adjust the price for others based in your priorities, in fact!

Be sure to trace your spending with a marriage budget calculator.

What needs to be included in a marriage budget spreadsheet?

A comprehensive wedding budget spreadsheet should include various categories and items to trace spending.

Listed here are some essential elements to incorporate:

Venue and catering costs
Wedding attire (bridal gown, groom’s suit, accessories)
Photography and videography
Flowers and decorations
Entertainment and music
Stationery (invitations, save-the-dates, programs)
Transportation
Wedding cake
Officiant fees
Wedding rings
Hair and makeup
Wedding favors
Wedding planner fees (if applicable)
Marriage license
Miscellaneous expenses (suggestions, unexpected costs, contingency fund)

Allocate a practical budget for every category and track your actual spending against the budgeted amounts. This can enable you to stay organized and make informed decisions.

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Leverage this wedding budget breakdown to avoid wasting in your dream wedding!

The marriage budget breakdown can function a template to your customized wedding budget. You don’t should spend the typical amount on a marriage should you don’t feel it’s best to your funds. Remember, your marriage is for greater than just sooner or later of celebrations!

It’s vital to be financially smart about your wedding costs so that you don’t impact your financial future. Use your wedding budget checklist to make sure you remember your whole expenses and financially prepare for all the costs. You may as well get help wih planning your dream wedding on a budget with our free course!