Creating a wedding budget and saving for what you want

Weddings are usually expensive. There’s no doubt about that. There’s a lot of money that goes into buying the dress, paying the vendors, buying the food and drinks, along with other additional costs such as the fuel to be used as you carry out all these plans.

Most couples would want to have their own amazing wedding ceremony with the usual routines because there’s still something beautiful about a classic wedding. 

But the problem isn’t coming up with the vision of how you’d want it to turn out. The main issue is how you can actually afford everything you want.

The good thing is, you can afford what you want with proper planning. The secret here is to start saving and budgeting early enough so that you don’t end up flat broke after a huge ceremony.

Here are some essential tips worth knowing about.

Start with the priorities

What are some of the areas you don’t want to compromise on? Do you want to work on your own or hire a wedding planner? Are you fixed on a certain venue or willing to be more flexible on that?

Those areas that you are really specific about should guide you on how you will handle other less important details. Take time to think about what’s important to you and organize your budget according to those standards.

Cut down on unnecessary wedding costs

Embracing your creativity is a crucial step to ensuring you get the best wedding possible. You will be surprised at how much you can save by doing your own invitations, for example, where you can create simple digital cards instead of paying someone to do it or even choosing cheaper but creative décor instead of investing in super expensive ones.

There are always opportunities for you to reduce spending. You just have to think outside the box.

Review your guest list

The more guests you have, the higher the cost. It’s really that simple. You therefore have to think about how many people you want to invite and how much it will cost to cater for each person coming. Being able to afford what you want could mean only inviting the most important guests on your list.

Another step is to figure out how many plus one’s you could be expecting and how much will go into that as well. Even better, you could be direct with your guests and tell them not to bring plus ones.

Track your spending

Creating a budget is the first step to take. After that, you need not disregard the importance of tracking how much you have spent so far and how much you have left.

It might seem a little crazy to require a detailed account of how money is being spent but, it’s a much better sacrifice than realizing you can’t pay for the services received as a result of going way over the budget.

Budget for unforeseen costs

No budget will ever be perfect. It’s just there to guide you on what to expect as far as finances are concerned. So, as you create your budget, you should include a column for extra costs. This will save you from the pain of digging deeper into your wallets when you’re already tight on cash.

Also, always be careful not to fall for unnecessary charges. Ask if there are any extra charges you should know about to avoid exceeding the amount you had already set for extra costs.

Build your negotiation skills

Negotiating will actually be a very crucial skill to have throughout the planning process. It determines how much of a discount you will get and possibly allow you to have everything you had hopped for from the menu, the venue and even the photographer.

A budget is the main foundation but the magic happens during negotiation.