Don't Plan Backwards for
A lot of people take a backwards approach when it comes to planning their weddings. The amount they would like to spend on their wedding comes usually comes first, based on some amount of research usually based on Internet estimates and an idea of what the perfect wedding should cost. Keep in mind that these estimates vary greatly from town to town and state to state, not to mention for each couple involved. Instead of deciding on an amount that you are going to on the wedding in advance, a couple should instead create a monthly budget to determine how much they can save for their wedding.
Coming up with a random figure about how much is going to be spent on the wedding really puts a stress on the wedding preparations before any preparations have actually begun. A round figure really leaves no room for good estimates when it comes to deciding how much money the couple wants to spend on each portion of the wedding; it is much easier to know what you will be able to afford than to listen to a bunch of numbers thrown at you from the first vendor you visit and then taking the money away from the round figure that you came up with. A lot of the time, the couple will be at a disadvantage as they realize that they have spent most of the money they had thought they would need on the first few items on their wedding. For example, the catering, the dress, and the photographer have all been covered, but there is still the ceremony and reception venues to be booked, the florists, the actual picture packages that you will need, entertainment for the reception, the officiator fees, the costs of the bridesmaid's hairstyles, the groom's outfit, the rings, and a ton of other smaller details. You may have some money left, but will it be enough to cover the rest of the expenses and stay within the amount you guessed at? Probably not.
On the other hand, knowing in advance how much you are going to be able to spend puts a definite limit on the things that you can afford. This will tend to make people a lot more cautious when they start shopping for the wedding services.
In order to determine what you will be able to spend on your wedding, come up with an amount that you can put aside each month in the wedding savings account. Then multiply that number by the number of months it is until your wedding (obviously, the more time you have, the more money you will be able to save). The final figure is the amount that you can reasonably afford to spend on your wedding.
Having this figure in mind will really help when determining the wedding budget. With the amount you can spend on the wedding already determined using actual figures that are applicable to your daily life, you can now go about dividing the money into smaller chunks that can be spent on each aspect of the wedding.
Remember that when you read about estimated costs of weddings or hear about them on the television, those costs do not necessarily apply to you. Everyone has their own idea of what the perfect wedding should be, and for many that does not mean catered crab and designer invitations. The best way to decide what to spend on your wedding is to determine what you can afford!
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