Maximizing Your Wedding Budget

Maximizing Your Wedding Budget

By Jeanette Shinn

Depending on the expert you read, recent estimates tell us that the average North American couple's wedding budget is more than $22,000 (and many estimates place the total north of $26,000!) on the wedding ceremony and reception whether they realize it or not. If they have the money to spend on such an event without putting themselves in financial jeopardy, more power to them. With that kind of wedding budget they could do so very much. They could build a wedding event that is much more than most brides ever achieve. However, if the money is not there...

Or if they have the money for that kind of wedding budget but could make better use of it some other way... To buy that first house... to start a college fund for the children... to pay off their own college loans... to have a more memorable honeymoon... to start a business... whatever the reason!

Can you have a memorable, striking wedding for less money?

Of course.

All that is needed is a little research of the wedding industry, some prioritizing on the wedding budget, and a commitment to planning rather than simply gathering for a dream wedding to come together that is truly as unique as the people involved.

This works because most brides make the mistake of panicking themselves into simply gathering the decorative touches they have seen in other weddings rather than planning. As a result they end up purchasing elements that do not really fit the wedding they are trying to put together.

A second reason this approach to wedding planning works is simply that by not understanding how the wedding industry works they end up blowing their wedding budget as a result. This takes a little time when time is precious, but it is worth it to understand what is reasonable to expect of each wedding professional and what is not. If you work with the wedding professional you will normally end up getting more for your money than if you put yourself in an adversarial role with them.

So take the time to plan out the wedding of your dreams. Think through the different options to make it happen. Some methods will be more expensive than others. Choose carefully. Not all options are equal. Often the less expensive method can work as well.

In the meantime, here are ten simple, yet practical suggestions that can help save a lot of money when planning a wedding:

1) Borrow or rent that wedding dress that will only be worn once
2) Have attendants bring their digital cameras to the hair salon rather than paying a photographer to follow you around all day
3) Reduce the number of guests
4) Limit the number of attendants
5) Hold the wedding and reception on a family member's property to save the cost of venue rental
6) Use locally grown flowers that are in season
7) Resist the pressure to commission both an ice sculpture and a wedding cake - both are designed to be a design focal point for the reception and two focal points do not work in any decor. Choose.
8) Use grazing stations filled with favorite delicacies instead of a sit-down dinner
9) Have an alcohol-free receptions. If you have to have bar, have a cash bar, or close the bar during dinner
10) Consider an off-season wedding (November through April) to reduce venue costs

There is nothing wrong with wanting to mount a wedding that all will look back on with fondness. Plan. Dream. Shoot for the grandest wedding celebration you can manage. But always remember that there is everything right with being wise in the use of your wedding budget.

How to Prepare Your Wedding Budget, Plus Average Cost For A Reception By Year

How to Prepare Your Wedding Budget

CLICK HERE TO A FREE WEDDING BUDGET WORKSHEET

(plus the average estimated cost for a wedding reception by year for Fresno area weddings below article)

by: Veronica Champigny

The single most important action that must be taken when you are ready to begin planning your wedding is to prepare your wedding budget. Your wedding budget is important because it is impossible to know what you can afford for each part of the wedding if you don't limit yourself to the overall spending costs. For most people, preparing a wedding budget is one of the hardest tasks to be done before the wedding because almost everyone wants to have the nicest and most memorable wedding that they can afford.

Sometimes, parents will not pay for the wedding but will pay for the honeymoon instead. This makes preparing your own wedding budget very important; especially if you are paying for both the wedding and the honeymoon yourself. These days, 4 out of 5 couples pay for their own wedding so it helps to know how your budget should be broken down. When starting to prepare your wedding budget, you will first begin with the overall amount that you can afford to spend. The average wedding today costs around $20,000.

Now you will need to take that starting amount and apply it to an actual separate dollar amount. If you are not good at percentages, you can always utilize the internet and check with the various websites that offer you free or cheap wedding budget calculators that will do it for you. With these calculators, all you have to do is give it the total budget amount and then it will calculate for you how much money in dollars you will have to spend on each aspect of your wedding.

Once you have figured out the dollar amount that you can spend on each aspect of your wedding, you can then begin to create a chart that will itemize the list for you. The following is a list of areas that should be included in your chart: Wedding Reception Venue, Wedding Ceremony Venue, Professional Photographer/Videographer, Catering, Wedding Rings, Wedding Dress, Tuxedo, Music, Flowers, Honeymoon, Miscellaneous, and Decorations.

What this list is meant to show you are the areas you need to give consideration the most to in your planning. You have to make a list of all of the things that you will need to get in order to complete the above list. This is necessary in order to know if what you dream of can even be afforded within your set budget. If it can't, you will have to do any or all of the following: Lower the guest list, Forego some of the services, Lessen the wedding party, or Forget the extras like limos.

Remember starting with the preparation of an objective and realistic wedding budget is the first important action you must take in order to beging the planning stage of your wedding successfully.

SAMPLE BELOW - YOU CAN GET FREE ACCESS TO THE FULL PDF BY GOING HERE (your valid email address is required, details on what your information will be used for can be seen near the top of the form)

CLICK HERE TO PRINT OUT YOUR FREE WEDDING BUDGET WORKSHEET

Wedding budget tips for the savvy bride

Wedding budget tips for the savvy bride

There are no two ways about it: Weddings are expensive. And no matter what, budgeting will be a major part of your wedding plans. That doesn't mean that you can't have the wedding of your dreams, though. It simply means that you need to be smart about where your dollars are going, weighing the value of each element of the budget.

Start big and pare down or keep it small from the start - there's no wrong way to create a wedding budget. Just go with what feels most comfortable to you and your fiancée. If your parents will be helping, they should definitely be involved with ironing out the details, but it's likely that you've already got an image in your mind of what the day will be like.

Make a list of all the elements of your wedding, leaving space to add notes about sample prices and options. It will be helpful to have all of the information in one place when decisions need to be finalized.

Consider these ways to trim your wedding budget while still planning the day of your dreams.

* Save on stationery: It's a non-negotiable item - you need to let your guests know about the wedding, and the further in advance you can give them notice, the better. Save the dates have become an essential part of wedding stationery, so don't be tempted to cut them out of the budget. Consider online printing options for invitations, response cards, and creative ways to tell people when the big event is, like save the date postcards. They're a quick and easy way to let people know about your big day - the added bonus is that they cut out the cost of envelopes and postage is less expensive.

* Refine the guest list: Few events in life are more exciting than your wedding, so it's easy to be tempted to invite hundreds upon hundreds of people to share in the joy. As the headcount goes up, however, so do prices. Consider keeping it slightly smaller by inviting your families and closest friends, rather than all of your coworkers and high school classmates.

* Ask about price matching: Not everyone will do it, but it's certainly worthwhile to ask. This is why it's so important to shop around before making any decisions - you'll have a better grasp of what vendors are charging for the same service. Don't be afraid to try and negotiate a better deal.

* Skip Saturday. It's the most popular day of the week for weddings, and prices increase with demand. You might be surprised how much you can save by holding a Friday evening wedding, on everything from the venues to photography. Keep in mind, though, that this is often a better option when most of your guests live in the same city where you'll be getting married.

* Look for bridesmaid dress alternatives. Depending on the theme and feel you have in mind for your wedding, you can save a lot by expanding your ideas about how your bridesmaids will be dressed. Consider selecting a single color and then asking all of your attendants to pick out their own dress in the hue of choice. Not only can you give your bridesmaids a better way to express themselves, but you can also pass along your cost-savvy mentality by letting them find dresses that are right for their budgets, too.

Keeping your wedding within a budget doesn't mean curtailing your dreams. In fact, finding ways to make your day perfect without spending too much can feel incredibly rewarding. What's more, there are plenty of ways to be unique while keeping costs low, like sending out save the date magnets. They can be a great way to set the mood of your event and get your guests excited to join you on the big day. When you know that you'll be throwing the party of a lifetime while still saving a lot, you'll feel like the savviest bride on the block.

FIND ANYTHING FOR YOUR WEDDING (ANYWHERE) - CLICK HERE

For The Men's Formal Attire Consider:

.

Wedding Planning on a Budget

(ARA) – As a bride, once your Prince Charming has popped the question and placed the perfect princess cut on your left hand, the last thing you're thinking about is a budget. You've fantasized about your perfect day since childhood and money was never an object. But how are you going to afford that?

While you don't want to sacrifice your dream wedding, you also don't want to demolish your savings. Fortunately, you can still have your cake and eat it too … without paying full price.
Here are some expert tips to stay budget-friendly for your big day.

Propose a budget:
Discussing finances is never easy, but it's an essential conversation before planning your wedding. Traditionally, the bride's family provides a significant financial contribution, so find out what type of funding you might be receiving from this source. However, more and more couples are going it alone these days, so work with your fiance to establish a budget and decide how much each of you can afford to contribute. Decide together what's worth splurging on and where you can save. If a designer dress is a must, consider hiring a D.J. or loading up an iPod instead of a 10-piece band. Don't forget that communication is key -- stay open, honest and committed to your budget.

Commit to research:
Since you're planning your wedding on a budget, you might find that a wedding planner is an expense you can't afford. Instead of hiring outside help, make a list or find a wedding checklist of everything you need to purchase and arrange before your big day. Once you have established exactly what you want, research, research, research. Never buy an item or hire a vendor without doing your homework. Make sure to check out user reviews and read vendor profiles online. A great resource for researching vendors is OneWed.com where you can browse thousands of vendor ratings and reviews from brides across the country. The site has the largest local vendor database available so you can find the all of the services you need in your "I do" destination.

Be a Cyber-bride:
It's a little known fact that everything found in brick and mortar stores can be bought online, often for less. Lucky for the budgeting bride, online couponing sites are available to provide coupon codes for a number of online merchants. Just go to Google and type in a retailer name and coupon code for a list of resources. Deals range from deep discounts to free shipping -- saving you major cash. Think bridesmaids gifts, rehearsal dinner dress, thank-you notes, party favors, table decorations and much more.

Spread the love:
Once you've said "I do," cut the cake and tossed the bouquet, it's off to the honeymoon. And since everyone loves newlyweds, take advantage of your newly married status for vacation perks and fun freebies. Start by calling your hotel in advance and letting them know you'll be coming for your honeymoon -- they might be motivated to upgrade your room or throw in a romantic surprise. Don't forget to share your good news at airline counters, restaurants and any other trip destinations. More often than not, you'll receive special treatment in the spirit of celebration … and after planning a wedding, you deserve it!

For more information about wedding budget planning, visit OneWed.com.