Wedding Tip of the Week: Budgeting your Priorities

Yes, I mentioned it, the dreaded B word… Budget. No matter what your budget, prioritizing your wedding spending is probably the most important thing you need to do in your wedding planning. It is easy to feel overwhelmed by trying to manage a budget and equally as easy for your wedding spending to turn into a free-for-all.  Neither of these is good. Establishing what the priorities are in your budget is very important. Rule of thumb says your budget spending should be broken out to the (approximate) percentages below:

Ceremony 3%

Reception 48%

Attire 10%

Flowers 8%

Music  8%

Photography 15%

Transportation 3%

Stationery 5%

But this is just a starting point and not a one-size-fits all percentage guide. Make sure you customize it to your tastes, based on what details are most important to you. For example, if music and dancing is very important to you than perhaps it makes sense to spend more money on entertainment by hiring a band. To balance that you might decide to spend less on flowers (an arrangement of candles can be just as pretty) –just change the budget accordingly.  

I highly suggest creating a budget spreadsheet in Microsoft Excel or using a ready-made online tool by creating an account through The Knot, WeddingWire, or trying out the new Google Wedding Tools to help you manage your budget. Most importantly, give yourself a cushion. More often than not weddings run {slightly} over budget, and nobody wants to start a new marriage with new debt. Setting up your budget template with a dollar value slightly lower than your wedding savings budget is always a smart idea and will help if you should run over in any area.

Where are you in your wedding planning?  Looking for any specific tips? Newly married or engaged? Share your news in the Announcements!

Author Erin Ethier is a shoreline resident who writes a daily wedding blog Sparkle & Hay: Inspirations for a Rustic Chic Wedding.