Your Wedding Budget - 5 Basic Tips, Tricks & Secrets
Before seeking my expertise in wedding planning, couples often make a few common mistakes when creating their wedding budget on their own.
Using ‘Free’ Vendor Directories
First, many people turn to websites like WeddingWire or TheKnot, which can be easy to use, especially for first-time wedding planning. However, what they might not know is that vendors with impressive profiles, complete with photos and awards, have to pay to be listed. This means they often have higher overhead costs, so you might not find the most cost-effective options on these sites. Instead, you'll likely get better results by searching for free or working with a wedding planner who knows the alternatives.
Using ‘Easy’ Budget Building Tools & Lists
The second common mistake I see is that many couples rely on online wedding budget tools or suggested percentages from websites that don't account for the differences from one region to another. This might seem minor, but it really makes a big difference! New York and Oakhill in NY are not going to be comparable.
Here Is My Suggestion On How To Create An Accurate Budget!
Regardless of whether or not you are hiring a Wedding Planner, it's a good idea to create a budget before you start planning. To do this, I recommend:
Create a wedding planning folder on your computer (I do this in Google Drive)
Create a budget spreadsheet that lists everything you can think of that you might need for the wedding.
With a math background, I view weddings as complex equations. Regardless of the location, every wedding requires certain essentials: restrooms, drinking water, ice, food, a bar, and utensils, to name a few. The real task is identifying the sources for these necessities. That is why you hire Vendors, so they can handle a lot of those details so you don’t have to worry about it!
3. Create your list of Vendors: Not specific companies but instead “Florist, DJ, Tent Rentals, etc”. For this step, you can use websites like WeddingWire or other similar sites, they can help you start gathering line items.
You don’t need to do this but I typically create a document for each vendor (saved in Google Drive), which I call an "inquiry tracking doc". I have a "florist inquiry tracking doc", a "DJ inquiry tracking doc", and so on. In each document, I set up a table or built-in spreadsheet with three columns: the company name (with a link to their website or Instagram), their availability, and notes. In the notes column, I link to the folder in Google Drive where I store proposals, emails, and other relevant documents for later reference.
At this stage, you're NOT looking to book vendors. You're looking to get a range of pricing for each type of service you'll be hiring.
4 - Find 3-4 of each to reach out to: Don’t use the free directories I have already referenced. Instead, look at Google Reviews, look on blogs, or Pinterest for some suggestions. You don't need the ones you're necessarily looking to hire (though you may find them during this process).
5 - Reach out to them for some pricing: Get basic pricing from each and add it to the inquiry tracking doc (or wherever you choose to organize the data you are collecting). This will give you a general idea of what to expect from each vendor and help you set a budget. Pick a number that you think is likely to be achieved based on the quotes you received and put it in your budget spreadsheet.
5 - Start putting numbers into your budget spreadsheet: From there, I typically copy the column with all the numbers to an adjacent column. I change the font of these numbers to red. As we progress through the planning process, I replace these numbers with the actual amounts we've agreed upon with each vendor, and then change the font to black to indicate that the number is finalized. While most vendors allow changes later on, this process lets us compare our initial estimates to our actual numbers side by side during planning. This way, you can make adjustments as needed to stay within budget while making decisions.
Creating an accurate budget at the start might feel overwhelming, but it's worth it - you'll have a much less stressful wedding planning experience and be able to enjoy the entire journey, from start to finish.
This is why we provide free budget creation, so couples can feel at ease when taking their first steps in wedding planning!