Whether you’ve been engaged for a while or only for a minute, you’ve probably already heard – from family members or friends – how planning a wedding will be a true test of resilience and maturity for your relationship. As annoying as it can be (we’ve all been there with the unsolicited advice and ad nauseam cliches, we totally get it!), it’s actually a pretty on-point assessment. Although it’s a wonderful occasion to plan for and an especially special milestone to make a big deal of [and why shouldn’t it be? you’re leveling up your love!], getting all of the preparations underway isn’t child’s play – it’s hard work and will have you experiencing a range of emotions and highs and lows from beginning to end.
Budget planning: understanding how much money you want to spend in total, taking stock in where the contributions will be coming from, and allocating those resources to budget ‘buckets’ with intention and a balance of indulgence and restraint is a big responsibility and something that’s particularly stressful (no matter how much you have to spend!). That’s why once you’ve gotten to celebrate your engagement and live in your cloud 9 bridal bubble for a comfortable amount of time, you’ll want to tackle these bigger picture conversations early on in your planning stages and key in on your pre-aisle action items.
Who will be financing the wedding? Will your parents or other family members be contributing towards costs or will you and your partner be handling the majority of the expenses? When all is said and done, how much can you budget to spend on your big day? Everyone has their own unique set of financial circumstances, whether it means having $5,000 or $10,000 or $100,000 for the day, and most couples do end up spending more than they initially planned, but having a number in mind will help narrow down your options when looking at venues and vendors.
For the sake of preserving your sanity and making all of these ‘I Do’ decisions a little bit easier, you can apply the forthcoming budget breakdown to your celebration and determine exactly what you should be putting towards expenditures like your venue, catering (food, beverage, cake and dessert costs, after-party provisions, etc.), entertainment, fashion, flowers & decor, stationery, favors, and so on and so forth. All of the puzzle pieces to your all-important day are priorities, so while a huge chunk of the costs go to big ticket things (venue, photography, entertainment), it doesn’t mean that you should dismiss or discount the smaller budget percentages. If you can carefully vet all vendor choices and contemplate an aesthetic that you’ll be happy with from start to finish, then you’ll feel a lot more confident about where your money is going.
To that end, we’ve included some of our favorite and very handsomely-priced items from the Style Me Pretty Collection to help you make the most of your budget! Also, don’t forget to check out our Ultimate Planning Guides for infinite info and guidance on picking your ‘I Do’ dream team, hunting for your dream dress, and designing a dream wedding that you’ll remember forever!
The Setting and the Sustenance – 40% of your total budget
Your wedding venue (both the ceremony and reception sites, if they’re not both happening at the same place) and your catering costs – comprised of the food and beverages, the cake costs, the snacks and bites you’ll have the morning of your wedding and even following the event’s conclusion #afterpartyperks (all things savory and sweet and sumptuous) will eat up the largest majority of your wedding budget. But if your guests can remember how beautiful a place it was that you said your vows and how exceptional the dining experience was, it’s all well worth it!
When we say ‘setting,’ too, we’re also thinking about the scene(s) you’ll be creating throughout the whole day. So, if you want to bring in any vintage rentals or special seating, installations, linens, outdoor lounge looks or larger coverage considerations (like tents, draping, etc.), you’ll want to review the expenses in the context of your greater venue+catering percentage.
Note, all of your tablescaping touches – like candles, napkin ring holders, table number stands and place card holders will fall under your details and decor budget, but we’ve included them here, because they also help set the scene for you and your guests!
The Time-Capsule Captures – 12-15% of your total budget
Forgive us for getting so romantic with that categorization, but at the end of the day, it’s true: photography and videography services will ensure your wedding is well chronicled and something to be cherished forever. These are memories from the day once it’s all over, so it’s understandable why they make up the biggest vendor investment.
The Entertainment – 10% of your total budget
Just as the paparazzi (your wedding photographer and videographer, because you’re absolutely stars of the day) is a principal part of your budget pie, so is your entertainment: it’s what keeps your guests fully locked in on the day’s events and what they’ll recall when they’re asked about it months and years later. How much fun they have is intimately tied to this decision and the team that comes in to help your tribe turn up! Maybe it’s a band or a DJ, maybe it’s something experiential or interactive, or perhaps it’s just a total curve ball of creativity in the form of a caricature artist, a Cirque du Soleil style aerialist or choreographed performance, the list can go on and on.
The Finesse From Florals to Decor and Details – 15% of your total budget
While your venue and your catering decisions curate a vibe, so do your finishing touches via florals, decor, and details. These are all of the pieces that ‘pretty up’ your party and ones that will undoubtedly stand out in all of your photos; they’re also all of the elements that will constitute your wedding style, be it classic or casual, rustic or romantic, modern or multicultural (and, of course, it can be a blend, too – it’s even better that way!). For the most part, since floral design requires so much skill, artistry, and coordination on behalf of the professionals, it’s often the root of this 10-15%, but the rest of it should never be an afterthought. In fact, even if the decor and details aren’t focal points for your guests, they’ll still make a big difference for you!
Whatever kind of ceremony and reception you’re readying yourself for, you can turn up the delight factor of the fete by incorporating intentional and design-elevating decor that either speaks subtly to you as a couple or does the most with your new titles.
The Head-to-Toe Glow-Up – 7-10% of your total budget
Of course, the most important thing about your wedding day is the celebration of your love and your next step in the company of your favorite people in the world, but you’ll want to look and feel good doing it. This number includes all of your fashion for the day: a gown, a tux, any second or third ensemble changes, as well as any glam up services (hair and makeup). You’ll also want to make sure not to leave out your pre-wedding alterations and tailoring as well as any outfit-completing accessories or accoutrements, like lingerie or shapewear, jewelry, headpieces, shoes, and the wedding rings you’ll exchange with your vows!
Though every budget-allocated category has the potential to be overspent on, fashion is one that can be safeguarded as long as you keep your comfortable-spend limit top of mind when you’re shopping. Over and above that, you’ll also want to remind your style consultants of this price cap/threshold when they’re doing their pulls.
The Stationery – 3% of your total budget
What’s a beautiful wedding without equally-beautiful bids to get your guests there? This percentage takes into account ALL of your pre-wedding correspondence with postage, as in your save-the-date, your invitation suite, any additional paper goods should you need them (i.e. like a rehearsal dinner invite), as well as everything that you need for the day of: wedding signage, programs, place or escort cards, table numbers, menus, etc.
Thankfully, there is a wide range of stationery services to accommodate budgets of every kind – not to mention, you can also save money by ordering stunning stock through a site like Style Me Pretty (which offers a incredible selection of stylish and well-priced options for everything from STDs to invitations, wedding programs to thank you cards) or sending a gorgeous digital alternative.
The Favors & Gifts – 2% of your wedding budget
While favors don’t make or break a wedding, providing a nice sendoff to your friends and family who traveled near and far for your big day is a dignified gesture of gratitude. Something edible, like delicate painted macarons or meringues, infused olive oils or hot sauce, artisanal hot cocoa bombs, miniature bottles of your favorite alcohol, will always go over well, as will practical picks like candles, tiny potted plants, bar cart-prettying drink charms, etc.
And your bridal party definitely knows that you love and appreciate them for standing by you at the altar and helping with everything up to that point, but that’s not to say that they’ll turn away a thoughtful gift! Gifting your guys and girls is very much a subjective and deeply personal prerogative, but what we can tell you is this: even something small can be super meaningful (especially if it’s coupled with a card that gets a little more gushy!).
The Transportation – 2% of your wedding budget
It’s likely that most of your guests will make their own plans to get to your wedding (driving in their own cars or caravanning with other members of your crew), but arranging transportation on their behalf is a very nice thing. Something as simple as a shuttle service or a chartered bus from your venue to the hotel at the end of the night can make guests feel relaxed and afford them the opportunity to indulge a bit more at your reception since they don’t have to drive home once it’s over.
For you and your wedding party, transportation might look more like limos, a party bus, or vintage chauffeuring accommodations. Although this part of the picture isn’t huge, it absolutely can’t be overlooked or done too late in the game. How to get from point A to point B can never be an “IDC” conversation!
The Cushion and the Creative Help – remaining 3-9% of your wedding budget
No matter how nit-picky you get with your nuptials budget, you will always find that you go over on one or two things – it’s only human and we get it, extra spending on a certain species of flower or some extra hundreds spent on your dream gown, it’s understandable. That’s why you’ll want some buffer funds for your budget.
Truthfully, though, our greatest advice would be to at least look into a wedding planner at the beginning of your preparations. Adding a wedding planner to your list of “must-haves” is a very smart move, and you might be surprised to learn that an aisle-ready accomplice isn’t always out-of-reach. Planners bring a level of edge, expertise, and elevation to your wedding. They work with your ideas, personalities, and stories and are able to use their experience and resources to bring things together in a way that is both polished and reflective of you and your partner. Plus, over the course of working with you, planners will get to know your bottom line. This means they’ll carefully consider your budget, relate it back to what’s most important to you, and find the right wedding people to recommend for your event.
A wedding is a huge commitment—both in time and money—and a planner will do their best to protect your investments and make sure you’re covering everything you need (and some wants, too) with the funds that you have.
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