Your Wedding Budget and Why You Should Stick To It!

This is probably the most important subject, I feel, when sitting down with my brides. We talk about this every time we sit down and I keep a very close eye on the spending we do.

The first thing you should do before hiring any vendor or purchasing any item is to decide what your wedding budget is. Through your planning process, you should be sticking to that budget as much as possible. The small things that you may want to incorporate into your wedding can send you catapulting over your budget and leaving you strapped towards the end of the process.

The wedding budget is what controls how your wedding will come together. You need a budget in place to determine several factors such as how many guests you should invite, where you should host your reception, should you have a served or a buffet dinner, will you serve beer/wine only or have an open bar, etc.

Whether your budget is $10,000 or $50,000 - you should always hire vendors that have the highest regard for your budget. If anyone says "We can stick to your budget IF you want us to" , they probably do not have your best interest in mind. Every event planner/coordinator should be providing a detailed budget as apart of their full service planning. It's my job as your planner to make sure that you have enough money to pay for your wedding and to keep you on track with your spending.

Your wedding budget always serves as a strong negotiating item. Sitting down with each vendor, you can determine quickly if they will be the best fit for you and if you have a smaller budget or a budget that is stretched, it's safe to say "This is our budget, how can you help us?". Most vendors want you to use a "Package" that they offer, if you can negotiate a customized package for you, you may be able to have most of the vendors that you want. Take into consideration, if you do not need or want some services your vendor provides, why should you be paying for it?

Your wedding day is one of the most important days of your life, just plan it within your means and be realistic with yourself when trying to determine when, where, how and how much.

Happy Planning!