Creating a wedding budget

Creating a wedding budget can be a daunting task. We totally get it. You’ve most likely never planned a wedding before, most likely haven’t seen actual price quotes for wedding vendors, and probably aren’t sure where to even start. Let’s break it down.

First, establish your maximum spend for your wedding.

Make sure this is something that you can afford. If you’re wanting something more extravagant, you might have to pull more cash together, or you might have to postpone the wedding date. We always recommend having longer engagements (around 18 months-2 years) for this reason. Not only does it relieve stress for planning, but it can also drastically help your budget.

This is also a great time to figure out if anybody else is contributing anything. For example, sometimes the bride or groom’s parents will offer to take over a vendor’s costs. HOWEVER – always be sure that you have the money as a backup in case something goes wrong and that person is no longer able to pay for it.

Create a spreadsheet for your wedding budget.

Keep this spreadsheet running throughout your entire wedding planning process. This will help you figure out what you budgeted for the category, what the price ended up being, and how much you have left of your budget after that. This is also a great place to keep updates on what you’ve paid so far, versus what is remaining!

Ask your planner.

Before you book your wedding planner, they should have asked about your budget to make sure that it fits into the costs associated with weddings. It depends on location, but most wedding planners have a minimum budget spend in mind. For example, a lot of planners can’t work with a $10,000 total budget (our costs are usually 50%+ of this, which isn’t fair to your budget).

Pick your non-negotiables.

There are going to be some things that are more important to you than others. For example, maybe your photographer is a major choice for you – this means that you should probably allot a higher budget for it. The things that are most important to you should take up more of your budget.

Research budget numbers for your area.

Every single area is going to be different. You may be able to go to Alabama and spend $20k on a wedding that would cost you $65k in New York. It all varies. Creating a wedding budget is hard, but figuring out your area’s costs are going to help so much!

Our recommended budget percentages