How to Stick to a Wedding Budget
How to Stick to a Wedding Budget
Budgets just might be the worst part of a wedding. <— that is what most people will tell you. But I want you to think about your wedding budget in a different light. Consider this - You walk into a florist shop and have $500 in your pocket. The florist tries to upsell you, this one bouquet costs $650, and it’s only a little bit more than what you told her you were willing to spend. But you remain firm, “I have $500.” you say. Not wanting to lose out on business, the florist swaps out some flowers from the $650 arrangement and brings the cost to $500. It’s beautiful, what you wanted, and within your budget. If you had not had a bottom line, you would have paid top dollar for something that could have been bargained for.
Budgets do not have to be scary, bad, or sad. With boundaries, you can feel joy knowing that you didn’t overspend on something you’ll regret, and can have your dream wedding content knowing your bank account is still intact. Here are the top 4 ways to stick to your wedding budget with joy.
No. 1 - Be Realistic
A lot of brides I know tried to skimp and save on paper so they would feel good about all the money they saved. Then proceeding to spend double and triple the amount they budgeted. They were not reasonable and did not research the legitimate cost of things. If you approach the spending portions of your wedding wisely and with open eyes, no one will be sticker-shocked and there won’t be arguments about spending thousands of dollars.
No. 2 - Do Research
It’s very easy to get blindsided by costs when you don’t know what a fair price is. It’s easy to be confused when you do not know how costs are decided by vendors. Each vendor will price things slightly differently, some may go by headcount, others by bulk, some have flat fees, etc. You must also factor in tax when deciding your price point. All this to say, budgeting can be a daunting task, but knowing the facts will give you the upper hand.
No. 3 - Decide What is Most Important to You
Some brides want to spend more money on the perfect dress. Others want the perfect cake. That’s great! But what is most important to you? Is it the venue? The dress? Riding to the reception in a limo? Identify the top three most important aspects of the wedding and allocate more funds to these than to other portions. For me, having delicious food was the most important. So I shaved down our guest list a bit to make the headcount more manageable. I also bought my dress heavily discounted so I could spend more on the catering.
No. 4 - Change Your Mindset
If your attitude is one of lack, “I don’t have enough money.” “This is too expensive.” “I’ll never get what I want.” planning your wedding will not be full of joy or fun. Adjust your mindset to be one of plenty. “I will find a good deal for this.” “I will make the wedding my own.” “I will spend money on the things most important to me and save on things that are lesser.”
Everything starts in our minds and our hearts. If you set out to plan the wedding of your dreams, I know that it is possible. Especially if you make a healthy, realistic budget and stick to it.
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