Total Guide to Weddings: Budgeting

Stick to your Budget ? it really is IMPORTANT! TGtB has enlisted the help of wedding planner Natalie Lovett to tell us everything we need to know about budgeting for a dream wedding in Bath.

All too often I hear snippets of conversation where couples are tearing their hair out over their wedding budget and saying how impossible it is to stick to it!

This is a very common and reasonable problem. Let’s face it, it’s most likely their first time organising a wedding, and how can you know how much everything costs, right down to the Groom’s buttonhole?

In addition, there is a huge amount of choice available to you and with each month, new ideas, trends and themes appear giving you the headache of both keeping up with it all, and the worry that you will find something you prefer in a couple of months time - so who can blame you when adding the odd extra to your wish list?! Add peer pressure into the mix and suddenly the budget can spiral.

But don’t be disheartened – it’s all about research, research, research! No wonder the average wedding takes 240 hours to plan!

Where to start?

Speak to friends and family, search the Internet, visit Wedding Fayres and speak to your preferred venues about their recommended suppliers and start to put a short list of venues and suppliers together.

Once you have a short-list, arrange to meet them, discuss your requirements and obtain quotes. Never be afraid to negotiate - by cutting just one small element of your day could save you the £100 required to get you back on track.

Indeed, why not flip it on it’s head – advise your potential venue / supplier that you have “X” amount to spend and ask what service they can offer to meet this budget.

One very important piece of advice…never negotiate too hard, this creates bad feeling from the start (even if it’s not shown), and in my experience, bad feeling does not equal good service.

Why stick to budget?

Sticking to budget is an obsession of mine, for all the right reasons.

Reining in is not me being a kill joy – far from it, you know I love a good wedding and most definitely value the significance of the day…but the key here is that your wedding day is the first day of the rest of your lives together – so be kind to yourselves and start married life together without debt and concern.

How to stick to your budget

Your budget could be anything from £3,000 to £30,000 – the total does not matter as a budget is a budget, and here are my top tips to sticking to it:

1. Set a priority list – the first thing I ask a new client is what are their 3 most important and 3 least important elements of the day – we focus on the first 3 and take it from there
2. Add in a 10% contingency to cover unexpected expenses
3. Organisation and research – these are the ultimate keys to keeping on track
4. Shop around – don’t settle on just one quote, always get at least two
5. Check the small print and ensure there are no hidden charges – VAT / Service Charge can be an unexpected extra
6. If you’re creative, consider making your own stationery / favours etc
7. It’s not what you know, it’s who you know - take advantage of your well placed / talented friends and family – but don’t expect too many freebies, in my experience, people are more willing to grant a favour should your intention be to contribute, even a little
8. Guest List…now here’s a minefield if ever there was one! It is sometimes necessary to reduce your guest list to have the day that you have dreamed of. Be careful, but be practical. Perhaps consider a smaller Wedding Ceremony and Wedding Breakfast, and a larger Evening Reception
9. Always know at any one time the spend and payments made to date – keep abreast of every single penny spent, even if it’s just 50p here and there on card samples for invitations – trust me, it adds up!
10. Hire a Wedding Planner – we do it for you and actually save you money due to our supplier base relationships and experience – all commissions are passed on to you, the client!

Above all, be realistic and enjoy the challenge…getting the most for your money is actually very rewarding and leads to a far more enjoyable wedding day – I promise!