When we began planning our wedding we (she) read many articles and books on how to go about planning a wedding on a tight budget in a short amount of time (6 months!) One of the first things most of the resources hinted at, or blatantly stated (thank you Real Simple) was go make a list of all of the major expenses that are usually found in a wedding.
Our particular list:
Dress
Invitations
Food
Hair/Make-up
Ceremony decor/details
Photography
Reception Hall/decor
flowers
cake
other things might include:
DJ/MC/Band
Limo/ rented get-away vehicle
Alcohol
Once you have the list, begin to put them into three categories: Low priority, medium priority and high priority. You may to this separately and then collaborate later, or do it together.
Note - Not only will this help you better prioritize your wedding, but it may be your first major chance to practice compromise in your relationship!
Our categories ended up looking like this -
High Priority -
Dress
Photography
Reception Hall/Decor
Medium Priority -
Invitations
Food
Flowers
Low Priority -
Hair/Make-Up
Ceremony decor/details
Cake
Clearly each couple will have different priorities, the point is to know what you are going to be spending more money and time on in advance, so that you are better prepared.
A note on finances - The average couple spends more than they originally planned on their wedding - A way to avoid this is take 10% of your budget (or more) and cut it out, acting as if it is not there, work with the other 90% to plan your wedding and have that 10% as an emergency fund. (This was suggested in several magazines, we will let you know how it works!)
Next week: Picking a date - the beauties and the beasts
Till next time!
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