How to decide my wedding budget - Some tips - some thoughts on Spending money on weddings.

Wedding Budgeting 101 - Thoughts from a Colorado Mountain Wedding Planner on Spending Money

Everyone has a budget. Even multi-million dollar events have budgets. You should figure out your budget first. You can find newbie photographers for less than half the price of a seasoned one. Can you afford the one with the experience? We have included an example average budget for three levels of our clients – but keep in mind that your budget could be half of this, or double it!  This budget is what our average clients spend on vendors – based on a 100-person wedding guest list. No matter what your budget, making the right choices with your vendors is the way to maximize the money you’re spending so you get the most impactful results for your guests’ experiences. A huge tip for all of the categories – only meet with 2-3 professionals from each category. More than that and you’ll be overwhelmed. 

Ok, so that's a great chart to explain wedding budgeting - but how do I apply it to MY wedding you ask? Lets talk through the different elements involved in the chart above - 

• We'll start with the top. Wedding Planning. Notice that EVEN in the lower budget wedding - we have included wedding planning assistance in there. Why? If the budget is limited, why spend money on a person? My sister will help me through my day, I don't need that! Check out THIS POST on why you should hire a wedding planner. A day-of-coordinator is a misnomer. Most wedding planners offer a wedding coordination service, but typically it's more month-of than day-of. Nobody wants to jump in with no information/involvement to a very emotional, important, stressful day with no history with you, the client, and the team - the vendors. 
• Next - Venues. Here is a good range for you. If you're getting married in your backyard - you think - ooh, cool. Instead of spending money on my venue - I can scratch that line item! Well, yeah. Sure you can. But where are you going to get napkins, linens, silverware, tables, etc.? What if it rains? Backyard weddings don't have the built-in infrastructure that a venue has. That's some of what you're paying for with a venue. Some of it is location, such as top-of-mountain, beach-focused, amazing views, bragging-rights (think Ritz-Carlton), etc.  If a venue has amazing views, amazing service, or amazing ceilings and gorgeous chandeliers… You’ll spend more. Also – think about the venue’s food and beverage requirements when choosing one! You’ll save a bit of cash
• Ok, so now we talk food. For the most part – any off-site caterer will be $40-50 at a bare minimum per person for any type of low-level buffet. You’ll need service staff, cooking staff, things like food-display items (chafing dishes) and more. They also set tables, serve and clear tables, and clean up. The cost of all of that is loaded into that My clients typically spend $70-100 per guest for a mid-level experience and $150-250 for a higher-end plated experience. You’re going, Oh no. I have not budgeted that! What do I do? Well, I’ve had some clients jump to simple food options – say have Maggiano’s or a local Italian place do packaged catering – and hire some staffers through me, their planner. Planners have access to all sorts of options. Now you have to make sure your venue is OK with you bringing in outside food, of course!  Lots of venues have required catering lists!
• Booze. Unless you’re having a dry wedding – You’ve got to think about booze. You have some options here that can wildly affect the budget. Most of my clients plan on their guests having 6-8 drinks across the evening. I know that sounds like a LOT of drinks, but think about this. Your guests have no stake in that drink they got from the bar. It didn’t cost them a thing. They set it down, forget where they put it, and go back to the bar. Several times. That increases the amount they drink! If your venue lets you bring in your own alcohol, over order from a liquor store that lets you return un-opened product. If your venue has a liquor license – you’ll spend more as you have to go through them to buy booze. There are two basic types of bar packages – consumption bar and hourly per-person bar. A consumption bar – they charge you for each drink as it’s poured. An hourly bar they charge you an hourly fee per person. If you have a lot of non-drinking guests you may go for the consumption. If not? Go for the hourly. You can also limit the number of drinks you’ll pay for, the amount you’ll pay for etc before it goes to cash bar and your guests have to pay for their own drinks. I have some clients who host beer and wine and make their guests pay for liquor out-of-pocket. This is a great option if you want to limit the number of hammered guests at your wedding or if your budget is limited.
• Photography – WOW is there a range of photography out there. I have seen some terrible photos of very important wedding moments that could have been great if the client had hired the right professional. I always tell my clients that at the end of that big day you have two things left – each other and your photos. Newbie photographers may be your only option if you’re in that lower budget category. Here again is where your planner can possibly help. They may know some up-and-coming photographers that can put out some great content… without costing a fortune. You probably will not find those photographers easily on your own. They haven’t got the SEO rankings on their sites, They don’t have a big portfolio yet. If you’re in the lower range for photography – be aware of one thing… if a photographer has been shooting for a long time and their pricing is below $3000… be wary. Good, experienced, high-quality photographers are typically not below that pricing. Wedding photography is an expensive profession to be in. Most of my highest referred photographers carry $7,000 to $12,000 worth of gear with them on wedding days. Your cousin and her Nikon she got at Best Buy – She truly cannot compare. You can’t charge $1500 per wedding, shoot, edit, and then buy gear that’s worth a damn and make a living. Just keep that in mind.
• Flowers – So this is a HUGE variable for so many of our clients. Do you have candles on your tables, or tall, luxury centerpieces? A florist can make a $15 centerpiece, or a $1,500 centerpiece. You have to find your vision, check and re-check to make sure it’s going to fit in your budget. Here’s how we advise you to think about floral. Think about how important this part of the wedding is to you and your fiancée, your mom, and any other decision makers in the planning process. Figure out the maximum you can spend on your flowers. Then sit with a florist or two – but not twelve! Have them give you bids – but give them your budget so they can meet your needs. Tell them what you can spend, give them your vision, and let them advise you how to get as close to that budget as they can. Be prepared to not get your perfect centerpiece if your budget is tight – ask what options they have to get you a similar look at a price that matches your budget. Your average bridal bouquet is going to run about $225-275 from a moderate level florist. Your maids’ bouquets are likely going to run $100-125 and boutonnieres are $15-20 each. Corsages are usually $25-35 each, and these costs don’t usually move much without sacrificing quality for price. The best florists won’t usually change their pricing much on personal flowers.
• Wedding Attire – This is another huge variable. Do you spend a couple of hundred dollars renting a dress on Rent The Runway, find a second-hand dress at a consignment shop, or finding a lower quality inexpensive dress at a lower end bridal shop? Are you hunting a designer dress at a sample sale? Are you really after a $3,000 or $7,000 wedding dress that you’ll wear once? Well, it depends on the budget. What does your budget allow for? For the guys – can you afford $1,000 to $4,000 for  a custom groom’s suit, or are you getting the groom’s rental free with rental of the groomsmen’s suits at a national rental company like Men’s Warehouse?
• Your transportation costs will likely vary depending on your venue. If you’re getting married in a backyard of a gorgeous VRBO property – how much parking is there at the venue? Will you have your guests transport themselves even though you are feeding them booze? Buses and limousines are not cheap – so plan your budget accordingly.
• Linens and Rentals – This can vary pretty widely as well. If you are in a backyard – Tents, tables, chairs, and even flatware can really drive up the budget for rentals – even before you find that fancy, sparkly luxury linen that you’re dying for to glam-up the day. This is something we recommend getting the basics covered, and then working through the details of the wedding, and seeing what extra budget you have for upgrades. If you know your budget has room for the upgrades, ask your planner what the best resources are to make the most impactful choices.
• Music – This can be one of the most make-or-break vendors for your guests’ experience. Is everyone on the dance floor, letting go and having a blast? Is the DJ able to keep everyone’s attention? Is the band too expensive for you? Ok, but how do you choose a DJ? Find out what your budget is, and do your research if you have a limited budget. I have DJ horror stories because people skimped on this category in order to have a higher budget for another piece. Your lower end DJs are often in the $700-900 range. They tend to have either less experience, lower-grade equipment, or both. We tend to recommend $1000 as a minimum to spend on this piece if music and dancing is important to you. Most bands are going to start around $3,000 and go up to $7,000 or $10,000 depending on how many band members there are, how many hours and tasks they have to perform for.

 

• Officiant – Here again you have a ton of options. You can, in most states, have your uncle Joe marry you. In fact, in Colorado, you can self-solemnize. The difference, typically, is that a professional officiant will cost from $300-1,000 depending on how custom your ceremony is… but you really do get what you pay for. One of our favorite officiants is Wedlock Officiants, and they run in that range. What they bring to the table, though, is so much more than their cost. They’ll curate a ceremony for you – and execute it well, by using their experience and professionalism to guide them. If you have a budget crunch, can you save that cash? Sure you can. Just know it’s a give-and-take.
• Additional Décor – This can be everything from draping to lighting, chandeliers to lounge furniture. Your budget and your venue and your vision drive this.
• Lodging and Travel – Are you paying for just the two of you? Some family? Are you staying near home, or going to Hawaii or Aspen for a destination wedding? How long are you staying out at the wedding location? All of these things make a difference in your budget.
• Hair and Makeup – Are you buying your bridesmaids’ hair and makeup? Is it just you (and maybe your fiancée?) Are your moms going to be involved? All of those factors can be cost-driving. The lower end budget above has hair and makeup in a salon for just a bride. Sound expensive? Well, you have product, chair-time, experience, tools, artistic talent, and many other factors that go into this. Most stylists are small businesses, so they have a ton of costs behind-the-scenes! You can expect to pay $250+ for bridal and $200 for each maid – often with a head-minimum of 4-6 people for an on-site stylist.
• Gifts for Attendants – Obviously, these are not required. Most of my clients spend $50-150 per attendant on gifts for their team of wedding attendants. This is a ‘thanks’ for them putting up with your lovely, annoying stressed out self for the last 6 months of planning. They help you through your fights with your mom, eliminating peach from your color palette (seven times because you kept seeing that peach rose on pinterest), and planning that killer shower where you got those panties you love.
• Wedding Favors – This, again, is optional, of course. Most of my clients spend $4-7 pre guest on favors…  think personalized jams that stack on a table and double as escort cards, cute little potted succulents that your guests can grow when they get home to crappy tchotchkes that nobody actually wants and they’re left with 75 of them at the end of the day. Be THOUGHTFUL with this piece of the budget. If you decide to do something, make it impactful. Make it something people will use and want to take home with them.
• Stationery – Invitations, menus, place cards and escort cards, reply cards, programs and custom table numbers, thank you cards and more. You can easily spend a thousand dollars on stationery. The numbers on my list are what my average clients spend. I have some clients spend triple those numbers, some spend nothing and do everything digitally.
• Dessert – From the seven-tiered wedding cake that you need a step-ladder to cut to the sheet cakes in the back of the house, the cupcake bar to the mini-pies for each guest… SO many options. Think about this, as with the rest of the food and beverage budget – as a per-person cost. Think about going to your favorite bakery – how much is that pastry in the case? Well, now think about buying 1.5-2 dessert bites per person – because that’s what you’re going to need.
• Videographer – So here’s one that often falls out of the budget first – but can really make your memories! A great videographer is often just as pricey as a good photographer.
• Gratuities – Who should I tip at my wedding and how much? Well, we wrote a blog about it, of course. Check it out HERE.