Bridal Club Magazine

Budgeting Tips For Planning Your Wedding

Keeping a Wedding Budget can be a challenge, one way to cut costs without sacrificing quality is by finding your Wedding Rings online. Even customize your own to mach the Engagement Ring you've chosen.

Hindsight in financial matters is a great thing to have after your wedding, but it won't help you when your bank statement screams at you later on down the track.  Here we look at some tips from financial experts to help your budget go to plan.

Firstly, divide your budget.
It doesn't matter if you are paying for the wedding yourselves or if your families are helping; setting a budget that is realistic is absolutely necessary.
Here is the simplest way:

50% for reception location, rentals, food and beverages
10% for flowers and décor
10% for photography and videography
10% for the bride and grooms attire
10% for fees, invitations, transportation, etc
10% for the honeymoon

Strictly keep yourself from overspending.
If you keep it firm in your mind what your limits are, it really is not impossible.   Think about serving wine and beer instead of a full bar, saving the champagne for the toasts.  Instead of a full course meal with all the bells and whistles, consider having a breakfast, luncheon, afternoon tea or even barbecue.  Not only will you save on food but also smaller amounts of available alcohol will make a large difference to your bank balance and make you responsible hosts.

Keep a close eye on the books.
To enable you to stay on budget you will need to keep track of quotes, deposits and balances due.  Consider using wedding planner software (available soon on NZ Wedding Planner) which not only helps to keep track of every sent you are spending on your wedding, but will also keep tabs on invitations and guest lists.  Remember to get everything quoted to you in writing.  This will save many a heartbreak when comes time to paying the bills.

So, who really is responsible for paying what?
Thank goodness times have changed and the bride's family is no longer liable for the entire cost of the wedding.  It has been modern practice for each family to take responsibility for one-third of the costs - the bride's family, the groom's family and the bride and groom together.  This relieves the financial burden on the bride's family and makes the whole planning process more enjoyable.