One of the words that we think creates the most anxiety is the word - budget. Not only in everyday life, but when planning a wedding, a budget has caused lots of arguments and stress.
How do you deal with the budget issue?
As an event designers and coordinators we have had countless planning meetings and one of the first questions that we ask is "what is your budget?" Almost all of the time we see the Bride struggling to answer. Maybe it's because they really have not settled on a budget amount or they are afraid to state how much they want to spend. Trust us, it is so much better when we know that figure. It helps us to put together a design that fits your budget and with our experience we can help you save money. ( More on that in another post)
Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, while they are great places to search for inspiration, also tend to lead to unrealistic
expectations of what a wedding should be like.
There are two things we always ask our Brides to do -
One, is to really think about what is important to you on your wedding day. Once you figure this out then you can use this as a guide in all your decision making.
Two, establish a budget and then sit down and write down everything you will be spending money on to create your wedding, and I mean everything. From tipping to invitations to getting your nails done to all the big expenses like venue, music, flowers, decor, stationery, linens and... everything in between.
Once you get that figure, and it could be one that is way over your budget, then really take a look at each "gotta have" idea. Go back to back to what is really important to you and ask yourself if having a certain thing fits into that category. You might want all the chairs that you are using in your ceremony to have flowers and ribbon tied on them along with programs on every seat but find out that the cost is more than your budget. This is where you ask yourself what is really important to you. (You can also see if there is a more cost effective way to go about creating the ceremony chairs that you love.) Go through your "gotta have" list and cross out what doesn't fit into the important category. You might be surprised at the end result.
Yes, you will have to say I don't really need this but YES I really want that. But in the end you will end up with a wedding that really reflects you and hopefully within your budget!