Super Easy Wedding Money Tips

Last updated on May 6th, 2024 at 10:02 am

When you have finally decided to get married – or perhaps it is a friend or family member, it is a super exciting time! But there is one thing that often looms over and makes sure everyone remembers it – the wedding budget! 

A wedding budget might start relatively small, and then slowly, you add more and more to it – until the final number seems excessive. And more often than not, that final number is never the final number! 

Photo by micheile henderson on Unsplash

So where should you start when it comes to making your wedding budget? 

How much do you have?

How much do you have right now? Because that is what you are going to start with. And, if you know there are people who want to contribute towards the wedding, it is time to have a not-so-subtle conversation with them about how much it might be. 

With your base of what you have right now, add on any contributions, and then add one that you can reasonably save per month. That is your upper-limit budget – and in most cases, the tighter the budget, the more creative you can be. 

Quotes 

For many people, when planning their wedding, they already have an idea of the vendors that they want to use. Other times looking around is part of the fun. Looking for vendors that really understand what you need. It is important to get quotes straight away for the venue, food, wedding flowers, and start looking at the styles of outfits you want. For all of the main things, contact several vendors and start getting an overview of what you can get for your money – and then look at the DIY options. 

Surprise Costs 

Before you start getting into all the real costs, consider adding on a few hundred dollars as a contingency – because there are always surprise costs. Things like breakdown fees, transportation costs, digital access, and files, and any last-minute changes that need to be made (including tailoring). 

Put the credit card down.

Looking at your first number as your upper limit is smart, but adding on your entire credit limit isn’t. There are a few things that might be beneficial reasons to use the card, things like zero percent APR, cashback, or discounts. But make sure that the reason to use the card is worth it. 

Any purchase that you can’t pay off completely in 30 days shouldn’t end up on the card. 

The longer you give yourself to plan, the easier the planning gets – and most often, you can pay things off as you go, so by the time the wedding comes around, you will have very little to pay. 

The average length of engagement is around two years, although sometimes they are a lot longer, and that can be helpful for planning and saving. 

Setting a wedding date a reasonable distance in the future is ideal for giving yourself a good run-in when it comes to paying things down and saving. Planning the wedding can be tricky, though, when life is so busy, so here are some tips to help with that: Planning Your Dream Wedding When Everything Is Hectic – Lets Talk Mommy. 

*collaboration and photo credit to Pexels