3 Things That Could Affect Your Wedding Budget
- Where you Wed
2. Time of the Year
3. Number of Guests
Your budget is one of the first things that you will sit down and discuss when planning your wedding. It can also cause the most stress during the planning process. Below are 3 things that could affect your wedding budget and add to your wedding planning stress.
Where you wed
Your wedding location will play a leading role in the creation of your budget. Venues that are situated in popular areas will generally charge more than smaller venues outside of main cities. Venues also have different packages and policies that you’ll need to consider. For example, some venues might require you to use their vendors, some of which might not fit in with your budget. A lot of venues also have minimum catering requirements that may go beyond your guest list. It’s important to look at average costs of areas and venues before you make a final decision on where you want to get married. With Covid a lot of locations are giving discounts for having small “micro” weddings, weekday weddings, or even taking a date that someone else cancelled on. As a photographer, I have worked with a few locations that have Micro packages ~ check out The Victorian Belle they have perfected the micro wedding packages! Bonus~ you get to have me as your photographer!!
Time of the year
Wedding seasons make a big difference in costs. Planning to get married on a Saturday in the summer? Chances are you’re going to end up paying a lot more for your wedding. Look at your budget and how it fits in with the venue and location you have in mind, and whether you can move your wedding to another season or day of the week to save on costs. Vendors might also be able to offer you discounts for off-peak days and seasons. One of the things that we did for our wedding, when my husband and I got married, was we had a family and close friends only wedding, and then a big party/reception a couple of hours later. It was nice since we had so many out of town guests we were able to spend time with them and have a small special lunch with them before the big party.
The number of guests
This is one area that can very easily get out of control. Your guests are going to take up a large portion of your budget so it pays to be sensible about who you’re inviting. Most venues will charge you for everything from drinks and food to the chair your guest will be sitting on, so think twice about inviting a co-worker from 10 years ago. Agree on how many guests you want to invite and stick to it. Here is a little amendment to this blog post, our not so favorite friend COVID: I’m a member of Willamette Valley Wedding Professionals and I can tell you that venues have figured out how to host events and stay within the rules of the state guidelines. Please consult with them as to how many guest you are able to have in their location. Another suggestion, elopements, or micro weddings are super popular since COVID, people are rethinking what is important to them and what they want to have as a couple to make their big day special.
If you want to stick to your wedding budget and not be in debt by the time you come back from your honeymoon, carefully plan your finances before you even begin planning your wedding. Working with a wedding planner would be an added bonus as they can help you find better prices and keep you on track financially.
Here are a few ways to stay within your budget:
1. Ask for help instead of a gift
2. Do the catering yourself or hire a family-owned business
3. Go minimal with flowers ~ use a lot of greenery (we are in Oregon!)
4. Make your own invitations or find a printer that might be offering a special
While I was looking around for “ways to keep within your budget” I found that the king of budgets Dave Ramsey has a list!!! He had some great tips for you to stay within your wedding budget without getting in the red.
You can do this! This is just the start (and test) of your relationship to see if you can make it through the planning and executing of your wedding dreams together. I would love to be a part of your special day and help make it even more magical!!!
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