Before
you do ANY wedding planning you must must must set your budget. Have a look at our
3 steps to setting your budget and learn why they are so important.
1. What can you spend?
Recent statistics show that the average spend
of a New Zealand wedding is $30,000! Imagine all you could do with that money,
a deposit for a house, a fabulous holiday, a great start to your retirement
fund? So that is why the first thing I like to ask my brides is how much do you
realistically want to spend on your wedding?
It’s all very well to want a huge extravagant
wedding but is it viable for you and your future as a married couple? It is
important to consider how you are going to pay for your wedding and what you
want for your immediate future. Have you saved all the money for your wedding?
Is your family contributing? Do you already own a house? Are you thinking of
starting a family soon?
Don’t
get me wrong I love the big extravagant wedding but every couple needs to ask
themselves these questions before deciding what their wedding budget will be.
Starting a marriage with debt or financial troubles will not help you as a
couple. We’ve all heard of the “buying champagne on a beer budget” saying. Don’t
let that be you.
2. Break it down
Breaking down a budget can seem like an
impossible and daunting task for a bride. Wedding planners can do this so
quickly because we know the industry. We know what the costs are and what is
realistic so as a new bride you could easily break down your budget incorrectly
and end up with a nasty surprise when you realise your cake will cost three
times as much as you budgeted.
There is hope yet though, the internet is an
excellent tool for wedding planning. There is just so much out there but be
careful. You will find many budget breakdowns online but only take them as a
guide because every supplier is different and every area is different.
You then need to contact a possible supplier
and get a rough quote, some of your supplier websites such as venues may have price-lists so you can use those, for others such as caterers we would suggest to
contact them directly as there are so many variations. Consider hiring a
planner to help you do this if you don’t have enough time. Our cheapest wedding
package includes a budget breakdown, click here for more information.
This step
may take some time but will be well worth it.
3. Expect it to change!
Your wedding will likely go over budget. As
you go through the planning process you will see things that become ‘must haves,’ and you will come across things you don’t want to comprise on.
Vendors may try to upsell you, they may have a valid reason why so hear them out but always consider your budget first. Make sure you have the extra funds to cover these unforeseeable's when first setting your budget.
Most couples find they go 10-15% over budget.
Remember that suppliers in the wedding industry are normally there for love of the job. By all means ask them how you can cut costs by swapping salads with your caterer or having your wedding on a different day to get a cheaper rate at your venue but expect to get what you pay for. Beware of unusually cheap vendors. We recommend researching and comparing costs to ensure you are not being overcharged but understand that some things will cost more than you expect, for example cakes are ridiculously expensive but rightly so, the quality ingredients and the hours it takes to create these masterpieces warrants the price.
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