Wedding Budget

The wedding budget is one of the most important aspects of any wedding. This is what determines how extravagant everything is throughout the wedding. But it's not always about how much money you have, it's how you creatively apply the funds that makes the difference.

There are so many things you can do with the wedding to save money, but no one thinks about them during the spur of the moment during the planning process. Most people who plan their own wedding or are planning the wedding for a friend don't think about discounts, coupons, or things that will lessen the burden on the wallet.

There are some important pre-wedding planning things to consider before you even start planning for the big day. And it all starts with how much money you are able to use for the wedding?

Determining how much money you have available for the wedding is something that should be set from the start and NOT CHANGED once it's set. Now, there are circumstances out of our control than can affect this amount, but for the most part, this amount should never change. Why is this important? Because you aren't trying to start your new life together in debt. And you don't want to take away half of your parent's retirement savings either.

There are many ways to have a wedding on a budget but not make the wedding look like it was on a limited or low budget. First, you need to do some research into the various purchases you have to make. This includes everything from gifts to services. Here is a printable wedding planning checklist you can use to help determine all of the needs for the wedding you are planning. Before planning out your wedding budget, you need to know what all you'll have to pay for and what things can be done at no cost.

For instance, maybe you have a friend that is a DJ, or you have a family member who is a professional photographer. Both of these, if you pay for professional services, can cost a lot of money.

There are also many things you may not have thought of that you can get coupons or discounts for. The key to saving money on all stages of a wedding is knowing how and where to find the discounts. Do you need to spend $100,000 on a wedding to make it look like a $100,000 wedding? Absolutely NOT! You can make your wedding look like $100,000 with $25,000 and easily find the deals with some great resources. Part of the research is also looking around for vendors and getting an idea of their prices.

The next thing you must do after you research everything is to write down your budget. A wedding budget on paper is gold while if you just wing it will be crap. You want to write down everything you plan on purchasing, like decorations, the cake, the wedding dress, gifts, and so on. Then write down how much you think it is going to cost based on your research. This is your budget amount for that particular item. All of the budget items and their amounts you write down should add up to 90 percent of your total budget amount. Always leave at least 10 percent as a buffer to handle any unforeseen expenses.

Next, you must go back to your coupons and discounts and look for the deals. Learn negotiation tactics designed to save you 10 to 20 percent or more on everything. Most vendors that provide services are negotiable. Products such as gifts and decorations, on the other hand, can be a little trickier, but can most often be found online for discounted prices with allowable discount codes.

Making bulk purchases on things can also save you money. That means knowing how many people are going to be at the wedding reception and various parties is a must. That's why short term weddings are generally not as well planned as those that are a year out.

If you are determined to seek the assistance of a professional wedding planner, just remember that they cost money too and that you can negotiate a price that works for you. That doesn't mean you don't have the final say so for the wedding budget.

Finally, track down all of your expenses for the same budget. Put those amounts beside the budgeted amounts and track your savings. This savings can be used to apply to other more costly items that weren't expected or to the honeymoon fund after the wedding. All of the money left over from your budget can go towards spending cash for the honeymoon or you can simply save it for a future vacation fund.

The goal is to save as much money as you can without taking away from the final wedding look and feel. Here's a great tool and more great information on the wedding budget that can help you plan the perfect wedding.