Creating your wedding budget is easily one of the most important steps in your wedding planning process. This will determine pretty much everything else in your plans. It will determine what venue you book, how many friends you invite, what type of catering you can afford.
What does a normal wedding cost?
Wedding Wire reports that the average cost of a wedding is $34,000. But what it doesn’t factor in is the region-specific budget averages. In Boston, the average cost of a wedding is anywhere from $60-$100k+ . In Colorado, depending on where you’re getting married, you can easily spend $30-$100k+. In the Tahoe region, where we’re at, the average cost of a wedding is roughly $60-$80k and up. That being said, the average cost of a wedding varies greatly depending on where you’re located and how much you’re willing to spend.
Types of wedding budgets:
Did you know there are different types of wedding budgets? Yes, there are!
According to Splendid Insights, budget are broken down into six different categories:
If you have been gathering most of your wedding inspiration on Pinterest, do note that most of the wedding budgets you’re admiring fall into the Premium and above category.
Who pays for the wedding?
According to Wedding Wire: 47% of weddings in 2019 were paid for by the couple, 52% by parents, 1% by all.
Traditionally, the bride’s parents, and the bride and groom themselves will pay for the wedding.
In modern times, it is very common for both parents and the bride and groom to split the costs or the bride and groom to cover the costs of the wedding.
Once you’ve set your budget and allocated the areas together, then you can divide and conquer the areas of the wedding for each grouping to cover.
What should be allocated in your budget:
Below is a list of what should be included in your wedding budget for your wedding day. They are broken down by percentages and of course, everything can be customized based on your preferences. Just make sure that the totals equal 100% of your budget. All these items should also include your gratuity. If you don’t need a category, simply assign that allocated money to a different vendor or save that money.
Wedding Planner- 11%
Bridal Fashion + Accessories- 5%
Groom’s Attire- 1%
Beauty- !%
Rings- 2%
Sationery-2%
Venue: Ceremony + Reception- 11%
Officiant- !%
Catering- 22%
Photograpraphy- 5%
Cinema- 5%
Desert- 2%
Bar + Beverage- 4%
Entertainment- 10%
Transportation- 1%
Rentals + Decor- 8%
Florals- 3%
Favors and Gifts- 3%
Other Areas to Consider Creating a Budget For:
Engagement Party- Typically hosted by Parents or Friends
Childcare- Recommended if having more than three children
Rehearsal Dinner- Traditionally hosted by the Groom’s Parents
Bachelorette/Bachelor Weekend- Traditionally paid for by each individual person.
Brunch: Traditionally paid for by the bride, groom, and parents.
Travel + Accommodations- Traditionally paid for by each individual party. Can be paid for by bride and groom
Honeymoon: Traditionally paid for by the couple
To help you save time and feel a little less stressed, I’ve created a FREE Customizable, Downloadable Wedding Budget Spreadsheet for you!