Dear ESB,
Ok I'm engaged. Now what to do?
The man and myself have trouble understanding what a wedding budget means (both our first try at this thing). We have trouble understanding the concept of a budget in the first place to be honest.
We are not poor but we are sometimes struggling under students loans and the high cost of life in The Netherlands.
Any tips and tricks about budgeting? I'm not talking about DYI our cake-toppers but really something to help us figure out what should cost what. Is there a website, a book or someone to call?
Thanks for your help.
[insert a nickname here... Brokeback Bride?]
*****
There is no rule about what should cost what.
First, you need to decide how much money you're comfortable spending. This could be based on how much $$ you've got in savings (yeah right, I know), how much you think you can save, how much you can finagle on credit cards (not
recommended, but it's been known to happen), how much family members have offered to contribute, or any combination of these things.
Then you get to think about what your priorities are.
Here's a
wedding budget worksheet from
Real Simple, which is worth glancing at, if only so you can gleefully x out things like "flower girl's buds and basket" and "valet parking." Pls ignore the helpful "Reception (50 percent)," "Attire (10 percent)," "Flowers and Decorations (10 percent)," etc, estimations.
There is NO RULE that says only 10% of your budg may be allotted to attire (or that you have to spend 10% on flowers), so don't let anyone tell you different.
If you want to get married in a SEEEEEEEEEELLAMIN dress at city hall and go for fish and chips afterward? Awesome.
Meg's brand new book,
A Practical Wedding, has several examples of real-live wedding budgets, which are super down-to-earth and helpful. Such as:
$5,000, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS · Ashley and Zach LaMotte got married in a simple civil ceremony...
INVITATIONS: $25
Made by the bride, using materials she had on hand.
RECEPTION: $1,000
Lunch for twenty-two at a restaurant, including lots of wine, dessert, and tip.
WEDDING LICENSE AND VENUE: $50
The Chicago Cultural Center, where the City of Chicago performs civil ceremonies on Saturday mornings (and you're allowed to bring twenty or so people to cheer you on!).
PHOTOGRAPHER: $250
Two hours of coverage.
FLOWERS: $0
The bride and her mom made the bouquet and her husband's boutonniere out of vintage fabric flowers they already owned.
DRESS: $1,082
A splurge! She fell in love with the dress and later sold it for $500. Ashely said, "I loved that dress every dollar of that $1,082, and I love the dishwasher we bought with the $500 we got when we sold it, too."
SUIT AND HAT: $375
A three-piece suit and hat that the groom loves and has worn multiple times since the wedding.
WEDDING RINGS: $2,100
Why not splurge a little? They'll wear them for a lifetime.
See? That wasn't so hard.
Note: Do not, I repeat, DO NOT, sign up for The Knot in order to utilize their budgeting tools. You'll get a never-ending stream of "177 days until The Big Day" emails, and then as soon as your fucking wedding is over they hit you with THE NEST.
One Dollar Camera by Won Park via The Design Inspiration
