I was engaged about a month ago now and the Hunter is no question where we want to be married so I've been browsing through YHVWP for venues that are small & beautiful because we want no more than 50 people...just had our engagement party of 95 and it was ridiculous! I didn't have time to get around to everyone and it just stressed me out worrying about everyone else all night...good things come in small packages I've found!

At the begining of every wedding book it seems to ask you to set your budget but i don't see how that's possible without knowing what everything will cost...I'd like my dress to be under 1K but who's to say i won't fall i love with something that's 3K...just struggling with how to start.

Do you just guess and try and stick to it?? Also, it would be helpful in the mag if they had approx prices of things so you know a ballpark before calling places. Maybe a case study of a wedding describing decorations, venue, cake etc and how much everything cost so newbies can see what they're in for! Bombon-thingys for example, how much are they supposed to be?

Hey Samesy,

We had the same problem getting started with our budget, but once you start researching, everything will come together. Its also good to over budget and have things come in cheaper, than under budget and find that your constantly breaking it.

My suggestion is to make a check list of things for the wedding; Excel is a great tool for this.
Start by making a few categories like venue, suppliers, stationary, decorations, couture etc. everything you want or need for your big day.
Then on each row, breakdown the category underneath i.e. couture would be bride dress, bridesmaid dresses, groom and groomsmen suits, shoes etc. In the columns across, list the total amount, deposit paid and outstanding amounts (mark approximate costs in a different colour).

Then you can total the columns at the bottom of the sheet to give you an idea of overall budget, how much you’ve paid and what’s outstanding.

As for estimating prices, hopefully this helps a little:

Couture
Bride Dress = $3,000.00
Bride Shoes = $150.00
Bridesmaid x 3 @ $300.00 = $900.00
Groom Suit = $150.00 (hire)

Venue:
Food = $75.00 per person x # of guests
Beverage = $20.00 per person x # of guests
Room Hire = $500.00

Suppliers
Photographer = $3,000.00
Videographer = $1,500.00
Celebrant = $300.00
DJ/Live Band = $1,000.00

Hair and Make-up
Hair = $70.00 each
Make-up = $80.00 each

Ideally you should have a total cost in your head, like $20k and once you’ve got some prices entered into your budget, you can see where you need to cut costs and where you will be able to splurge a little. Weddings can be as big or as small as you like, so costs really can vary depending on your priorities.

Hope this helps a little and good luck with your big day.

Krystle
x

Hey Samesy,

We had the same problem getting started with our budget, but once you start researching, everything will come together. Its also good to over budget and have things come in cheaper, than under budget and find that your constantly breaking it

My suggestion is to make a check list of things for the wedding; Excel is a great tool for this.
Start by making a few categories like venue, suppliers, stationary, decorations, couture etc. everything you want or need for your big day.
Then on each row, breakdown the category underneath i.e. couture would be bride dress, bridesmaid dresses, groom and groomsmen suits, shoes etc. In the columns across, list the total amount, deposit paid and outstanding amounts (mark approximate costs in a different colour).

Then you can total the columns at the bottom of the sheet to give you an idea of overall budget, how much you’ve paid and what’s outstanding.

As for estimating prices:

Couture
Bride Dress = $3,000.00
Bride Shoes = $150.00
Bridesmaid x 3 @ $300.00 = $900.00
Groom Suit = $150.00 (hire)

Venue:
Food = $75.00 per person x # of guests
Beverage = $20.00 per person x # of guests
Room Hire = $500.00

Suppliers
Photographer = $3,000.00
Videographer = $1,500.00
Celebrant = $300.00
DJ/Live Band = $1,000.00

Hair and Make-up
Hair = $70.00 each
Make-up = $80.00 each

Ideally you should have a total cost in your head, like $20k and once you’ve got some prices entered into your budget, you can see where you need to cut costs and where you will be able to splurge a little. Weddings can be as big or as small as you like, so costs really can vary depending on your priorities.

Hope this helps a little and good luck with your big day.

Krystle
x

Hey Samesy,

We had the same problem getting started with our budget, but once you start researching, everything will come together. Its also good to over budget and have things come in cheaper, than under budget and find that your constantly breaking it

My suggestion is to make a check list of things for the wedding; Excel is a great tool for this.
Start by making a few categories like venue, suppliers, stationary, decorations, couture etc. everything you want or need for your big day.
Then on each row, breakdown the category underneath i.e. couture would be bride dress, bridesmaid dresses, groom and groomsmen suits, shoes etc. In the columns across, list the total amount, deposit paid and outstanding amounts (mark approximate costs in a different colour).

Then you can total the columns at the bottom of the sheet to give you an idea of overall budget, how much you’ve paid and what’s outstanding.

As for estimating prices:

Couture
Bride Dress = $3,000.00
Bride Shoes = $150.00
Bridesmaid x 3 @ $300.00 = $900.00
Groom Suit = $150.00 (hire)

Venue:
Food = $75.00 per person x # of guests
Beverage = $20.00 per person x # of guests
Room Hire = $500.00

Suppliers
Photographer = $3,000.00
Videographer = $1,500.00
Celebrant = $300.00
DJ/Live Band = $1,000.00

Hair and Make-up
Hair = $70.00 each
Make-up = $80.00 each

Ideally you should have a total cost in your head, like $20k and once you’ve got some prices entered into your budget, you can see where you need to cut costs and where you will be able to splurge a little. Weddings can be as big or as small as you like, so costs really can vary depending on your priorities.

Hope this helps a little and good luck with your big day.

Krystle
x