FAQ: “What’s the first step in the wedding planning process?”

Our Answer: Discuss and decide upon a budget with your significant other and/or family members who plan to pitch in. 

Although a budget is not the most exciting or romantic topic to plan for your wedding day, it is important for managing expectations and making selections further into the process. Such as, the venue, guest count, vendors and more. Keep reading to learn three tips for managing your wedding budget from a wedding planner with decades of experience.

Identify Your “Must-haves”

This one is for all the list loving girlies! Plan a simple date with your fiancé and put pen to paper listing all of the must-haves each of you would like incorporated into your wedding day. If you love flowers and want your wedding design to include a statement arrangement, note that. If your partner wants to hire a live band for entertainment, note that. The more detailed you get about your needs and wants, the easier it is to maneuver funds from different areas to bring those wishes to fruition.

Keep Track of All Wedding Related Costs

Whether you’re a spreadsheet updater or a printed receipt saver, commit to one form of keeping track of all wedding expenses and share the method with anyone who will be purchasing on your behalf. We recommend a digital version, as it can be challenging to keep track of receipts from online purchases and vendor invoice payments.

Pro tip: Create flexibility in your wedding budget by allocating a buffer for unforeseen costs as well as adding estimated expenses such as, gratuities for vendors and marriage license fees.

Maintain Open and Honest Communication

Wedding planning and budgeting is most couple’s first joint effort. Think of this time as good practice for years of working as a team in the future! There will be items you’ll easily find a compromise for and others that may take some time to talk out. The key to success here is open and honest communication. 

It is common for couples to create a joint email account where all things wedding are communicated about and filed for reference. We think this is a great idea! So many details go into planning a wedding and it is easy for things to get miscommunicated. A joint email ensures you and your partner will have access to all the information you need to feel in the loop about your wedding plans.

Wedding Planners Can Help

When you hire a wedding planner, budget management is a large part of the service provided. Your budget is considered and calculated through every step of the process. We offer ideas for areas to compromise on as well as vetted vendor contacts we trust who are within your price range. Learn more about our wedding planning services by booking a complimentary consultation.