Is tracking wedding expenses starting to overwhelm you? Setting a wedding budget makes keeping wedding expenses organized much easier. No matter what your budget, it’s important to know how typical wedding expenses add up. Below is a basic sample wedding budget that will have you walking down the aisle without breaking a sweat – or your budget! Open your excel sheet and let’s get started tracking wedding expenses!
Creating a Budget for your Wedding Expenses: First, note the contributions you will receive from both sets of parents. Next, put down a target number that you and your fiance have in mind to spend for your total wedding expenses. Know this number may increase, but at least it gives you a target to shoot for. Write down the number of anticipated guests and number of bridesmaids and groomsmen in your bridal party. This will help you determine your reception costs. Not all the guests you invite will come. As the rule of thumb is 10-15% of your invited guest list will decline their invitation.
Calculating Vendor Expenses for your Wedding: Great work! Now, create categories and itemize each of them to complete your wedding budget. Research your favorite vendors on sites like WED101 to educate yourself on anticipated costs per vendor. After you book each vendor, you will return to your wedding budget worksheet and put in your actual cost to help track your real spending amount.
Create categories for the reception, attire, flowers and décor, entertainment, photo and video, stationary, wedding rings, transportation and lodging accommodations, and lastly gifts/ favors for guests, parents, and the bridal party. As you estimate the costs and delegate spending for each item, think of which items are the most important. For me, décor held more importance than video so I used the funding suggested for a videographer to put toward a more dramatic reception design. Each bride is different in what she envisions for her big day and what may be worth cutting from other genres of wedding extras.
Expect the Unexpected Wedding Expenses: It’s always a good idea to keep a just-in-case fund in your wedding budget for unexpected expenses. Worst case scenario, you have to utilize the additional money you’ve been saving if something comes up you weren’t counting on. The good news is if you don’t end up needing your emergency fund, it gives you extra money to spend on that wildly romantic honeymoon you are dreaming of!
That’s It – Wedding Expenses Tracking Made Easy with a Wedding Budget: Pour yourself a glass of your favorite vino and let out a sigh of relief, we’re finished! Whether your wedding budget is based on platinum or pennies, all of us at WED101 wish you a blissful engagement!
Keyword: wedding budget Secondary: wedding expenses, unexpected expenses, sample wedding budget, tracking wedding expenses, delegate spending Description: Your guide to a simple wedding budget that will help you track all your wedding expenses.
