Happy Wednesday you beautiful ladies (and gents if you're reading)! Today I am kicking off my new blogging series "The Brides Guide" with why creating a wedding budget is a must. I'll let you in on a little secret. Between Jeremy and I, I was definitely the one who wasn't really thinking of the budget. In my mind, I thought "estimating" would be good enough and that we would be fine. It's our wedding right? We are only doing this sucker once, so let's do what we want! Turns out, that isn't really how it works haha. You may only get married once, but you still have to eat, pay your car payment, pay your mortgage, feed your pets...important stuff like that ;)
It's easy to get carried away with planning, especially with Pinterest being right at our fingertips, tempting us with so many awesome ideas. WHYYYY must there be so many cool things on there?! Ugh. Anyways! This is where a budget comes perfectly into play to slow our roll a bit, haha. I don't want to make a budget sound like a downer, because it really isn't! It is so helpful, keeps you organized and on track, and just makes planning so much simpler! My favorite part about the budget was definitely how it kept us organized. As most of you know, I am a huge list-maker. So with everything written out and checked off once paid for, just made me that much more excited for our wedding! Jeremy loved it most because it put a limit on our spending (duh), which I'll admit I needed haha. I knew I married him for a good reason... ;)
There are so many cool wedding apps out now that can help you stay organized and keep your wedding budget on your phone. We just decided to do a spreadsheet (through Numbers on our Mac's) and kept track of everything through there. If you are techy and like everything all together, then I'd suggest looking at some apps. There are tons!
Here is what was on our list:
Venue
DJ
Photography
Videography
Flowers
Wedding Coordinator
Cake/Cupcakes
Food
Officiant
Marriage License
Groom Attire/Accessories
Save The Dates
Wedding Invites
Postage
Wine/Beer
Bartenders
Dress Alterations
Rings
Tents
Decor
Garter/Jewerly/Shoes
Hotel Rooms
Groomsmen Gifts
Bridesmaid Gifts
Glassware/Table Settings
Tips
"Shit"
Haha. Okay, I'll clarify what the "shit" category was. When Jeremy and I were creating our budget, there was a bunch of random stuff that popped up that I didn't want to make its own category, so we decided all of that stuff would go in the "shit" category. You DO NOT need to name this "shit" haha! "Stuff" would've probably been more appropriate, but we were a little annoyed when we got to the end of the list, so that is the name it got. Keeping it real transparent with you all haha. Just a little heads up for you all. When you and your fiancé are creating the wedding budget at first, there will be some disagreements. You each will have an idea of what you want to spend on something. But you know what? You will figure it out and come to a compromise! Great practice for marriage ;)
What we had in our "shit" category (which ended up being important stuff haha) were things like ice (SUPER IMPORTANT!), breakfast/snacks for you and your wedding party the day of, and a steamer for the bridesmaid dresses (ended up having to go the night before to Walmart and get two, just in case...yikes!). Just to name a few. You never know when something unexpected might pop up, like the steamer situation haha, so it's good to plan for things like that.
We were really fortunate to have parents that were willing to help us out. We were, and to this day, so grateful for all of their help. As you can see I am missing a few things on my list that some people would need to include on their own, such as: wedding dress, honeymoon, and rehearsal dinner (traditionally, the grooms parents pay for this, but it can all depend on situations!). We actually ended up paying for most of our honeymoon, we just decided to not include that in our total wedding budget.
When we created our budget there were a few things we didn't even think we had to factor in. For example, I completely spaced postage and tips. Our postage ended up being $150 and tips were around $500, so that is almost $1,000 right there that we hadn't even factored in! So be sure when you are making your budget list to include these two things. They are easy to look past but really stack up.
What our wedding budget was does NOT need to be what yours is. Everyone's wedding is totally different. Some people might have a lot more to add to their budget list, and others might have half of the list I've shared. There is no "perfect" amount to spend on a wedding. The "perfect" amount is what will make both of you happy and comfortable. It is your guys' day, so make it fit your style and situation!
Now. To sum it all up for you guys. Why is a wedding budget a must? It is a must so when you and your fiancé start your life together, you go in it feeling secure and comfortable. You want to start your new life together happy, stress-free and financially stable! Simple as that :)
Hope this was helpful for all you brides to be! Share with other friends you have that are getting married, too, if they might be interested.
Next up will be 5 Tips To Help You Say Yes To The Dress! Can't wait :) thanks all!
Outfit Details>>>
Dress: Old Navy
Bow Scrunchie: Urban Outfitters (this one is sold out, but I have the one linked as well!)
xo,
Micaiah