Biggest things to budget for

It will be hard to give you specifics of what things will cost for you, because that all depends on your location, season, and if you go with high-end vendors or not. My gown ended up costing more than I expected but I could have gotten something more affordable online if I really wanted. When it comes to things like invitations, gifts, and flowers, you can kind of spend as much or as little as you want. What kinds of gifts do you have in mind? Basic paper invites or fancy ones with things like custom calligraphy, embossing, and gold foil? In regards to flowers, where do you live and what season is your wedding? You have to look at average costs of flowers in your city for that month, because getting flowers out of season costs a lot more.

The largest expenses by far were the venue/catering, event design and music. I wouldn't say anything came as a particularly big surprise, price wise. The sky is the limit when choosing vendors, but of course there are a range of options at every price point. Before booking anything, I would get some quotes. Then you can adjust according to your priorities.

Price is subjective. Don’t use internet articles as the basis that you are spending too much or not enough because you know what your budget and priorities are and other budgets don’t apply to yours and vice versa. Pick 3-5 areas to focus your attention and budget on and then eliminate the rest. Get your must have guest list set in stone: the people you can’t get married without but you don’t invite to make other people happy because they already got married and they can host their own parties.


When you have that figured out, then you can look at venues. It’s not completely true that all inclusive venues are cheaper because there are many required expensive costs involved that are multiple figures in addition to the rental cost that they don’t tell you about when you book the venue. Blank slate venues (parks department owned venues, community centers, converted warehouses, etc found on Peerspace) offer options to allow you to stay under budget and it’s a misconception that they are automatically more expensive because not everyone chooses the expensive options.
A lot of the “expectations” stem from celebrity influenced weddings seen on Instagram that are not representative of real life budgets. But the wedding industry uses the celebrity weddings as the bare minimum acceptable trends/“etiquette” (and don’t care about actual etiquette of making sure that uncomfortable situations are avoided) and they don’t care that they are unrealistic or out of budget for many people. Use your own social circle as your compass for etiquette and traditions and don’t worry about what you see online, including costs. For example, some social circles don’t use all inclusive venues and they may prefer cake and coffee in the church or park with no alcohol. Some other social circles will have different preferences and not consider that to be valid. For most people in our social circles, the venue was nice but not expensive. The catering options were also on the lower end of the price spectrum while still being good quality. The most expensive costs over all were dj and photos. Flowers, cake, invites were all inexpensive.

By far, our venue was the biggest expense. Food quality was THE most important thing to hubby and I, so, for us, this venue was the winner. Add to that, the location (on the beach) and included amenities were just what we wanted. We saved money on invitations, table decor (really,who cares what was on the table when the OCEAN provided the perfect decor) and flowers (again, no flower centerpieces, so less money) Michelle was right on the mo ey with her reply - focus on what is the most important, non-negotiable aspects of your day and budget accordingly.
Happy Planning!

We budget for items we prioritized and what were non-negotiable for our day

beautiful venue/caterer, really talented photo that offered a variety of styles, day-of coordinator to assist with odds/ends, and stunning attire, simple favors, simple and beautiful florals were

this is about you and your love story remember, this is your day!

Invitation expenses! We made up 100 invitations and spent around $1,000 after postage and other extras. Definitely did not plan for that expense but it was something important to us. Our invites needed two stamps on the outside and a stamp for the rsvp card. This ended up being about $200 in stamps alone and that doesn't include postage needed for thank you cards.

Michelle is right that wedding budgets are highly subjective and customizable, but here's a rundown of our largest wedding expenses. If you're curious about more specific numbers let me know!

1. Venue: Our venue includes the catering, and we're getting appetizers, dinner, and a full open bar for the entire reception so this is the largest cost.

2. Florals: I didn't want to spend as much as we're going to on florals, but it's one of the most important aspects to my fiance to have really lush flowers.

3. Photographer

4. Videographer (but this is something my fiance's parents really wanted so they are paying for it).

5. DJ.

Other smaller expenses include attire, vendor tips, the coordinator, the dessert/cake, invitation printing and postage, wedding favors, and gifts for our wedding party.

Hello!

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding! It's definitely an exciting time. In terms of budgeting, the biggest expenses for weddings often include the venue, catering, photography /videography, attire, and entertainment. However, additional costs like invitations, flowers, bridal party gifts, and unexpected expenses can also add up. It's a good idea to allocate a portion of your budget for these smaller details, as they can contribute significantly to the overall experience.

As for my own wedding, the largest expenses were the venue, catering, and photography. One surprise expense for us was the cost of alterations for the wedding attire, as well as last-minute decor additions. It's always a good idea to have a contingency fund for unexpected expenses that may arise as you plan your special day.

Best wishes as you continue to plan for your wedding!

The advice I saw on 'apractical wedding' and 'off beat wed' was make a list of what is important and what isn't with your husband.
Have a indoor venue that is accessable
Feed everyone dinner and crocemboche
Dancefloor and DJ
Husband wanted a $1,500 officiant, which was more expensive than the online lists. And I did pay for a $1,500 for a photographer. Everything else, doesn't matter. Overall, it was a $28,000 wedding.