Your wedding budget – finances in a nutshell
Published: 16 Apr 09
Keeping your wedding budget under control and not compromising when it comes to styling your celebration means being realistic from the start. Make sure you enter the planning process well informed and with a bit of financial flexibility, writes Christina Holt, MD of Wedding Concepts (www.weddingconcepts.co.za)
- Choosing to work with a reputable wedding coordination company will likely be the best choice to keep your wedding budget controlled and truly understood from the start.
- If you have not involved a professional planner who advises on realistic financial implications, make sure you speak to a friend who recently got married and ask for advice on wedding costs.
- Draw your wedding budget (bigger picture please!) and allow for a possible 10% to 20% deviation as a rule of thumb. You will find that personalising your day tends to increase costs rather than decrease them.
- Identify which areas are the most important to you, i.e. music and entertainment, décor, food and wine, photography etc, and allow some extra funds to create the "wow" factor and involve the best suppliers.
- Look at your guest list and evaluate who is truly important to share your day. Cutting down on the invitees from the outset is the most effective cost saver.
- Choose a venue that truly works for you. Make sure you have a clear understanding of what is included and excluded in the venue hire - extras and special surcharges often apply.
- For a marquee wedding involve a professional coordinator - couples often underestimate the logistics and extra costs involved.
- Select reputable suppliers who understand your vision (not everyone may suit your style) and relay your approximate budget for their services from the start to avoid surprises.
