|
Managing Your Wedding Budget
By Amy E. Lemen
Nothing strikes fear in the hearts of
couples about to get married than thinking about the
cost of a wedding. Next to a down payment on your
first house, paying for a wedding can be a daunting
proposition – no matter if you’re footing much of
the bill yourselves or paying for a portion.
In either case, it pays to have a budget you can
live with, and one that also allows for extras as
they come up – like when you find the perfect
groom’s cake or a dress you just can’t live without.
Planning a wedding budget is much like setting a
budget for household or living expenses. A budget
can help you get your monthly expenses under
control, plan for future expenses, or determine how
much you can afford to spend. And, that’s exactly
what you need when planning a wedding.
Sharing Expenses
Wedding costs can run from $10,000 on up, depending
on what you want in your dream wedding. The average
wedding in the United States costs about $21,000,
not including rings or expenses traditionally
covered by the groom’s family, like the rehearsal
dinner or flowers. But with traditions going out the
window these days for brides and grooms who are
older and for couples sharing expenses, deciding who
pays for what is relative – sometimes literally.
For example, depending on the ages and the couple’s
financial circumstances, many couples have family
members who want to help. If that’s the case for
you, first sit down with your partner and talk about
what you want in a wedding. Get your ideas together
by reading bridal magazines and guides, talking to
retailers and contacting wedding suppliers for
budget ideas. By the time you sit down with your
parents or other family members, you’ll be well
prepared.
Experts advise that some budget items will be fixed
costs that won’t change no matter how many people
attend your celebration – like your dress,
photography or video package – so keep that in mind
as you’re planning. The most important point to
remember is to be realistic and try to stay as close
to your total for each item as possible.
Who Pays for What?
If you and your groom’s family are going the
traditional route and are divvying up costs, here’s
a guideline as to who pays for what. Of course, this
is all subject to change, and each family’s budget
should be considered when planning your wedding
expenses. Also, if you want to go over the top on,
say, the dress – offer to pay the extra to cover the
cost.
The bride and her family usually pay
for:
• Wedding dress, headpiece and accessories
• Trousseau, including clothes and lingerie
• Wedding stationery, notes and mailing
• Cost of reception, including site, caterer, food,
music, flowers and decorations
• At the ceremony: Rental fee, if any; flower
arrangements or other decorations; music
• The groom’s wedding ring and gift
• Gifts for bride’s attendants
• Photographs at the wedding and reception
• Video of wedding
• Favors for wedding guests
• Transportation for bridal party on the day of the
wedding
• Attendants’ bouquets
• Wedding guest book
• Professional wedding consultant, if one is used
The groom and his family usually foot
the bill for:
• Bride’s rings and gift
• Marriage license
• Honeymoon
• Gifts for best man, groomsmen and ushers
• The bride’s bouquet, all corsages and boutonnieres
• Fee for clergyman or official
• Rehearsal dinner
• Tuxedo rental
The groom’s family might also pay for accommodations
for out-of-town groomsmen, ushers and guests (as
might the bride’s family for out-of-town family
members), and alcohol at the reception.
Also keep in mind when planning your budget that
your attendants and ushers are responsible for
certain expenses, including travel, bridesmaids’
dresses or formal wear rentals and parties or
entertainment for the couple (like showers, bachelor
and bachelorette parties). Some couples offer to
help attendants with expenses like dresses; if so,
put it in the budget.
Get it in Writing
Finally, always get signed contracts, even if
they’re informal, for every service or item you’ll
be buying as part of your wedding. This will ensure
you’ll be in good shape if your photographer goes
out of business or something happens to the video
guy at the last minute.
Make sure the contracts spell out all the details,
like date, time, quantity, size, color, time of
delivery, rental period and anything else you
require. And be sure you understand the amount and
terms of payment, too.
Above all, communicate – with your partner and
family – about what’s most important to you. Make a
list of the most important items to you and make it
non-negotiable. By using your list as a guide and
designing a budget around it, it’s more likely that
you’ll get the wedding you’ve always wanted.
 |
