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This is a series of 6 wedding articles about making wedding budgets that work for you.
When planning for a wedding, one of the toughest tasks is budgeting because you need to find the balance between what is ‘needed’ and what would just be a bonus. Traditionally, the costs of a wedding were split in a very formal way but times are now changing.
When it comes to spending five figures of your (or your parents’) hard earned bucks, the power invested in you is not to be taken lightly. For many years, there was a specific layout which suggested who paid for what when budgeting for a wedding dress, budgeting wedding food, and all other wedding costs. For example, the ceremony is often split with the bride and family paying for the church and everything related whilst the groom and family pay for the official licence and officiant. In addition to this, the groom’s family paid for the honeymoon whilst the bride’s family provided the photographer.
What do bride and her family pay?
Aside from this, most other areas were split in terms of wedding rings, flowers, wedding attire, and the reception. However, it is important to note that the invitations, announcements, and wedding transportation were all paid for by the bride and family. Over the years, this stayed in place because it was a fair way to sort out the costs and begin a new life as a couple. Despite this, things are changing and many are breaking away from the mold.
Nowadays, many couples are choosing to sit down with their families and decide what everyone can afford. Previously, families would put themselves into debt just to provide all the requirements for a wedding and to follow tradition. Nowadays, we tend to be more careful with our money and only go for a wedding that can be afforded.
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It is also now an option to ask the wedding guests to contribute. As opposed to sending out a list of items that you may not use, you can ask them to contribute this money to the wedding fund and it can allow for a more enjoyable day for all. There will be people who do not like this idea and will give you a tangible presents instead. The majority will be happy to go along with this as it is essentially easier for them, too. Many couples have kitchen and household essentials that they are happy with, but would really like to have some new furniture or a grill. A new trend is to register for gift cards you can put toward the pricier items. Many companies offer discounts on items remaining on your registry after your wedding day.
With the faltering economy in recent years, job security has been reduced in all industries so this new method could be the way forward to prevent unnecessary spending. If you sit down at the beginning of the wedding planning process and decide how much you can afford, you can build a wedding around this rather than building a wedding and worrying about the costs later. Ultimately, you can create a wedding checklist and keep everything on budget.