Budgeting for Weddings

Many brides and grooms enter into wedding planning without any experience planning a major event. One of the most important aspects of planning is your budget – but how are you going to go about planning without knowing the basics of how much things generally cost, how much to allocate, and how to handle your overall budget? Thankfully, two Washington DC metro area wedding planners are here to the rescue.

Breakdown of Budgets

Laura Auer of Soiree Special Events was kind enough to break down general budget guidelines for couples planning their weddings. She writes, “Typically we build custom budgets for our clients. However, you can figure yours out fairly easily. Take the total dollar amount that you’re willing to spend on the wedding and allocate…

• 2% for the ceremony (includes church fee, officiant, marriage license, and ceremony accessories like a unity candle)
• 50% for the reception (includes venue fees, food, beverages, service, and rentals)
• 2% for the wedding cake
• 4% for attire (wedding dress, tuxedo, lingerie, shoes)
• .5% for beauty (hair, makeup, manicure)
• 2% for stationery (save-the-dates, invitations, programs, menus, thank-you notes, postage)
• 8% for flowers & decor (bouquets, boutonnieres, corsages, centerpieces, etc)
• 1.5% ceremony musicians
• 3% reception deejay or band
• 8% photography (including prints and albums)
• 3% videography (including DVDs)
• 3% rings
• 2% transportation (limos, guest shuttles, parking, etc)
• .5% hotel room for wedding night
• 3% gifts (parent & bridal party gifts, favors, guest welcome bags)
• 3% tips/etc (extra stash for tips, taxes, overages, emergencies)”

Tipping

Holly Blackett of Zuriana’s Elegant Occasions writes, “Tipping is a way of acknowledging a vendor that provides exemplary service or service that is above and beyond. Be sure to check your contracts to see if a tip has been included as part of the contract. Some vendors, for example a transportation company or a caterer may include their tip as part of your bill.”

Laura says, “Please remember that tips should be based on service….if the vendor went above and beyond then you should figure that into your calculations. Here are some general guidelines we recommend to our brides.

• Caterer: $20-30 per staff person on-site on the wedding day
• Rentals: $10-20 per delivery person
• Cake: $20 for the delivery person
• Flowers: $20 per delivery person (typically there are two)
• Photographer & videographer: $50 per person
• Planner/coordinator: $50
• Deejay: $40-50
• Band: $20-40 per member
• Hairstylist/makeup artist: 10-15% of the total cost
• Limo drivers: $20 per driver
• Ceremony musician: $20 per musician”

Holly also notes, “If the florist and cake baker were really great you can send the tip with a thank you note after the event.”

Wedding Budget Surprises

I asked each of the planners, what are some surprises that wedding couples encounter while budgeting?

Laura writes, “Many brides choose not to have a videographer, choose not to budget for it, then change their minds at the last minute. If you’re undecided on whether or not you’ll need a videographer, budget it for it anyway! It’s better to end up with extra money at the end than run short before the big day! Another similar vendor is lighting. If your space needs lighting and you like idea, set aside some money and consider it as part of the venue cost. Lighting can make a big difference in the aesthetic appeal of your space but too often it’s cut for budget reasons.”

Holly adds, “Honeymoons are one area a couple should not leave as an after thought. You want the honeymoon to be as special as the wedding. Be sure to set aside a budget and plan on booking your honeymoon roughly 9 months to a year in advance. Advance honeymoon planning will allow couples to take advantage of special savings as well as ensuring that the couple gets the experience a couple desires e.g. an available resort, particular category room, etc.”

Cutting corners in your budget without cutting quality

Laura also had some really great ideas to add for brides looking to balance their budgets. “We have several budget-cutting ideas to help our brides. First, chiavari chairs are overpriced and nobody will notice them. By switching your rentals to folding chairs, you’ve just cut the cost in half. My favorites are the walnut-colored folding chairs from Party Rental, Ltd.

“Another idea is to use plain cotton linens for everything and only upgrade your guest tables to a nice high-quality linen. Your buffet and deejay tables don’t need a fancy shimmer pintuck. Similarly, reuse tables as often as you can. Having a candy buffet for your favors? Display it on the escort card table during dinner when the cards have been taken.

“Finally, brides never realize that hors d’oeuvres add up. There is a lot of expensive labor that goes into each individual piece. By simply changing your passed spanikopita into a stationary crudite display, you can save a bundle. Don’t forget to reuse that table and linen to set up coffee and tea service after dinner!”

My two cents

No matter how you budget your wedding, the most important thing is to work with your partner and follow the guidelines that you two set out before you started planning. Wedding planners can help you stay within budget (and can even save you money), and may be a good way to involve a knowledgeable third party in such a tricky and unusual planning situation.