So, you are engaged yay! ? One of the very first things to do after the euphoria of your engagement is to set a budget for your wedding.
Why do you need to stick to a budget for your wedding
A wedding budget will help you plan, implement and take control of the expenditure of your wedding activities. Budgeting for your wedding helps you keep track of your income and expenses, it also helps you set goals and keeps you in check so you don’t deviate from them.
Having this in mind, here are some ways you can set a budget and stick to it, or else you are ready to take loans and drink garri after your wedding ? .
SET A BUDGET
Before making any further decisions regarding what you want to see/have on your wedding day, sit together with your spouse-to-be and set a budget. Once you both have a lump sum figured out, spread it across every item you both will like to have on your wedding day.
If you are not sure how to do this, you can use the Ringus budget calculator here https://ringusnow.com/budget-calculator/. The budget calculator helps you spread out what you have budgeted for your wedding across every line item required to host a wedding.
PRIORITIZE
We cannot say this enough! As long as you are working with a specific budget it is important to determine what is most important to you and your spouse-to-be and splurge on them.
Here is an example: If a beautiful ambiance is most important to you both, get the best decorator there is and by all means splurge on the decor. If capturing every moment and every beautiful angle is most important then go all out and get the best photographer there is.
What I am trying to say is after you have put your budget together, you can start tweaking things around. Start from what is most important to you and scale down.
BE UPFRONT WITH YOUR VENDORS
A lot of vendors work with various packages. These packages are created to tailor to different requirements and budgets.
Here’s my advice- Let your vendors know your budget upfront so he/she can work out a package that can better fit your budget.
So the next time you are asked what your budget is be upfront and tell your vendor. You will be surprised at the quality of service the vendor is willing to render with what you are offering.
STAY AWAY FROM TRENDS
Every couple wants to be part of the trend, we all want to have a glamorous entrance with all the special effects, and we want our wedding featured on Instagram with millions of views. If you are working with a budget stay away from what’s trending.
Stick to the things that are important.
Here are some things I think you can do without:
- After Party: You don’t have a budget for it? that’s fine you really don’t need an after-party to confirm you are truly and legally married
- Limit the bar and comfort food: If you are working with a budget, it is okay to stick to proper food and limit your drinks to wine, beer, soft drinks, juice, and water. you really don’t need to have champagne… to be honest, a lot of people can’t tell the difference between champagne and wine.
You can add more items you think are okay to do without in a wedding in the comment section. I’d love to hear from you.
Credit: Lizzy Okorie (Day-of Coordinator)
Photo credit: Pexels-Jesus Arias