Budgeting

First thing's first, what are we working with?

We are paying for our own wedding, and at 24 we don't want to take out a loan for one day. Although the day is extremely special, we decided it wasn't a smart idea to spend all of our money, only to have a stressful first year of marriage. We figured it was more important that we would be able to financially support ourselves once we were married rather then spend all of our savings on the wedding only to cause more worries about the future.

 

That being said, we decided on spending 10,000 on the wedding. This is a rough figure, so if we end up under-great! If we end up going over a little-well, that's okay too. Basically it's our way of saying we are not going to spend the "typical" amount of 20k+ on our wedding.

 

It's a special day, yes. But I think so much emphasis is put on this ONE day; rather than how important every single day AFTER the wedding is too! How it's about building a life of love together. I don't want to seem like I'm undermining the sacredness of the day. I just want to put in perspective that the wedding day should be celebrated and enjoyed since it is the BEGINNING of a life together. But putting all of your focus and spending all of your money on the beginning of a journey, is well, stupid. You need to make sure you have enough for the entire trip! 

 

Now you know my perspective. So I'm always looking for deals, ways to spend less money, but please do not think I don't value this day. I value the idea that we are preparing to spend the rest of our lives together. And I'm trying to be reasonable with money. 

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My fiance will not tell me what he spent on the engagement ring! He wants the matching wedding band to be a surprise too. I told him I didn't want anything huge or really expensive. The ring he picked out was perfect! I'm sure the wedding band will be beautiful as well. Since I don't know how much all 3 rings will cost together I just put a guess of 2,000.

This is a generic Budget Worksheet from About.com

My Total Budget 10,000

Expenses	% of Total Budget	% Estimate	Actual Cost
Ceremony Location fee, officiant fee, marriage license, musician's fees, ring pillows	3%	300	800
Reception Reception Site, Food, Drinks, Rentals, Cake, Favors	48%	4,800	4,000
Attire Dress, Headpiece/veil, undergarments and hosiery, shoes, accessories, jewelry, hair and makeup, Groom's Tuxedo or Suit, shoes, bow tie, cuff links, studs, suspenders	10%	1,000	800
Rings His and her rings, engraving	3%	300	2,000
Flowers Ceremony, bride's bouquet, maid-of-honor and bridesmaid bouquets, corsages and boutonnieres, centerpieces, flower-girl basket	8%	800	500
Music Ceremony Musicians, Band and/or DJ, cocktail hour musicians, sound system rental	8%	800	500
Photography Photographer and Videographer's fees, albums, additional prints, disposable cameras for candids	12%	1,200	900
Transportation Transportation for wedding party, guest shuttle and/or parking attendants	2%	200	0
Stationery Invitations, response cards, thank you notes, postage, calligraphy, guest book	3%	300	300
Gifts Bridesmaid and groomsmen, parents, welcome baskets for out-of-town guests.	3%	300	200