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Wedding Budgeting Tools,
Tips and Ideas
By Jody Taylor-Smith
Professional Event Planner
So he’s popped the question and you’re on cloud nine.
Your coffee table has now become a mountain of wedding
magazines and the adventure of planning your wedding begins.
Suddenly your ‘to do’ list grows to a size that can be
literally frightening. Parents, dresses, guests, venues,
cakes, entertainment, bridesmaids, dance lessons,
photographers, themes, décor, flowers, music, gifts, travel,
tuxes, hair, makeup…ahhhh!
There are so many decisions to be made that it may
feel overwhelming. But take a deep breath. Remember that
this should (and CAN) be a wonderful and fun experience. Use
these tips to make the start of your planning process truly
an enjoyable one:
-
 The
best budgeting idea I have for you is to create a Budget
Worksheet. A simple Excel sheet can be a phenomenal
tool to keep track of your expenditures and to keep you
within your budget. The worksheet image to your right is
a simple example of a typical wedding budget checklist.
Your costs and line items may vary, but this should be a
good starting point.
Download a copy in PDF here, opens in a new window.
Download an Excel Wedding Budgeting Tool Worksheet, this
is a ZIP file, save and unzip!
- Get a grip on the number of guests you expect to
attend before you choose a venue. The darling stone
chapel on the hill may be the cutest thing you’ve ever
seen, but it will only hold 30 guests. You don’t want
musical chairs or standing room only conditions.
- Listen to Mother Nature. Hurricane season is
called that for a reason. Be cautious about obvious
weather restraints. Don't plan an outdoor wedding
during the monsoon season.
- Cha-Ching! If you’re responsible for tracking the
expenses, get a credit card that offers rewards
(miles for your honeymoon, gift cards, hotel points,
etc.) It can be an easy way to keep track of your
expenses – and to be rewarded for paying for various
costs along the way.
- The easiest way to trim and control your wedding
budget is to reduce the number of guests. It’s
amazing how guest lists have a tendency to grow
uncontrollably when all of the parents and relatives
offer their input. Co-workers of your great uncle may be
delightful friends, but if it comes to crunch time, they
should be the first to go. Imagine that each guest costs
$100. Reduce 10 guests and you’ve saved $1000.
- Get organized. Become best friends with your
3-ring binder...make tabs for your various vendors,
clip photos of things you love (or don’t), keep notes
during meetings with your coordinator and others.
- Keep a digital camera in your car or purse to
capture quick pictures of ideas you see – store them in
your binder.
- Set up a special email account dedicated just to
your wedding. We can do this for you right
here at Big Event Registration.
- Set up a BLOG for your wedding planning complete
with RSS feed to keep everyone posted on what's
happening. We can do this for you right here
at Big Event Registration. The BLOG is free.
The set up takes about an hour.
- Put all your vendor and other important phone
numbers in your phone memory so you’re not
constantly looking them up.
- Use
www.BigEventRegistation.com to handle your RSVPs
online and provide an online printable confirmation if
needed as a door or party pass for your guests. We
can do this for 100 or 10,000 at a very affordable
price.
Plan
your big event now. We will come back to you with
a comprehensive proposal ASAP.
Or, please contact
Big Event Registration today with your questions.
Put us to work for you. |
