How to Create a Wedding Budget
Photo credit: Created with Grace Photography
We received several messages from a recent post of ours regarding “budgeting 101” - you can read that post, here. One of the biggest comments we received was “I don’t know how to split my budget”. Creating a budget can be a daunting task - it’s both overwhelming (because, how the heck do you decide what you should spend on each area?!) and it’s challenging because without some help from an “insider”, how do you really know if your budget makes sense or not?
We’ve already talked about why making your money work for you is important when planning an event (and also, just in life….. right?!), but we didn’t talk about what that looks like in true actual numbers. So, we’ve pulled some numbers from a recent client and are sharing them with you here. We have not named any vendors or client details - that’s private information so we’ve been careful not to give that away. We did, however, mark information below so you have some real comparisons and data to consider for your own event. [Disclaimer: this client gave us permission to share this information.]
Total Investment: $65,000
Guest Count: 150 people
Venue: $5000 - the venue included a base amount of tables, chairs, and linens. They have an open catering policy so that fee was for venue and rentals, only.
Catering: $32,000 - this included hors d’oeuvres for cocktail hour, open bar (beer & wine), a buffet dinner, service staff, tax, service fees.
Rentals: $2000 - included place settings (china, glassware, flatware, napkins) and some other misc. small rentals. Included delivery and pick up.
Management Fee: $6,000 - they opted for our full-service package. They did not live in Kentucky and needed help finding the venue/date, all vendors, and help managing logistics, etc. We also added services related to RSVP collection/tracking, and additional events related to the wedding (Shower, luncheon, etc.)
Florals: $5000 - included personals, ceremony, and reception florals. Vase rentals + candles. Included delivery, set up and pick up.
Dessert: $600 - 3-tiered cake - included delivery, cake stand rental, and anniversary cake.
Printables: $1200 included physical save-the-dates, day-of sigange + printing, and the invitation suites. Also included postage for all. (invitations were a 5-part suite).
Other Decor: $500 - included misc. signs, personal decor, guest “book”, etc.
Hotel: $500 - included a hotel room for the couple for two nights in Lexington,.
Photo: $4,500 - they had an 8-hour package with the photographer, two shooters and it included the engagement shoot. They did not have videography services.
Entertainment: $6000 - they had an 8-piece band. This included travel fees and meals. Band provided their own equipment.
Hair & Makeup: $1,400 - this included hair and makeup services for the bride, two mothers, and the wedding party (7 total people)
Insurance: $400 - included an umbrella policy for the weekend, added to an existing liability policy.
Transportation: $500 - for a car service for the end of the night (couple, only). Includes tax and gratuity.
Tips: $500 in tips were distributed to vendors where it wasn’t included in the contract already.
Officiant: $0 - it was a friend who offered services for free.
Rehearsal dinner, dress, rings, honeymoon were not included in the budget.
(numbers above are rounded to the nearest dollar.)
Other details to consider regarding the above budget:
The ceremony and reception was in the same location (different areas on the property). This saved money for a second “venue rental” in having the ceremony off site. This also allowed us to use the furniture on-site for two purposes, saving us money in a second set of rentals.
This was a Fall wedding in Lexington for 150 people. We spent 18 months planning the wedding with this particular client.
They picked their venue and date first - so all other vendors were able to be worked in around that.
They controlled their guest list. They didn’t have a 300 person invitation list that we tried to squeeze into 150. We landed exactly where we expected based on their initial invitation list.
They took our advise on two vendors that were going to exceed our budget. These were two vendors they REALLY wanted…. like, really, really wanted. And the two vendors are REMARKABLE companies (and good friends) but, our clients were firm in their budget and wanting to stick with that price range. We talked through all of the possibilities and they decided to heed our advise and opt for two vendors who were similar in style but in-line with our price range.
Transportation and “other decor” was added near the end. Our original budget had a $1000 “miscellaneous” line-item - which we add and save for things that come up later, things that are unexpected, etc. As we drew near the end of the planning process and felt comfortable that we wouldn’t need that reserve, we added a “getaway” car and some extra décor items they had their eye on.
How does this compare to your budget, guest count, vendors, and plans for your day? Each budget and each event is unique - so these numbers above should only be used as a starting point - they can be adjusted up or down in a number of ways based on your needs, your details, your budget, etc.
We hope this helps!