How much $$$ are you spending?

Re: How much $$$ are you spending?

• inkygirl member

  

  August 2010 edited December 2011

  We're on a super tight budget because we're paying for it ourselves and I work for a non-profit and FI is in school.  We're doing everything for $2500.  I was engaged 2 years ago and am able to use several things from that (my dress, paper, ribbon, vases, tulle, etc.) that total about $1000. 
  
  My advice to you is to figure out what you can afford total.  Then rank what is most important to you.  For us, the highest was the photography.  The lowest was cake and music.  We've also asked several friends to give us the gift of their talents.  One is doing our day of coordination.  Another is the videographer.  Another plays the violin so she is doing all of our ceremony music.  We also couldn't afford a full meal, so we're just doing a dessert reception.  The Knot has a great budgeting tool, so if you figure out your top number and put it in, they'll tell you how much to allocate for most things.  It's very helpful. 
  
  GL!
  
  

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• topchef33 member

  

  August 2010 edited December 2011

  Don't choose your budget by what's most 'popular'. There really is no 'right' price except what you can afford to spend.
  
  It depends on where your wedding is, what vendors you go with, etc. etc. etc. There's a million things that can affect the price.
  
  Spend the most $ on the things that are most important to you. That doesn't mean you have  break the bank to serve steak and lobster if food is important to you. There are great chicken and pork dishes that are just as tasty and cost less.
  

  
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• amylynn121 member

  

  August 2010 edited December 2011

  set your budget based on how much you can spend. we set our budget for $5000 but it looks like it will come out closer to $3000. The key is not being too picky and really keeping your ears open for good deals or ideas to get good prices. Our wedding is not going to be fancy by any means, but I know it could have been if we wanted it to and we still wouldn't have exceeded out budget. If you are from the NWI area I can give you all kinds of ideas and ways to save money. I've got loads of research from along the way that im more then willing to share with others. 

  

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• DawnC23

  

  August 2010 edited December 2011

  There are so many factors you must include before determining a budget. Spend what you can afford, or what you feel is right. But, to give you an idea, we are having an outdoor wedding/indoor reception in Fort Wayne. We've invited 340+ guests and our expecting to have around 270-280 attend. With alot of DIY projects, coupon shopping and finding a caterer with very competitive prices (along with some other ways to cut costs), we will probably spend around $13,000-$14,000. $10k was our original plan, but as the guest list grew, we had to up the budget. Good luck!

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• mizzkaren member

  

  August 2010 edited December 2011

  Thanks everyone! I was just checking to see what is usually spent so that I can determine a reliable amount to save up for as a goal. I have thought of TONS of ways to make it a cheaper wedding, and we will definitely be using those!  We are in college now and would like to graduate before we get married, so we are not getting married until June 2, 2012 and that definitely helps out by giving us time to save up!

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• cjspencer35 member

  

  September 2010 edited December 2011

  To help me figure out the goal budget before I did anything else I used the Knot's budget tool.  Give it a try! Really helps you break everything down and account for everything!  And man-oh-man does it add up fast! Glad I sat down and did that before I started spending any money so I could see where I might want to cut back to make room for other areas that are more important to me.

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