Budget Blues

[Deleted User] · January 2015

Ok, so here is my rant (sorry). We did the ultimate no-no. We started planning our wedding without a budget. We just knew what we wanted which was something elegant and small (closest friends and immediate family). Somehow that all went out of the window. We recently sat down to calculate our expenses so far, and the blues began. It's not more than we can afford financially, but it's about 3x what it would have been if we kept everything the way we originally wanted. It's wayyy more than I wanted to spend on a Vegas wedding. Now I just feel like we're planning the weekend for everyone else, and some of the things we could care less about. Unfortunately save the dates have been sent. And now we're expecting about 70 (originally wanted about 25-30). This has become too much! If we wanted a larger wedding, we would have had one in my city. Now I'm secretly hoping people don't show up. Evil, I know.

hmgiffor · January 2015

Yea ours is still bigger than I hoped. Our original wedding in Phoenix was going to be 150...now we are down to about 60. If I had my way it would have only been 20. We have gone over as well and at this point, it is what it is. I am sure I could cut some things but I am happy with the decisions I made. As long as nothing goes on a credit card, I am ok with it

DixeChik19 · January 2015

Oh, I tell my fiance all the time that this wedding is getting out of control! LOL... but, its our day and we're doing a lot of things that we just have decided we want, and we want our friends to know how much we appreciate them being there for us... we know how big of an expense it is of both time and money, so we're trying to "pay it back" I guess... and I just really really really wanted the photo booth!

hashtaggroomzilla · January 2015

Yep, we originally planned for a <5k 20 person wedding. Ended up being a 15k 60 person wedding.

Plan the event in a way that you'll enjoy yourself so that you're not bitter aftewards

[Deleted User] · January 2015

It's coming either way! I think I'll be fine once I wrap my head around things. To me, the reception is the most stressful part with the expansion of the guest list. Once I finalize that, I think I'll get my excitement back. But from here on out, it's all about what I want!

missbruiser · January 2015

We can not really invite any of our friends. We are at about 50 ppl and our budget is to stay under 5k. Family wants us to invite more people, but, that is not in our budget. I remind them, that if we wanted to spend 10K+ on a wedding we would just stay home and do a traditional wedding. It is a simple low budget Vegas wedding and I like that. Do what you want. If you want less people, have less people. Just enjoy your day.

Jixxt · January 2015

same boat but it's no one else fault but our own! Our first no-no was booking a super expensive hotel for the reception and ceremony 1.5yrs ago with the knowledge that prices can go up. AND they did... about $20per head

ahhhhhh well, it will be amazing!

thegreens15 · January 2015

I feel your pain. I thought this was going to be simple. I just want to marry my honey and dance the night away.

vegasbaby2015 · January 2015

I'm learning that no wedding is cheap or easy!!

hashtaggroomzilla · January 2015

vegasbaby2015 said:

I'm learning that no wedding is cheap or easy!!

The builder's triangle - cheap, easy, good, pick 2.

aggiespartan · January 2015

Ours was relatively easy, but we did go over budget. We could have definitely gotten less expensive clothes and gotten rid of some of our impulse buys up to the event. You just end up seeing so many things that make you think "oh I need that for Vegas." A lot of our "extra" purchases were things we would wear/use again though.

DixeChik19 · January 2015

vegasbaby2015 said:

I'm learning that no wedding is cheap or easy!!

I'm starting to think these may be the truest words ever spoken!

EAR123 · January 2015

I read somewhere that close to 70-75 percent of couples go over budget during wedding planning so you are not alone!

If you can cut costs in other areas, aim to do so. It could be forgoing favors or welcome bags or nixing a high cost item like a DJ. You can cut corners on things like number of appetizers or the bar/alcohol setup. Also trim in places like invitations - I loooove paper and went with a much cheaper designer/printer than my original choice and saved a lot.

Also, as others have noted on these boards, not everyone you invite will come, even if they say "we got your save the date and are so excited" - people will drop out, so keep it in mind but don't count on it for sure when budgeting for everything else!

aggiespartan · January 2015

I was also stupid and bought an expensive dress. I wish I would have shopped the sales at BHLDN. Although everyone loved my dress, I could have gotten something much cheaper and saved a ton.

wrigleyville · January 2015

Is there anything you can cut?

Use VistaPrint for invitations
Use cheaper flowers and/or fewer flower arrangements. For example, have the BMs carry a single flower instead of a bouquet, and don't use flowers as centerpieces.
Serve beer and wine instead of a full bar. Or, have a dry wedding.
Have a brunch or lunch reception. It's much cheaper, sometimes by 50%.
Skip favors, welcome bags, programs, and other unnecessary frills
Cancel the Meet & Greet if you haven't spread the word yet

[Deleted User] · January 2015

There isn't too much that I'm willing to skimp on at the moment. (Maybe some minor things can be deleted, but I'm not sure how much that would save) I'm pretty specific about how I want the day to go. It's the headcount for the reception that I wish I could change. It's a 7pm ceremony so lunch wouldn't work. It would have been much easier! Right now everyone is so adamant about attending, I just wish I could know who is most serious, you know. If all else fails, I'll just have to roll with the punches. Boo.

[Deleted User] · January 2015

Actually, my reception space has an occupancy limit that I may be able to use to my advantage. The bad thing is, I've already sent the save the dates. Don't worry, I won't break the golden rule. Save the date will = invite

wrigleyville · January 2015

vegasbride0815 said:

Actually, my reception space has an occupancy limit that I may be able to use to my advantage. The bad thing is, I've already sent the save the dates. Don't worry, I won't break the golden rule. Save the date will = invite

I would think you'd be okay since you haven't hit your occupancy limit yet, unless you keep verbally inviting people. If you're doing that, stop it.

[Deleted User] · January 2015

The funny thing is, people are inviting themselves! Like who does that???!!! I understand the excitement because it's Vegas but come on. lol I'm not going to let it stress me anymore. Plus, I'm reading that a lot of guests may cancel last minute anyway.

wrigleyville · January 2015

vegasbride0815 said:

The funny thing is, people are inviting themselves! Like who does that???!!! I understand the excitement because it's Vegas but come on. lol I'm not going to let it stress me anymore. Plus, I'm reading that a lot of guests may cancel last minute anyway.

A lot of people can assume they're coming, but unless they get an invitation, how would they know where your wedding is? Keep changing the subject and putting your foot down. I had a bunch of relatives say, "Oh, we can't wait to come to Vegas!" and I'd say something like, "Well, we're still working on the guest list. I'm going to get another drink. Would you like anything?"

I wouldn't rely on other people's stories about cancellations. We had 100% attendance at our wedding. Vegas is very popular, as you're aware.

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