Splurge and Save: How to Stay in Your Budget

First things first, you are engaged, where do you start? Set a budget
and stick to it. This will likely involve a conversation with one or
both sets of parents. Do NOT make a guest list until you have a budget.
Don’t allot more than you can afford! No one needs to go into debt over a
wedding. Prioritize your wants by making a list. Write out all the
necessary components of a wedding like photography, venue, dress, food,
guest list, invitations, transportation, music, videography, cake,
alcohol, favors… the list goes on and on. Once you have your list put
the items in order of things you care about most. If a huge guest list
is most important to you, you will absolutely have to scale down in
other areas, likely the things towards the bottom of the list. Once you
factor in chairs, plates, food, drinks, favors, etc each guest can
easily cost you $100. Try to set aside 5-10% of your budget for things
you didn’t think about. Trust me you will spend money on a lot of random
things that don’t fit into the big vendor categories. Figure out your
priority items first and book less important options with the money you
have left over.

Read the rest over at The Charity Wedding!