Tips to Develop a Realistic Wedding Budget

There’s a lot of talk in the wedding community about couples who aren’t realistically developing their wedding budget and looking for services for their special day with unrealistic expectations on costs. Vendors are seeing a lot of couples asking for a lot of services for a lot less money than what these services actually cost. You are shopping blind without guidance on what to expect when shopping for wedding related services and are left feeling pretty bad when you realize you can't afford them. But it’s not your fault. How would you know what anything really cost unless someone (or something) you esteem to be a trusted source tells you? Well I am going to share a couple of tips with you that will help you develop a realistic wedding budget while using the tools provided for free by some of the popular wedding websites.

A Word From 
Sherries Pritchard
click for audio

Most of these wedding planning sites will place a percentage on each expense category to serve as a guide while you plan.  I’ll say that again…to serve as a GUIDE while you plan. It does not mean you should expect to pay what is suggested in any given category. For example, if you have a budget that’s $10,000 and a budget planner suggests you should allocate $400 for a DJ, this only means you can only afford $400. It does not mean you can negotiate with a DJ for services and expect to pay $400. In fact, according to www.costofwedding.com, the US average for a DJ is $750 and that would be for a basic level of service with extra services billed in addition to it increasing costs substantially.

Other areas in budget development planning where couples often don’t consider are the differences in pricing between in-stock, personalized, and custom items.  In-stock items are the least expensive of the three because they’re usually mass produced to be sold as is. Personalized items are slightly higher than in-stock because now you’re adding a distinctive touch to it making it a unique product for you. Custom items are exclusive where no other consumer will have what you have; they’re created from scratch and are the most expensive of the three.  Consider these three options when prioritizing your budget for your invitations, attire, favors, and etc.

So when using the budget planning tools offered by your favorite wedding planning website, keep in mind that you should only use it as a guide to determine where you can increase funds and where you can cut back. If you find that there are expenses that are lower than the national average costs, consider saving more money to at least meet those averages before shopping for products and services. 

Do you have a tip for our couples to help them be better informed when shopping for their wedding planning services? Please share in the comments below.

I hope you've enjoyed reading this article. If you need personal, professional assistance with planning your wedding, feel free to contact me at info@stylishweddingsandthings.com. Don't forget to join our email list to keep up to date on the happenings with Stylish Weddings & Things and to receive a free wedding report to help you with your wedding planning.

A Stylish Wedding Awaits you!

 Your Friend and Wedding Planner,

Sherries

**********************************************************************

If you want to use this article for your blog or other publication, please include the following statement to each article you re-post:

Sherries Pritchard CEO & President is the founding member of Stylish Weddings & Things, LLC as well as the Executive Planner and main writer to the & More Things Blog. With a specialty in planning weddings with below average wedding budgets, she strives to provide helpful and inspirational content that is current, relevant, and budget friendly. Stylish Weddings & Things is a boutique wedding planning and management company based in Pompton Lakes, NJ, serving the NJ tri-state area. For questions, please visit www.stylishweddingsandthings.com or contact Sherries Pritchard at info@stylishweddingsandthings.com or (862)248-2555.