Steps to Follow When Creating a Wedding Budget in 2023

Check out the infographic above….notice anything missing? You might get a big shock if you forget to budget for your CEREMONY!! People often think the ceremony doesn’t come with any additional costs…and they are wrong!

In Ontario, your ceremony needs to be led by a licenced and registered Officiant – this usually costs between $400-700 depending on where your Officiant is based and where your ceremony is taking place.

Don’t forget ceremony décor, photography hours, and the DJ to make sure all the music you want is played at the right time, at the right volume, and the Officiant is mic’d if need be.

Before you start dreaming up ideas for your wedding day, it’s essential to know what you can and are willing to spend. I know I know….this isn’t the most exciting part about planning your big day, but it is one of the most essential.

Here are some more things to consider when planning what you are willing to spend on your wedding day….

Review What You Have Available

Start by looking at what you and your partner have in your savings and what portion of both your incomes you can set aside every month for wedding expenses. If either of your families is willing to contribute, now is the time to find out how much they can give you.

Create an Estimated Budget

Next, you want to create an estimated budget. This will be based on your research and what you can realistically expect to spend on a venue, vendors, and everything else in between. This means checking out vendors for their pricing – and if they won’t give you pricing without sales calls and meetings – that’s a HUGE RED FLAG! Your vendors should be able to give you an idea of what your starting costs will be – I get that a venue can’t tell you a total without knowing what the meal will be and how many guests you have etc – but they will be able to tell you their range! When I am asked, I always let couples know what my ceremony fee is, and also let them know travel fees might apply depending on where they are getting married. Easy peasy right?

DO NOT make up numbers based on what you think a service or product is worth – it is very likely you don’t have the skillsets your vendors have and will believe everyone deserves to be paid the same hourly rate you make. Trust me, you so do not want a wedding cake made by someone who believes their work is only worth $15 an hour.

It’s important to remember your vendors charge based on their education, skills, experience, and value in the industry – so don’t confuse what you would charge for something like photos with what a seasoned professional charges.

You are also paying for them to hold your date for 12-18 months. That has value. We all know the horror stories about vendors who cancel at the last minute because they got a better offer – people who charge what they are worth don’t cancel.

Budget for Surprises

As much as you would like to spend exactly what you budgeted, this isn’t always the case. It’s essential to set some money aside for surprises. Perhaps you decide closer to the day that you really want a signature cocktail or that you want to provide your guests with transportation to the reception. These are the added extras that could crop up. And if you don’t end up using that money, it can go straight back into your savings.

Don’t forget to consider items you will want on your wedding day – the same powder your make up artist used on you, toiletries, your purse!

Create a Final Budget

Now that you’ve received quotes from all the vendors you want to work with, you can finalize your budget. During this stage, you may find that you need to cut back in places, so start by outlining what’s most important to you and work your way from there. Perhaps you need to ditch the live band or skip those fancy desserts – you know what matters most to you as a couple.

DO NOT ask your vendors why they charge so much. It is rude and insulting. Also, do not ask for discounts! Working is how we make a living to pay our bills – would you be cool with your boss asking you to take a pay cut?

Of course their are always exceptional circumstances – for example, when I get calls from couples who have a parent dying in ICU – I go right away to get them married in front of their parent and I don’t charge for this. If the couple chooses to have a wedding later on with a full ceremony, their pay full price.

Stick to Your Budget

As you start planning your wedding, you’re going to see a lot of ideas that you might want to steal, ideas that cost money. To avoid unnecessary stress after your wedding, stick to your budget as best you can and keep any debt to a minimum.

You can always save all of your ideas and use them for future events like holidays, anniversaries, baby events and more!

With these tips in mind, you’re one step closer to getting one of your most important wedding tasks out of the way.

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