How to Create a Wedding Budget | Wedding Planning Tips | Kathryn Kim Photography | Colorado Mountain Wedding Photographer | Advice for Planning Your Wedding | How to Plan a Wedding | Colorado Wedding Photographers
Congratulations, you have gained a fiance! Hooray! Now to start the insane process of planning a wedding! There are waaay more details involved than you would ever dream, and the first place to start is the good ole budget. Now you have likely never done this before, so you find yourself googling, “How to create a wedding budget?!” And rightfully so! As a Colorado mountain wedding photographer, I have taken it upon myself to create a lil post outlining the logistics for you, and to hopefully make it easier!
1. Figure out your grand total that you have to spend. This is the first step in how to create a wedding budget, because you gotta know what you’re workin with!
2. Write out all the different categories/vendors you will need to spend money on. Such as photographer, venue, catering, flowers, etc.
3. Prioritize all categories starting with ones that are most important all the way down to least important. Start with your top 5, and your bottom 5, and you can fill in the middle from there. Really think about what is important to the two of you, not just what is “typical” at a wedding.
4. Research typical costs for each category/vendor within the area that you’re having the wedding, and fill in accordingly. You may be surprised at what some actually cost! But this will give you an idea of what to start with.
This is a great place to start. You may find as you go that you need to adjust cost based on reality vs. your initial projection, and this is normal. Just be sure to as you’re adjusting to always remain in budget. If you increase an expense in one category, you have to decrease in another. If you find yourself over budget, think of creative ways to cut costs. Pull on your resources/connections, and think of possible DIY projects, or ways to save/make more money and add to the budget. Feeling a little more confident on how to create a wedding budget? I sure hope so!
by Kathryn Kim
Wedding Day Tips | KathrynKimPhotographyBlog - […] I truly hope these wedding day tips will be of value to you on your big day! Looking for more advice? Check out my post on how to create a wedding budget here! […]
Sarah - Great tips! This is an awesome resource for anyone planning a wedding! I love how you encouraged people to stay true to themselves as well, I think going over budget many times comes from doing something because it’s typical at a wedding not because the couple really wants to.
jiyeon - everybody has budget when it comes to wedding! this is such a great article for the couples who are just starting with the planning!
Ashley - Thank you for reminding me that I never want to budget or plan a wedding ever again. Lol! Great tips Kathryn!
Kara Pearson - Pretty detail shots, and good advice! Budgets are so hard.
Haley Allen - This is such good information for planning a wedding. It’s so overwhelming with everything out there. I love how you paired it with these detail shots!!!
Melissa - What great wedding budget tips!! Budgeting is so hard especially when you have a lower budget but you really can have the wedding you desire!! It’s all about prioritizing what you value as a couple.
Alicia Yarrish - Wedding budgets can be so difficult to plan! Everything you hit on is definitely a great place to start! I’d also encourage clients to hire a wedding planner- it truly makes all the difference!
Melissa Hirsch - Love these tips – especially #3! So easy to fall into that thinking of “What do MOST people do?!” when planning your wedding budget. Doesn’t matter – it’s YOUR day!
Joshua - Great advices! It is also important to mention about the wedding cakes because many people didn’t realize how much wedding cake is really cost until very last minute. Wedding cakes are not cheap.
Shannon - I love the advice regarding listing your top 5 priorities and the 5 items that are least important. Very useful!
Samantha Jessup - This seems like a good place to start if i ever actually get engaged lol
Kira - Excellent advice for any couple planning their wedding. I am in the industry and was still surprised at what my wedding budget should be. Thanks for sharing!
Teresa Woodhull - These are great tips! I wish I would have done a better job budgeting for my own wedding, it was crazy how quickly things added up! Thank you for sharing!
Claudia, A Day To Remember - You definitely hit the high points, but as a wedding planner, developing a budget is so much more! I would love to see creatives encouraging their couples to hire a wedding planner, who can save them so much time in research for, not just their budget, but selecting the right team for their BIG day!
Andrea - Budget planning: probably the most critical element when it comes to coordinating and planning the big event! I love this tip when it come to prioritizing, “Start with your top 5, and your bottom 5, and you can fill in the middle from there. Really think about what is important to the two of you, not just what is “typical” at a wedding.” That’s great advice, I wish I would’ve done that when I was planning my own wedding!
ginny - Great info for those on a budget! I am drooling over your little details. Love these tones!