The Wedding Budget - Part 1

Now that you have hired Heavens Touch as your Wedding Planner, where should you start?

Before you start to crunch the numbers you should set your priorities. What are some the most important elements of your wedding that you can't live without? Knowing this ahead of time will give you a much clearer idea of how to allocate your money.

First things first, what type of wedding do you want? Planning a small intimate affair with close family and friends v/s planning a large extravagant celebration will definitely matter when creating your budget. Next you will want to consider the number of guest. Research shows that the average cost per person can run between $50-100 (food & alcohol). So think long and hard before creating your guest list. This should be a joint effort between the Bride, Groom and both sets of parents if they will be contributing.

Let's start looking at some of the common elements of a wedding and decide if these are areas where you want to splurge, scale back on or do away with altogether. In this weeks blog we'll look at a couple of things to consider to get you started:

The Reception
What type of reception are you planning? A formal dinner, a buffet dinner, a cocktail reception or brunch.

Let's define these types of receptions:

*Formal Dinner - This type of reception typically occurs between the hours of 6 pm and 9 pm with wait staff serving guest for each course.
*Buffet Dinner - Guest will serve themselves from a buffet bar and return to their seats to dine.
*Cocktail Reception - This is a classy way for a Bride and Groom that are budget-conscious to throw a reception. Cocktail Receptions do not include dinner and typically occur between 6 pm and 7:30 pm in the evening.
*Brunch Reception - Typically takes place between 9 am and 10 am, directly after a morning wedding. Brunch can be served as a buffet or seated meal.

Number of Attendants
Attendants are your Maid of Honor, Bridesmaids, Best Man, Groomsmen, Flower Girl & Ring Bearer. Although traditionally attendants are expected to pay for their own attire, having a large wedding party can affect your budget. There are expenses that the Bride & Groom will incur...the rehearsal dinner, bridal party gifts & bridal luncheon are cost that you may have to cover. So, when thinking of people you would want to share your special day with you may want to consider people that are closest to you. Your sister, brother or best friend will be honored when you ask them.

Meet me back here next week for Part 2 of The Wedding Budget.