Budgeting for your big day can be a rather difficult task. The challenge arises when you have to choose between celebrity style and your current bank balance. As overwhelming as this decision may be, we at Zankyou believe you can still have your dream wedding, on a budget! Essentially stress no further, we bring to you a list of tips on how you can afford your budgeted big day! For some this may be the first wedding in their house and in this case, look no further because you have come to the right place – guide 101: on how to avoid any unexpected hefty bills. Be sure to check out our photographers below for you special memories to be captured on a budget.
Order Of Precedence
Before you make your budget, rank every wedding expense by its importance to you. You should decide on which items on the list you need, want, or demand, and categorize them accordingly. Mark the items on your list that will take up most of your budget.
Advance Budgeting is your New Best Friend
Now we understand that of course, you want your special day to be as grand as possible, it is your wedding day, after all, the day you have been dreaming of since a child. The build up has been tremendously insane; flicking through magazines, TV shows – anything that reads ‘wedding inspiration’! We understand ladies, this is an incredibly exciting moment, however, you need to think practically. Whilst, on the one hand, you may want everything luxurious and grand, you need to consider your current bank balance. Having considered the amount, you can go forth and set a realistic budget. Now realistic is the key word here ladies and gentleman, you have to be incredibly realistic with what you can achieve with the amount of finance you have available. Set rigid figures and abide by them, be consistent in your approach and only then can you thoroughly enjoy the luxuries of a budgeted wedding!
Guest List
Of course, if you plan on having a grand wedding, you need to show it off, so that calls for an invitation to all friends and family members, neighbors and even your neighbors dog! – what a lavish, memorable occasion that would be, right? not to mention incredibly expensive! All jokes aside, we advise for this quintessential part that you invite only who you wish to be there. It is your special day and you deserve to spend it with people who are special to you. Be mindful to not invite an unnecessary amount of guests for the sake of it.
Another thing to consider is, generally, the bride’s family are the ones who bear most of the cost of the wedding. Therefore, to get an accurate estimate, both families need to make a list of guests to invite. Then, double check to make sure the guest list is satisfactory for both parties and also within the budget.
Consider General costs
It is advisable to do some research on the cost of each service you want. Cost depends on a lot of factors like time of year, day of the week, theme, logistics, and the size of the celebration. The more information you have, the better you can plan your budget. In any case, it is always good to overestimate costs in each category and avoid any last minute surprises.
Payments
Depending on the vendors you choose, you may be required to pay extra fees. Some vendors might ask you to pay 30% of the amount in advance and rest after the event, so be prepared. We advice that you never pay the whole amount in advance. If possible transfer the payments electronically and always get a receipt of your payments.
Prices with GST
Often you will find items that charge GST on top of the original price. we advice that you aim to purchase products without GST and ideally just pay the original price of the product. If however it is necessary to purchase an item that just so happens to charge GST, calculate wisely the best alternatives or allocate a sufficient budget in preparation to pay the GST.
Unexpected spending
We advise that you add “miscellaneous” to your spending categories. In the last minutes of planning, you might find that you need to spend extra money on gifts for relatives or unexpected guests. Having a “miscellaneous” cost limit will prevent you from going over your budget. Alternatively budget ten to fifteen percent extra for potential unforseen costs that may arise.
We hope these tips will help in avoiding overspending and keep your wedding free of any surprises! Want to take your wedding planning further? Check more planning details to have a perfect personal planner.
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