March 7th, 2012 
Before making any major decisions about your wedding, you will need to work out a realistic budget. Whether you and your fiancé are footing the bill yourselves, or your parents are throwing the party for you, you will need to look at numbers.
Photo from magnetstreet.com.
Instead of creating “rules” on how much to spend on each aspect of the wedding, it is best to look at the overall budget first and work out what percentage of the budget should be spent on each item.
Here is a suggested starting point:
Food and beverages: 30%
Flowers and décor: 15%
Extra Cushion: 10%
Entertainment: 10%
Venue Rental: 8%
Lighting and sound: 5%
Tipping: 5%
Photo and video: 4%
Cake: 3%
Printed materials: 2%
Transportation: 2%
Hair and makeup: 2%
Wedding gown: 2%
Accessories: 2%
Now, don’t panic! You are not locked into these exact percentages. As you go about your wedding planning, you may find that you discover some wonderful bargains. Maybe you get a great deal on your wedding stationery, or you realize that lighting and sound is actually included at your venue.
As you make these discoveries, you can shift some of your spending to things that are important to you. For instance, a fashionista could spend a higher percentage of the budget on her gown.
You may also realize that you need to add some items. I did not include the rehearsal dinner or tuxedos on this budget plan- you may wish to include them.
The important thing is to stay in control of your budget and be attentive to creating a balance that works for you.
