Budget...ICK

There are a few things that contribute to what a wedding budget will look like. First and foremost, you need to decide what kind of debt you’re willing to absorb. If you’re in your twenties, and you’re parents are thrilled, and obsessed with the etiquette of ages ago, then it’s likely that your parents, and perhaps even his parents, will help out by paying for the wedding. This means that you’re dependent on them for the budget. If you are a more modern and aged couple (in your thirties or older), then it’s all too likely that you and your fiancé will be paying your own way. In my opinion, this works out in the end to be the best option anyway – you may be laden with a bit of debt to work through after it’s all done and dusted, but here are the positives as I see them.

First, it means that everything about the wedding is the choice of you and your fiancé (depending on how involved he wishes to be), and yours alone. You can ask for advice from the people, who are important in your lives, but in the end it’s your wedding, and it’s your money, and it’s your decision. You can take the advice they give you or leave it without the guilt or obligation that comes with a parentally funded soiree.
The next important benefit of paying for your own wedding is that you in fact do control the spending. What this means is that there will be no exorbitantly expensive flowers or guest favours, if those are not the most important things to have on your day. You can choose where the priority money gets spent. It also means that you shouldn’t have to use Uncle Larry’s useless son as the photographer because your dad owes Uncle Larry a favour from 42 years ago.

Lastly, it means that you will have a day that is perfect for you and your guests, no matter what that looks like, or how much you spent.

Budgets help you to choose your number of guests and your location too. Whether you can afford $5000, or $25,000, you know that you need to tailor your number of guests, and the affordability of the location to that budget. There are hundreds of reference materials out there that you can use to tell you on average how much each thing should cost you, that will undoubtedly help you to arrive at a realistic budget.