How to Plan a Wedding & Your Wedding Planning Budget

There are so many steps involved when planning a wedding. In fact, it can be overwhelming and stressful for someone unfamiliar with special event planning. This article is the beginning of a series that will help explain how to plan a wedding.

One of the first steps when planning a wedding is to determine your wedding planning budget. It is important to be realistic with this budget - don't expect caviar and champagne and yet only spend what you would for hamburgers and beer!

No matter what type of wedding you are planning you must decide in the beginning how much you want to spend and stick to that budget. This dollar amount will help you stay on track with your wedding and make your life a lot easier. If something doesn't fit in the budget, then you will need to take creative steps to find alternatives or eliminate it all together.

As a special event planning coordinator, I am often asked how to plan a wedding and when to start a wedding planning budget. My first response is to consider all aspects of the wedding itself from the dress and invitations, to the venue, the menu as well as the guest favors. In fact, here are some of the basic budget line items to consider when planning a wedding:

-Dress

-Invitations, escort cards and thank you cards

-Food and Beverage

-Venue Fees - including parking and ceremony site

-Officiate Fee

-Music for ceremony and reception

-Flowers

-Event Rentals such as a special chair, linen or upgraded china to name a few

-Room D?cor and upgraded lighting

-Photographer and Videographer

-Cake

-Special event planning or wedding coordinator fee

-Party Favors

-Hair and Makeup

-Special Event Insurance

With each one of these line items, there are numerous options a bride should take into account when she starts to consider how to plan a wedding for herself and her fiance. And don't forget, these days many fiances want to be part of the wedding planning process as well.

In the upcoming articles on this topic, I will provide more details on the wedding planning budget in efforts to help ease your stress when planning a wedding. Wedding planning is a job within itself and it is important to consider all aspects of the special event planning budget so that your lasting wedding day memories are a joy to remember. Until next time, remember the Budget Bash mantra: make it simple, delicious, stylish, fun and economical for all!