It was a sunny Friday afternoon. Full of optimism for the upcoming weekend and festivities.
I’m over the moon, since finding my wedding dress, working out figures and finally getting somewhere with planning. Then I received the email. The email that informed me my venue, who was also going to cater for us, have upped their prices. Not a little bit, but a staggering increase of 25%!!!
I was gutted, upset and worried.
When looking at venues and overall getting married, budget is always at the front of your mind. We chose our venue because the cost of their catering made it overall affordable for us. We knew we weren’t opting for the 3 course meal with 10 canapes each and a buffet for reception, but we settled for less to have the venue we wanted.
However, with the increase in pricing, we have been pushed out of budget and wondering what to do next.
If there is a wedding stress that has tipped me over the edge, its this.
I was devastated. We hadn’t even thought about food really, and all of a sudden, we had to think about it carefully. Enough to make it fit into a budget that seemed to grow and grow every time we looked into something else.
It was then I realised, it’s very very easy to get carried away. Whilst setting a budget is effective and gives you something to work within, its the little bits and bobs that start to really add up, and quickly may I add.
So, here I am, whilst trying to deal with cost myself, giving you some tips on how to deal with cost, and keep in budget, when it’s easy to get carried away.
Have a must and want list
You may think these are both the same, they’re not. You will need a car from the ceremony to the reception, you want a limo. You need food for the wedding breakfast, you want a four course meal. These are very different things. Think carefully what you ‘need’ to make the day, and what you want to make it that little extra special / quirky.
Have a list of all the little bits that would be nice, in order.
Again, you don’t need a ice cream van, photo booth, pianist for the welcome drinks or that expensive but amazing band. Put these in order of what you really want, and what you wouldn’t mind if you couldn’t afford. When things are a little less up in the air with finances, and it’s clearer to see the end, you can move down the list and add to the day. The worst thing is when you book something you’d love, and you end up regretting your decision all together.
Put deposits down first for the necessities
Really really important. Put the deposits down for the necessities before the extras. Venue, Registrar, Catering, Band / DJ, Photographer,Car. These are the important and vital bits for the general running of the day. Once they are covered and you’ve worked out the remaining to pay, you’ll see clearly what you can and can’t add into your budget.
Don’t rush, you will have plenty of time.
Within the first couple of weeks securing the venue, I was panicking that I needed to book everything asap. Reality is, you don’t. Yes you should book your caterer, registrar and photographer sooner rather than later, but you don’t need to panic and book straight away. Give yourself time to gather quotes and chat to people first. Remember to book the MUSTS first. Booking your decorations and games aren’t going to be any good when people aren’t eating!
I have been struggling over the last 6 months to get my head into the planning mindset. Bearing in mind we have p l e n t y of time to plan, as everyone says, I feel I have been fairly lax and all of a sudden, everything needs deposits and securing.
The worst thing to do is panic,so keep a level head and prioritise on deposits, costs and needs vs wants!
