PW Guide Article: Calculating your Wedding Budget

I came in $2500 UNDER budget.  Here are some of the hints that helped me:

- Don't look at ANYTHING that is out of your line item price range.  If you don't know how incredible a $5000 photographer is, you will be more able to find a $3000 one that you like.

- If you do, for ANY reason, go over budget, lower another line item.  When you have to take the money out of another area, you are often less willing to spend that extra.  And if you still really want it, you have no guilt because you know your budget is still on track.

- Don't forget to budget in tips, mandatory service fees, and any taxes.  These are often things that people don't plan for ahead of time that cause stressful budget overload right at the end.

I definitely agree...set a budget for EACH category and do NOT look at anything that doesn't fit in that budget.  If you only alloted $1500 for videography, then do NOT look at videographers that charge $2000 - no matter how great they are - unless you're willing to take that extra $500 out of another area.  Setting the budget at the very beginning and sticking to it will keep you on track!  I ended up spending about $2500-3000 less than I could have by staying under my allotted amounts!

These are great tips! There are a lot of things that can be done to save money here and there. The trick is to prioritize what's important and then save on other things.

This is good advice, although I'm not keen on the i-pod idea!

My Fi is great at money- I figured I could not go wrong, but we have this really great spreadsheet, and I figured something for each category.  As I spend money it is telling me overall how much is left.  My goal is to get lower than what I have budgeted for each cat. Just Idea, I will try and post the spreadsheet. 

This is wonderful advise!!! Love the articles that get posted!

i love the part on spending less on the dress. really, what happens after the wedding? not likely my unborn daughter would want a vintage wedding dress when there are great wedding designs waiting to happen. am reducing my budget for the dress.

and i love the idea of using candles

Awesome ideas! Thanks!

I'm doing it the other way around -- gettting a professional videographer and having family and friends take the pictures.  Everyone has a camera these days, and most can take a good picture.  Having the ceremony recorded and edited is something I'd rather not leave to "Uncle Frank".