If you are reading this blog, congratulations! You are more than likely in the midst of planning your dream wedding. I can still remember all of the excitement I had when planning my own wedding with Randy a little over a year-and-a-half ago. I enjoyed getting to hop on calls with vendors and share with them my vision for the wedding. It was exciting asking all of our close friends and family to join our bridal party. There were so many sweet memories in planning our big day and it is fun to reminisce on those moments. 

I want to share with you one of the biggest mistakes Randy and I made right out of the gate when planning our wedding. Stick to a budget! Although, this seems pretty obvious to start with right away, we were so excited to book a venue, secure a photographer, and look for a dream videographer that we bypassed this very important step. We soon began booking vendors without looking too closely at cost and we quickly became aware that our expenses were increasing rapidly. 

Don’t make the same mistake we did! Here are some tangible steps you can do when planning your wedding. 

01. SET A BUDGET TOGETHER

First, start by having a conversation together as a couple. In your future marriage, you will have many conversations about finances and you will need to be open and honest in hearing your partner’s desires. This is great practice to prepare for that! Do some research in what an average wedding in your area cost and begin to set a budget based on those thoughts. If you have parents who are willing to contribute to the budget, praise the Lord! Add their contributions to your total budget as well. 

02 MAKE A LIST OF VENDORS

Next, make a list of vendors you would like to have at your wedding. This sounds silly, but it’s really important! Some vendors may be more important to you than your spouse. If there is disagreement on some vendors, add them to the list anyway. That way you can include them in your final budget breakdown. 

03 DIVIDE THE BUDGET 

Begin to break down your budget to your various vendor wish list. If you are not sure how much to budget towards a certain vendor, be sure to research vendors in your area. Keep in mind when you are researching vendors you get what you pay for. If you are looking to save money on your photographer and videographer, be prepared for potentially lower quality work. If that is something you are okay with, then great! If not, be sure to budget a little more towards that vendor. 

04 STICK TO THE GAME-PLAN

As you begin to reach out to vendors, try to stick to your budget gameplan. Although things do change, be sure to adjust your budget based on those things. This helps you stay within means and know what to look for as you search for your dream team vendor list! 

If you are looking for a budget template, you are in the right place. Randy and I have created a template that helped us walk through planning our wedding. You can access and download that template here. We hope that it helps you as much as it helped us! 

Love and Grace, 

Abbie