There are so many wedding budget facts or myths or lists thrown around by people not even in the industry or who have done little research into it. I often get asked to pull a wedding budget range out of nowhere from friends/family/acquaintances. This is super hard to do as there is so much that goes into determining your budget. I mean I could really say your range is anywhere from $5000 to $100,000 but that is not helping you at all. The point of saying this is that you COULD have a wedding for a small budget like $5000 but will it be the wedding you want or are seeing on Pinterest? Likely not. Before giving out any sort of range in budget it is always helpful to know the venue, the style, the expectations, the guest count, and how much the couple can realistically save or if parents/grandparents/guardians are helping with costs. Every wedding and couple is different so to just say a range for a wedding is nearly impossible as it shifts and changes from couple to couple. Oftentimes couples who don’t hire professional help or a wedding planner (tip: hire a wedding planner) get caught up in the myths of wedding planning and budgets. I am here to break some of those down.

“When the word wedding is involved the price increases A LOT” 

This is not necessarily true. Costs are not magically increasing because you said you are having a wedding. That is just not how businesses operate. The reason it may cost more for one service for a wedding vs. a birthday party is because a wedding requires A LOT more time, logistics, and emailing back and forth. A service provided for a wedding is typically more demanding for a vendor than for a non-wedding. The reason? There is just way more emphasis and importance placed on the ONE wedding day vs. the birthday you have every year. You will be coordinating a lot more with the wedding than almost any other event. It isn’t JUST because the wedding industry wants to increase pricing and are gauging you for every last dollar it is simply because weddings just take a lot more time, and a lot more communication. More logistics + more emails = more time spent on it = cost increase. 

“If I DIY it all I will save so much money” 

This is seriously something that is WAAAY too commonly misinterpreted and often totally false. The costs of DIYing a wedding can add up pretty quickly from buying your own flowers, vases, candles, to doing your own stationery. The cost of buying the supplies is often the same as paying a professional to do it. Also: a lot of the time the items you buy for your wedding you can rent for a lot cheaper. It may seem like the smart thing when you first start scrolling Pinterest but in the end you will likely end up spending more money, and WAY more time DIYing than if you hired professionals. People will often say they are doing their own florals but forget to take into account that this all needs to be done the night before or morning of considering the fact that florals need to be fresh. The behind the scenes work into rentals, florals, planning, stationery, etc. that goes on is what will shock you when you take on that DIY task. It is a full time job. That being said if you are DIY superstar then you do you but just know you may not be saving!

“Cocktail receptions are cheaper than sit down dinners” 

While this is sometimes true it can also easily not be. Cocktail receptions are a lovely alternative if you and your significant other are not into the formal sit-down dinner style of most weddings however they aren’t always going to be way cheaper. You will need more apps floating around and continuously than a regular cocktail hour. Additionally, guests will be drinking more which if you are paying the bill for cocktails will add up FAST and I mean fast. Additionally cocktail receptions often require a bit more decor and lounge areas as there is no formal table sitting. Lounge furniture is not cheap to bring in and this can easily get costly. 

TO SUM IT UP…

Essentially everything can add up quickly and get costly! Hint: hire professionals to ensure you stay in budget 😉 Xx.