Wedding Budget 411

We're Engaged!

Congratulations! Now that you're engaged, you and your fiancee are about to begin one of the most exciting - and hectic - times of your life. No doubt you've been asking yourself, "Where do I begin" and "How much is this going to cost?"

It's likely that you, your fiancee; hopefully both sets of parents and maybe even sponsors will be contributing money toward the wedding expenses. The first step is to determine how much each person is willing to give you and/or determine how much you yourself can afford to spend upfront. It is also a good idea to start a checking account specifically used for wedding expenses so that you can keep track of everything.

Details to a wedding are endless and from $1,000 to millions it's easy to go over your budget. If you are wondering how much to realistically set aside for your wedding first then I would recommend that you sit down with your fiancee and make a wish list of items that you want to include on your special day. To make this easier you can break this list up into ceremony items and reception items. You are then going to have to do a little bit of research on your own to determine how much those items would cost and google is the perfect place to begin.

Here are some items to consider when creating your own wedding budget.

• Travel: airfare, accommodations, car rental for destination wedding and/or honeymoon
• Attire: rings, dress, tux/suit, bridal party wear, accessories/jewelry
• Beauty: hair and make up for trial run and on day of, new make-up, manicure/pedicure, perfume etc.
• Stationary: save the date cards, invitations, calligraphy, announcements, thank you cards, postage, etc.
• Before Wedding: rehearsal dinner, bridal luncheon, spa/massage etc.
• Day of: Marriage license, wedding site fee, planner, minister, musician, photographer, videographer, flowers, arches, chairs, cake, champagne, transportation, gratuities etc.
• Other: Engagement party, favors, special gifts, spending cash, reception food and beverage, etc

Just remember, a wedding should be truly personalized. It's not just another backyard party, it's the opportunity to showcase your personality and style. Keep it meaningful! Everything from your dress, to the choice of music, to how you come down the aisle should express what you're all about.

Get the FCW scoop at Twitter.com/FCWeddings & Facebook.com/firstclassweddings 

This is how much you're going to spend and you won't belive it!

MODERN WEDDING BUDGET

Congratulations! Now that you’re engaged, you and your partner are about to begin one of the most exciting – and hectic – times of your life. No doubt you’ve been asking yourself, “Where do I begin and how much is it all going to cost"?

It's likely that you have figured out that the details to any wedding & reception are endless! And believe it or not, couples almost always spend more then what they ever think they're going to spend.

Reality check! Even in the current market, a $20,000 budget will get you only a handful of service items. Reason being is because your 3 biggest expenses (venue, photography, & F&B) can cost you up to $15k alone (estimated on approx. 40 guests). I mean just think about it! Any quality photographer is going to cost you at least 5,000 at the end of the day. Then, your food and drink can easily cost $125 per person (which is another $5,000), and finally your venue fees can cost up to $5,000. There you have it! 3 lonely items and you've already spent $15k. We haven't even paid the wedding planner, got your dress, minister, musician, flowers, decor, chairs, etc...?

Whew! I'm overwhelmed just thinking about it. 

When it comes to budgeting for your wedding, the best thing that you can do for yourself is to "be realistic". I know that there are several other resources out there that are eager to gain your business by telling you what you want to hear and that's cool. And you can choose to listen to them. Just don't cry about it when someone promises you certain prices and then it all ends up costing you way more.

Fact! A First Class Hawaii Wedding client on average, spends anywhere from $250 TO $600 per person (all inclusive) for a wedding & reception at a private estate in Hawaii. The only way to get that price down is to select a more economically priced venue, photographer, and caterer. Oh, and let's not forget about your wedding planner.

FYI: On average, a modern destination wedding (for a group of 40 guests) will end up costing more than $20k. In the "wedding world" this amount is a small price to pay for ensuring that your destination dream wedding is a huge success.

More Questions? Visit our web site at www.firstclassweddings.com to live chat with one of our experts.