The Hard Truth: Why Your Wedding Budget Will Go Over MMW 206

Expert Insights on Wedding Budgeting

Never a pleasant topic but one of the most important. Managing your budget correctly from the start and the entire duration will make wedding planning more enjoyable, less stressful, and lead to fewer arguments with your partner.

It’s a topic we need to discuss regularly so that you don’t end up overspending and not having enough to pay your largest bill at the end, usually to the venue/caterer.

The Pitfalls of Overspending:

But, overspending on the budget happens right at the very start of your planning. It looks like this:

1. You pick a number you can afford, and that’s your budget.
2. You find your dream venue and book it.
3. You book all your loved suppliers.
4. As you go along, you realise there are so many hidden costs or things you didn’t realise would cost you, and you start going way over your budget.
5. You get to the final month and are beyond stressed because you can’t afford the wedding or the last expenses. For many of you, it happens way before the final month.

Now, that’s not painting a pretty picture, but it’s exactly how it is, and it's not your fault. You have never done this job before, and you were not to know how much things would cost and what unexpected expenses would creep in.

Let’s not forget or even get started on inflation.

The Ideal Approach:

So, this is really how it should look.

1. You map out your wedding vision so you know your wedding priorities and what’s negotiable and what’s not (must be done with your partner).
2. You now go and estimate what your expenses might be (we give a detailed breakdown in the Calm Bride planner of how to do that properly) because, again, you have never done this before, so how are you meant to know how to estimate the costs?
3. You then know what you can and can’t afford, and you prioritise those things that were non-negotiables and put negotiables on your wish list. It also helps you re-evaluate what is and isn’t important to you and your partner.

These 3 steps can then keep your budget in check during the whole process and keep the arguments at bay over money because you know what your true costs are and you know what you and your partner both did and didn’t want, giving you a more enjoyable wedding planning experience and your perfect wedding day.

Now, you can go one step further and ensure you prioritise the things that people actually care about and do notice and not notice at your wedding. So much money gets wasted on what the couple thinks is important for guests to not even notice or care for.

In the end, we all want a wedding that everyone thinks is the best wedding ever and is talked about for years to come. That’s another whole conversation, separate from this episode and one that’s very important, so I’ve created a new free workshop called - The Secrets To Successful Wedding Planning where I cover what the 4 key components are to the best weddings, and at the end, I also give you a free workbook to work out your wedding priorities so you stay on track with planning and your budget. It’s all free. You can find the link in the show notes or visit managemyweddingacademy.com/weddingsecrets

A very important step you should take in your planning no matter what stage you are at. It is best done at the start, but if you are partway through planning, just as important as it can bring you on track and knowing you are doing the right things for a successful wedding.

So, don’t be afraid of the budget. Instead, embrace it and stay on top of it with regular communication with your partner so you can enjoy planning more.

Recommended Podcast Episodes:

MMW 51 - The Simple Guide To Reviewing Your Budget

MMW 139 - Keeping Family Happy in the Lead Up To Your Wedding Day

🧡 Download the Free Manage My Wedding App - HERE! 

🧡 Watch our Free Secrets To Successful Wedding Planning Workshop - HERE!