EPISODE 2

DESIGNING YOUR WEDDING BUDGET

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THE WEDDING DIGEST, BY WEDBOOKER

DESIGNING YOUR WEDDING BUDGET

In Episode 02 of The Wedding Digest we cover the all-important ‘wedding budget’. As unsexy as it sounds, a budget does not have to burst your love bubble! wedBooker Head Planner Ally Molineaux has put together a list of her tips to help you budget for your big day! We hope you enjoy this episode. Much love, The wedBooker team xo

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ASK ALLY

“Is it important to include a dress code on the invitation?”

It is helpful for your guests to know what the dress

code for your wedding is. Dress codes can be

confusing as is, but no dress code can be even more

baffling! By adding lounge suit, cocktail or formal to your wedding invitation guests have a guide on

whether a jacket and tie is required or whether smart

casual will suffice. It also saves guests

embarrassment by not turning up too dressed up

or dressed down!

HAVE THE MONEY CHAT AS A COUPLE It’s important to sit down with your partner and decide what you are both comfortable and prepared to spend. This will ensure you’re on the same page from the outset and help to avoid any arguments down the track! COMMUNICATE WITH POTENTIAL CONTIBUTORS Some couples are lucky enough to have their parents or guardians offer to help out financially. If this is the case, it’s a good idea to communicate with them in the beginning so you’re all clear on what this looks like. They may offer to cover the alcohol for the wedding for example, once you know the cost, let them know as soon as possible so they don’t get a nasty surprise when you order copious bottles of Grey Goose! Or they may prefer to contribute a certain figure they’re comfortable with and let you decide what that goes towards. SET YOUR BUDGET Weddings can blow out quickly if you’re not keeping track, before you know it your floral arrangement has come in at $7,000 and your dream dress is double the price you had in mind! You need to have a parameter for your budget, think a range rather than a set figure to the cent, for example $60,000-$65,000. This will give you a buffer on either side. If something costs more than you anticipated there is money there to cover the cost, or if you come under budget, you have extra cash to put into something else or to add to your honeymoon fund.

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CREATE A BUDGET BIBLE Create a budget document or excel sheet with a line item for everything you will need to pay for, including quotes and deposits. wedBooker has an amazing budgeting template if you don’t know where to start. This document is your bible, make sure it stays live so you and your fiancé can continue updating as quotes come through and record as you pay any deposits. If you’re not tracking, that’s when it’s easy for costs to blow out. If you have a line item in the budget and you don’t know what it’s going to cost at the very beginning, put in an estimate. Or if you’re not sure if you need it, just put money into it and then you can take it out later rather than being stung by that cost down the track that you weren’t prepared for. Before you do your research, you won’t necessarily know what everything will cost. Put estimates into line items that you don’t have quotes for. You can adjust the budget line items once your quotes come filtering through. RESEARCH AND COMPARE QUOTES Your wedding venue will always be your highest cost therefore finding your dream venue is the first place to start. Venues will often give you a minimum spend based on the average number of guests that can fit in their space. A minimum spend is something you must spend from there up to have that venue for exclusive hire for that day or night. Then they’ll let you know what the cost is per head based on what package you choose, some may also have a venue hire fee. If you have a venue that fits 120 and you only have 60 guests, you’ll over pay.

ASK ALLY

“Is a wedding rehearsal dinner

necessary? Who do I need to invite to

one?”

A wedding rehearsal dinner is usually held the night

before your wedding day, after your wedding

rehearsal at your ceremony location with your bridal party. It can be whatever

you want it to be, a gathering with your family and bridal party, it may just be with your girlfriends or groomsmen if you would

prefer not to see your partner the night before

your big day. It is definitely not a necessity, however

you want to spend the night before your wedding

is up to you!

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RESEARCH AND COMPARE QUOTES CONTINUED… Therefore, your guest list is the next most important thing to do. You need to work out your numbers to help you determined what venues will be suitable, what their minimum spend is and what they charge per head. wedBooker has created a specially designed service which helps you find a venue that suits your needs, simply put your number of guests and your desired location and it will produce a list of venue suggestions for you. To make sure you’re getting the most out of your venue, have a look at what’s included in the contract, there are often things included that will save you money. AV is a big one, venues who have been doing this for a while are likely to have AV included in the venue hire cost saving money having to use outside suppliers. If you’re not sure, always ask! If it’s not included in the contract or venue hire, then ask the venue who their suggested suppliers are. Those suppliers will have experience working with the venue removing any room for error. Once you work out your venue and how much of your budget it will consume, you can then start looking for your other suppliers. Create a mood board of what you want your wedding to look like, then get at least three quotes from three different suppliers, and compare them all. wedBooker has over 400 suppliers in its directory which can be contacted directly through the site to easily get those comparisons. If one quote comes in significantly hirer than the others, you are entitled to ask why it’s more expensive. They’ll usually have a very valid reason, but it is then up to you to determine if their reason is worth paying the higher price. To help keep costs down, speak to suppliers that are local to the area, that will reduce travel costs and they’re likely to be familiar with the venue therefore know what’s possible. Once you have your big-ticket items locked in, venue, flowers, dress, you then can then speak to the other suppliers like photographers, videographers, band or DJ’s, makeup artists and hair stylists, cake-maker etc and work those costs into your budget.

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HOW TO AVOID BEING STUNG BY THE WEDDING INFLATION PRICE Most engaged couples have fallen victim to the inflation price, as soon as you mention the W word, sometimes the cost can double! There are two tips to avoid being stung. Firstly, work with small and local businesses, bigger companies generally have a higher price because of their brand. Try a smaller, local or up and coming business, that will help reduce the cost significantly. Secondly, get a wedding planner! A wedding planner is guaranteed to get you the best price possible. Experienced planners already have relationships with suppliers, they can recommend suppliers who are easy to work with and who consistently deliver the best product, and they also know the going rates, which means they can’t be cheated or stung by the wedding inflation price. A wedding planner can also negotiate with suppliers if they are doing a few weddings at the same time, they can bundle the prices, so you could even receive a bigger discount! A wedding planner does cost in the beginning, but they will save you money in the long run, having a planner to recommend or source suppliers, negotiate prices and save you stress. wedBooker offer wedding packages to make the whole budgeting process simple and stress free, including Ally’s carefully created budgeting template she uses for all couples.

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HAVE A QUESTION FOR ALLY?

Submit your wedding question via Instagram Direct Message

and Ally will answer it in next week’s episode.

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