So first up, the very core of wedding planning is the wedding budget. How do you allocate budget for each part of the wedding? How much should you allocate for the venue? photo and video? food? dresses? cakes?
It can be overwhelming for any couple trying to work within their spending power and not go broke after the wedding.
I am giving you these simple guides to follow for you to come up with your budget for the entire wedding.
1. Decide on your wedding venue and food. The biggest chunk of the budget goes to the wedding venue. It composes 25% of the wedding budget. Choosing the venue will make or break your bank. Most hotels have function rooms with in-house food catering. There are also venue rentals where you can choose your own caterer and bring your own food preferences. The food is also one of the top priority for any event. Guests will mostly remember the food and ambiance of the wedding especially if there is overflowing booze to top it all.
2. Choose your wedding theme. The wedding theme will determine about 15% more or less of the wedding budget. This comprises the flowers, stage backdrop, table centerpieces, church floral arrangements, etc. The more intricate your design is, the more materials will be used, the higher the charges will be. You have to consider the costs of labor, equipment transport, food for the working crew and sometimes accommodation if it is out of town. Among the wedding themes, the most costly would be the "Lush Flowers" Wedding Theme since it will entail lots and lots of flowers - fresh and artificial alike.
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| Photo credits: Philip Cuison Photography |
3. The third aspect of the wedding that will be needing some hefty amount will be the accommodation. This is true especially for out-of-town guests. Most of the time, in Filipino etiquette, the bride and groom will shoulder the costs of accommodation of their guests coming from other towns or country. If you have understanding guests, they will shoulder their fare and accommodation to show support and love for the both of you. You may also politely tell them to shoulder their own expenses to your wedding as their wedding gift to you.
Another equally important aspect of the wedding that needs a big chunk of the budget is the Photo Video Coverage. More and more couples are gearing towards quality photo and video coverage so they are investing heavily on this part. Sometimes, this aspect can even out-cost the budget for the food and venue because photos and videos are all that will be left to remind you of the most beautiful day of your life. You should not scrimp on this one.
Other aspects of the wedding will be divided accordingly to smaller details such as souvenirs, invitations, emcee, coordinators, cake, bridal car, etc. The pie chart below will give you an idea on how to allocate budget for your wedding. However, I did not include the budget for wedding rings and engagement ring since it is relatively personal to the groom in most cases.
There are also other minute details to consider that I haven't included in the chart pie. These details are more demand-driven than being wedding essential. The wedding budget depend entirely on your choices and how much are you willing to spend for this once-in-a -lifetime event in your life. In the Philippines where I conduct many weddings, most brides and grooms will spend more than they are willing because of the rarity of the event. The notion that it will happen only once in a lifetime will put more value on what will be memorable for the years to come.
The role of the wedding planner, (that's me!) is to make sure that your budget meets the right wedding suppliers to get the most out of your hard earned money and deliver you quality services and products that you deserve.
The year 2018 will be a year of weddings. Filipinos have deep Chinese influence and the number 8 is considered lucky. So I will be gearing up for the surge of couples wanting to tie the knot next year.
Happy Wedding Planning!!! 💘💘💘💘💘💘💘💘
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