WeddingGuideUK.com - Budgeting For Your Wedding

Preparing a Provisional Budget
The next step is to prepare a provisional budget from the list you have drawn up for the wedding that you would like. This is a substantial task requiring a great deal of research but once completed you will know whether or not your available funds are sufficient. If they are not, knowing your priorities will enable you to trim items accordingly. Listed below are the main items that are associated with a traditional wedding. Many of the items listed are hyperlinks enabling you to view companies that supply the product or services mentioned.

Next to each item is an abbreviation for who traditionally pays:
(BF) = Bride's father, (GP) = Groom's parents, (B) = Bride, (G) = Groom.

Wedding Clothing

Wedding dress , headdress, shoes, lingerie and jewellery (BF)

Something old, new, borrowed and blue (B)

Bridesmaids' dresses and accessories (BF)

Page boy outfits (BF)

Ushers' outfits (G) *see below

Groom's outfit (G)

Best man's outfit (G) *see below

Bride's parent's outfits (BF)

Groom's parent's outfits (GP)

Bride's going-away outfit (B)

Groom's going-away outfit (G)

* Often paid for by the participants themselves.

Bridal Beauty

Hairdresser (B)

Make-up (B)

Beautician (B)

Transport

Transportation to ceremony for bride, bride's father, bridesmaids and bride's mother (BF)

To ceremony for groom and best man (G)

From ceremony to reception (BF)

From reception for bride and groom (G)

Decorations (ribbons) for wedding transportation (BF)

Photography/Videography

Photography package (BF)

Videography package (BF)

Photograph album (BF)

Additional prints/videos (BF)

Flowers

Church (BF)

Reception (BF)

Bride's and bridesmaids' bouquets (BF) * see below

Buttonholes for participants and guests (BF) * see below

*Sometimes considered the responsibility of the groom.

Civil/Religious Ceremony Fees

Church, including bells, choir, organist and heating if required (G)

Venue hire (BF)

Balloons and decorations (BF)

Toastmaster (BF)

Wedding cake (BF)

Catering and equipment (BF)

Bridal favours (BF)

Drinks with meal, for toasts and evening (BF)

Entertainment (BF)

Honeymoon

Passports and visas (G)

Travel and accommodation (G)

Bride's clothing (B)

Groom's clothing (G)

Spending money (G)

Travel insurance (G)

Inoculations (G)

Stationery

Invitations and postage (BF)

Order of Service (BF)

Menus (BF)

Place name cards and seating plan chart (BF)

Other personalised items such as napkins, coasters and matches (BF)

Thank-you notepaper (BF)

Guest book (BF)

Gifts

Engagement and wedding rings for bride (G)

Wedding ring for groom (B)

Present for bride, bridesmaids, pages, ushers and best man (G)

Present for groom (B)

Present for bride's parents (B) and (G)

Presents for newly weds (BF) and (GP)

Other

Engagement party (BF)

Hen night (B)

Stag night (G)

Wedding co-ordinator fees (BF)

Wedding night venue, if not the honeymoon destination (G)

Wedding insurance (BF)

Overnight accommodation for close family if required (BF)

Press announcements for engagement (BF)

Press announcements for wedding (G)

Preparing a Final Budget
Once your provisional budget has been calculated and any modifications have been made to suit your priorities and funding, you will now be in a position to prepare your final budget. This simply means allocating a fixed sum for each item and trying to keep within the amounts allocated as you order your goods and services.

As your costs become known, you need to record the committed sums plus details of any deposits paid. If you are able to order items for less than you budgeted, you can either allocate any surplus to another area or simply take the saving. If you go over your budget for any item, you will have to decide whether to make a saving in another area or find the money to pay for the additional sum.

Allowing for Contingencies
When you start discussing the details of your requirements with companies, you will be amazed by all the options and extras you can have. No doubt these extras will all help to make your wedding day more special and unique but they will of course add to your final cost. If you are working to a strict budget you should not be tempted unless you find that you can make savings in other areas. However, knowing that certain extras will be become a 'must have', you should include in your budget a contingency sum of around 10 per cent. Furthermore, there will always be items that you overlook in your provisional budget.

For example, if your funds are strictly limited to say £8,000 and you choose to have a contingency of 10 per cent, you will need to work to a budget of £7,275 thereby leaving you a contingency sum of £725 (£725 being 10 per cent of £7,275).

Tipping
There is no need to tip individuals or companies that supply you services at wedding rates. However, you may have family or friends that provide you with goods or services at lower than normal rates that you may wish to reward in addition to the sum charged. For example, you may have a friend that offers to do your hair or make-up or a relative who offers to make your cake at cost. However, it is more appropriate to acknowledge their kindness by buying them a small gift as a memento of your special day.

Quotations and Estimates
There is an important difference between getting a quote from a company and getting an estimate. A quotation is a fixed price given by a company for the product or service you want. It is a legally binding contract between you and the supplying company.

An estimate is what a company thinks will be the charge for the product or service you want and they are at liberty to invoice you for a different sum depending upon their final costs for supplying you. If the company get their sums wrong, you will end up footing the bill and you will not normally have any legal recourse.

When drawing up your provisional budget, by all means ask for an estimate so you can get a feel for the general level of expenditure required. However, when you are in a position to place an order always and always get a quotation first, preferably in writing. You must also ensure that you know exactly what the quotation is made up of, particularly what is and what isn't included. If you change your mind about anything, for example, you decide to have cloth napkins at your reception instead of paper ones, ask for a supplementary quotation.

Before you place an order, try to get at least one or two other quote so you see that you are paying a reasonable rate for the goods or services offered. In many cases this will not be possible, especially where you are considering items that are unique in some way. However, you should still try to satisfy yourself that you are getting value for money. If you are able to get an alternative quotation, always ensure that you are comparing like for like otherwise your comparison will be meaningless.

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