Setting a budget for your wedding
Your partner has finally popped the question and now you need to set a wedding date. If you’re not in a rush and have a reasonable amount of time, then it is possible to find good bargains and therefore stretch your budget further.
It’s not one of the most exciting tasks of planning your wedding but unfortunately it has to be done. The first question you’ll need to ask yourself is:
Who will be contributing to the wedding and how much?
and the second question:
How much money do we want to spend on the wedding?
It used to be a tradition where the bride’s family pays for the entire wedding, but that is fast becoming history. Today, expenses are usually shared between the brides family, the groom’s family and the bride and groom. Some couples who are getting married later in life, are able to pay for the entire wedding themselves.
A good way to help you define your budget is to set priorities. The bride and groom should discuss which elements of the wedding are the most important to them. Example: Reception, Bridal Gown and Photography is the most important. It’s more likely that you will spend more of your wedding budget on those items, as they are a higher priority.
The following list is a breakdown of expenses that you can use as a guide:
5 - 12% Attire
2 - 3% Cake
6 - 10% Ceremony
3 - 10% Entertainment
5 - 15% Flowers
2 - 5% Invitations
35 - 55% Reception
7 - 13 % Photography/Video
2% Transport
7 - 15% Rings
If your total budget is R50 000, then take each budget item and choose a percentage from the ranges given. This is simply a guideline to help you get started. Good Luck!