The Basic Wedding Budget Breakdown

In the last blog post, we wrote a bit about what you can do to cut costs on your wedding day, but budgeting is about more than the total sum to be spent.  You have to divvy up that total to pay for all of the different expenses that are necessary for throwing a successful wedding.

This is not a definite wedding budget plan, but just a guide to help you as you start considering the individual budgets for each aspect of the big day.

Venue 30%This is generally the largest expense related to wedding planning.  However, you can get a lot for your money if you choose wisely.  Ask about the other services offered by the venue.  Some will provide a bartender, an officiant, music, and even transportation as part of the package.  So, really take your time considering your options.

Food 20%Some venues include the catering of the event as well, but if yours does not, then you will have to hire a caterer.  This does provide a little more freedom when it comes to food choices and expense.  As a general rule, you can expect to spend up to twenty percent of your budget on food (unless your wedding will be self-catered).

Photographer 9% It’s not just the photos that you must consider, but also the possibility of having a video made.  Photography packages varying greatly in price, but you might expect to spend about nine percent of your budget on this.

Attire 8% Your dress and his suit; need we say more?

DJ 8% If your venue doesn’t provide the music, then you will have to hire a DJ, and that generally means that you will pay up to eight percent of your budget.

Dessert 6% Wedding cake is typically priced by slice.  Be sure that you ask about the top tier.  You might be planning to save it, but some cake bakers include it in the per slice cost.

Flowers and Decorations 5% If you are trying to cut costs, it is very important to carefully consider your flower and decoration choices.  These items can get quite costly, easily claiming 5% or more of your budget.

Drinks4% If you are planning to serve alcohol, then plan to fork over about four percent of your budget to do so.

Tables, Chairs, and Rented Linens 4% Again, this can be a big expense that brides and grooms overlook.  Don’t make that mistake.

Invites 4% Invitations, stamps, RSVP cards, Save the Dates, engagement announcements… there are a lot of stationary expenses to be considered.  This figure is somewhat conservative compared to what some brides and grooms spend on paper.

Officiant 1%Don’t forget that you will have to pay for your officiant, unless a friend gets ordained, or the venue provides this service.

Other 1% We only allotted 1% for this category, but it could claim more.  There are many small details that will have to be addressed, and there will, undoubtedly, be unexpected costs along the way.