Engaged and Getting Started, The First Piece: BUDGET!

As we are still in the middle of engagement season (Valentine's Day anyone?), I thought I'd re-start my blogging in 2010 by writing about something we at You're Invited feel is incredibly important before booking anything other than the church: The Wedding Budget.

Not every bride's favorite thing to discuss as she comes off the "high" of just getting engaged, but an essential element before the planning even begins. Outside of what the day is truly about (the commitment, the love, the fun) the budget is a guiding force behind how and where to get started and I ask all of my couples to hold off on booking any venues/vendors until I have the chance to provide a fully detailed budget analysis. The first two questions I ask of every couple are: "how many people are you inviting (not the same as the number expected)?" and "do you have a budget?" These two questions will give me an idea on how to begin. For example, inviting 400 guests with a $15,000 budget is very different from inviting 200 guests with a $15,000 budget. It's a matter of how to breakdown that $15,000 budget to accomodate the number of guests expected, as well as planning the event of your dreams. Once everyone is aware of the budget and on board, I move forward with finding the reception venue (as it will dictate your food and beverage costs), then I move on to the other vendors in order of importance to the couple and their families. Without a true understanding of the budget, there is potential for issues as you realize what you have committed to (or over-committed to) before the completion of booking your vendors.

Of course, at You're Invited we have worked with budgets in all shapes and sizes. We do not have a restriction on what we believe families should spend on a wedding. But, we have ideas on how to make a budget work. Sometimes that requires a bit more flexibility :) AND, we don't have to plan a couple's wedding to provide them a proper budget analysis. For a small fee and completion of a questionnaire, we will gladly provide a fully detailed budget analysis for any wedding. Just shoot me an email: kimh@youreinvited2.net