You’re engaged! You have some very exciting months ahead of you, so start your planning on the right foot by establishing a budget! If you know you’ll be footing the bill, then you’re all set, but if you expect contributions may come from your parents or future in-laws, then the first thing you need to do is sit down and have “the budget talk.” While it may be uncomfortable, sitting down with your parents to determine any contributions is key to getting started! There is nothing worse than assuming someone will be contributing $20,000 to your wedding, and finding out later down the road that the contribution they are able to make is much less!
You’ll also want to determine how monetary contributions will be made. Will the money be put in an account specifically for the wedding? Will certain parties be paying for certain portions of the wedding (ie., mom and dad pay for catering, bride and groom pay for photography, future in-laws pay for beverages & alcohol) Will the money be paid directly to you and your fiance? Knowing how the finances will be handled up front will make your planning a whole lot easier down the road!
Once you’ve established the overall amount of money you have to spend on your wedding, you can sit down and decide what your ideal guest count will be, determine how much you have to spend on your wedding venues, and begin finding the perfect vendors that fit within your budget!
Stay tuned for more “wedding 101” posts which will help get you started on your wedding planning!
