When the wedding date has been set, it has been decided what the wedding style and concept will be - big or small wedding, in Latvia or abroad, - time for the big question - what will be our wedding budget ?

Recommendations for wedding budget planning

Budgeting and the magic ten percent

Just like the golden rule of ethics, there is also the golden rule of the wedding budget - the budget is always overspent. Why is that? Because the wedding organizing is a big and extensive process and unless you are a wedding planning professional, it will not be possible as early as at the start of identify the necessary finances. The process of planning, organizing and holding a wedding will reveal itself more and more new categories of costs, which may initially seem like mere trifles, but in total they will add up to tangible spending. these trinkets can be, for example, glass indicators, reusable eco-friendly cocktail straws or a lamp string rental.

Therefore, it is very important to add another ten percent of the planned budget to the allocated wedding budget costs. As a result, there will be no unwanted surprises.

Myth: the wedding organizer - it makes the wedding more expensive

Yes, the fact that by attracting a professional wedding organizers , wedding costs increase is a myth that does not correspond to the real situation. Rather Hiring a professional wedding organizer is not only a practical, but also an economically wise step, because the wedding organizer is the one who perfectly knows the specifics of weddings, the wedding market, will know where to buy, rent or receive services for more favorable conditions, and also cooperates with other service providers, such as a wedding decorator or caterer.

You can also engage a wedding planner, not for the wedding itself, but only for consultation. Wedding planner or wedding the organizer will answer your questions, so you will be much more knowledgeable and will be able to avoid successfully from underwater stones also in the preparation of the wedding budget.

Services on which you should not save in the wedding budget

If we can choose an alternative in certain wedding positions, thus saving money, there are areas in wedding planning, in which you should not save, because the saver will always be the loser.

You absolutely must not save on the following items:

• wedding photographer ,
• wedding videographer ,
• wedding catering services ,
• wedding manager ,
• decorations ,
• music ,
• wedding rings .

For example, if you choose a less professional wedding photographer, you may be so disappointed when you receive the photos that you want to rephotograph the morning of the wedding. These are very real, real cases from life! in such a situation, when the hand does not rise to put the failed photos in the wedding album, you may have to search again and pay this time already a professional wedding photographer, re-organize the fake wedding morning, re-hire a make-up artist and hairdressers. Likewise with wedding rings - it is not a temporary piece of jewelry that can get tired at some point - a wedding ring we carry all our lives.

How to save?

It is possible to save on such wedding items, the alternative choice of which does not change the quality:

1. it can be the wedding day itself - on the weekend, as well as during the wedding season, wedding venue reservations are usually more expensive than on weekdays or in the low season, when there are relatively fewer weddings;
2. it can be the number of guests, which significantly changes the costs in terms of catering, accommodation, gifts and in entertaining;
3. it may be a matter of the need for accommodation - if the wedding is not celebrated until the morning, the expenses for guest accommodation will disappear, as well as the number of hours for which the rental fee for the venue or service will be reduced delivery costs for staff;
4. can also be saved very well by combining ceremonies and celebration places in one place, thus there will be no additional expenses for transfers and decorations.

Budget distribution

How do you know what percentage of the total budget to allocate to each of the wedding items? The budget allocation may change depending on of the wedding concept, however, the most important factors remain in a similar relationship:

• 40% Celebration venue and catering
• 15% Photographer's and videographer services
• 10% Music
• 10% Floristics
• 10% Decorations
• 5% Outfits
• 3% Transport
• 3% Paper goods
• 2% Gifts for guests
• 2% Wedding cake

Plan your wedding budget together with the LĪGAVĀM wedding planner: WEDDING PLANNER - YOUR BEST ADVISOR ON THE WAY TO A DREAM WEDDING

Author of the article: IEVA KRASTIņA

Photo: ANNI GRAHAM , KARRA LEIGH , VIC & JOSH , SARA OLIVIA

Read more about wedding budget planning here: WEDDING BUDGET PLANNING A