Newly Engaged? 10 Steps To Start Planning Your Wedding!

Jan 4th

by: Lauren

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Hi friends! “Engagement season” is here (Yes, we have a term for it), and I don’t know about you, but my socials are filled with engagement announcements! There is so much love and excitement that surrounds a newly engaged couple, and I just absolutely love it!

But soon after that excitement wears off, you’re hit with the reality of the fact that you have to start planning a wedding– something that you most likely have no clue about, right?! Sure, you’ve been in a wedding or two, or maybe one of your close friends recently got married, but things are different when it’s YOUR wedding! And if you’re anything like I was, chances are good that you have NO idea where to start.

Well, don’t fret, because I am here to help you out with the 10 things you need to do first to start planning your wedding. (And no, this is not a list that tells you to get your nails done and buy your first wedding magazine you see. Those are just expected, right? ;))

So before we get started, here are a few things you should know:

1) I was a wedding planner before being a full time blogger. I was certified and I planned and designed several weddings from start to finish. I’m not just pulling this stuff out of thin air :)

2) I was NOT a wedding planner when I planned my wedding. I was completely clueless, and my mom pretty much planned it.

3) Everyone’s wedding is going to be different, and you may not do things exactly as I recommend. This is meant to be a general guideline for you.

Okay, now that I have that out of the way, let’s get started! I’ve created a little checklist that you can save (or pin) for quick reference, and then descriptions are all below!

1. Start your guest list

This is a tough one because yes, of course you want to invite everyone you know to your wedding. Well consider this your warning: the more people you have, the more you have to spend. (This is why you do your budget first.)

Example: You want to have 200 guests. Your budget is $20,000. This means that you will have $100 per guest. Well, that really ritzy hotel you love? Yeah they’re not even going to be close to $100 per person for food and beverage. And that doesn’t include flowers, decor, and all your other vendors!

When it comes to your guest list, the earlier you start planning and know your estimated maximum count – the better! And don’t worry if your guest count starts to go down as time goes on – by then you’ll have had practice in cutting down that growing list of guests. Plus, removing those who you haven’t spoken too in a while is sure to make life easier :)

You might be wondering, “Where do I even start with my guest list?” Click here to learn more!

2. Set a budget

You shouldn’t be doing anything before deciding on your budget. Don’t even so much as look at anything! I know, I know- it’s a tough conversation, but it needs to be discussed and decided on before anything else. Sit down with your parents, family members, or just the two of you, figure out who is contributing, how much they can contribute, and what your total budget will be. Then you can move on to #3!

We know it’s hard to have a good idea of what you’ll even need in terms of budget.

Check out the posts below and go to the Budget section of our Newly Engaged Guide for more information on what to expect things to cost!

3. Choose possible dates

To be safe, choose 2-3 possible dates to have your wedding. Think of the time of year you prefer, the weather, work schedules/vacation time, holidays, and yes, even football season (or whatever sport your fiance/family is crazy about). Then choose your #1 preferred date, and have a #2 and #3 available in case your preferred date isn’t available. Because venues book up fast- some even book up to a year and half in advance!

Choosing your wedding date might seem like a no-brainer at first, but there are several different things that you need to consider before setting anything in stone. Click here to learn more!

NOTE: THE PREVIOUS 3 STEPS CAN REALLY ALL BE DONE IN ONE SITTING. IN FACT, WE HIGHLY RECOMMEND DOING JUST THAT- SITTING DOWN AND MAKING ALL OF YOUR DECISIONS SO YOU CAN GET STARTED.

4. Decide on your wedding’s style

Yep, you heard me- wedding style. If you’re new here, you’ll soon discover out that we’re HUGE on knowing what style of wedding you want. Vintage, modern, classic, eclectic, handmade, rustic… there are SO many styles out there! The beauty of “wedding styles” is that they also coincide with decor and details, and so knowing from the beginning will help you later on. No need to design your whole wedding right now though- just know the general look and feel of how you want your wedding to be. Once you know that, it’ll be easier to move on to #5…

A wedding style is something that every wedding has, something that defines and describes a wedding’s look and feel. Establishing your wedding style will help you tremendously when having to make decisions! Click here to learn more!

5. Book your venue

All of those first 4 steps above can essentially be done all in one sitting. Pretty cool, right?

Once you have all of those decisions made, you can start researching and touring venues. When you’re researching and you find a venue that you like, I recommend contacting them and asking if they have any of your possible dates available. If they do, go ahead and schedule a time to tour the venue. Give yourself a few (2 to 4 max) weeks to tour all of your possibilities (depending on how long you have before your wedding date of course), crunch numbers, see if you can envision your wedding there (or not), and then book your venue! Once you have your venue booked (meaning deposit made and contract signed), your date is secured- and you my friend, are well on your way to getting MARRIED!

Note: Be prepared that some of the more popular wedding venues in your area are booked out for the next year to year and a half… and you may need to shift your wedding date to accommodate a venue that you want.

I have a few questions that you can ask yourself that will help guide you in the process of choosing your wedding venue… Click here to learn more!

6. Research

[This one is twofold. So many of the things involved in planning a wedding happen all at once. Get ready ;)] First and foremost, if you didn’t already hire a wedding planner during the first 5 steps, I strongly suggest you consider one. They will be able to give you excellent recommendations and will save you lots of time and frustration.

Vendors:

Researching potential vendors is HUGE. There are so many amazing wedding professionals out there now, and you want time to be able to choose the right ones for you. You definitely don’t want to be rushed, but at the same time, time is of the essence. (If you don’t have a wedding planner, go to this post for tips on finding, researching, and inquiring with vendors.) When you’re researching, I recommend that you check out the vendor’s portfolio, bio, pricing info (if they have it available) and their blog. Feel free to do research on every single type of vendor you need, but the ones that are crucial and book up quickly are the planner, photographer,videographer, and caterer (if applicable). Moving on, the next steps are going to pertain to these 3 things. [After you’ve completed the following steps for the previously mentioned vendors, then you’ll move on to your entertainment, florals/event decor, rentals, invitations, and cake. And then you’ll go on to hair and makeup, transportation, tux rentals, favors, and any extras.]

Note: To make things easier on you and to ensure that you hire quality professionals, I’ve done extensive research on all of the wedding pros in The V List. Everyone you will find listed on ELD has been reviewed, vetted, and verified by ME. They are all of excellent quality and are absolutely amazing. :)

Choosing and hiring your wedding vendors is one of the most important steps in planning your wedding, because these are the people who are going to make your day happen! Learn more about this process by going to the page in our Newly Engaged Guide entirely dedicated to finding and booking vendors!

Part 2 of Research is…

WEDDING DRESS!

Yes, it’s in caps because it’s *that* exciting! Isn’t it pretty much the very first thing you wanted to do- look at wedding dresses?! I mean, come on, who doesn’t like wedding dresses? ;) But in all seriousness, you want to be sure that you research the types of dresses you like and the stores that carry them. And read this post. [Personal experience in a nutshell: I traveled 5 hours to go to a store that had the designer I liked- and I ended up taking my dress home that very day (after months of dress craziness- read here).]

Wedding dress shopping may be one of the most fun parts of wedding planning, but there are also a few insider tips that will help you leaps and bounds. Click here to learn more!

7. Inquire With and Interview Vendors

So by now you’ve done your research and you know what vendors you like. Now it’s time to contact the vendor, find out if they’re available for your date, check on their pricing (if you want to), and schedule a consultation. (I think this is what I myself felt awkward about. When you’ve never done it before, it’s just weird, you know?) It’s NOT weird though- in fact, it’s pretty darn fun! The vendors will get to know you, you’ll get to know them, you’ll get down to business, and then you let them know in a few days if you want to hire them or not! I recommend meeting with up to three of each type of vendor- one if you already absolutely love them and they sell you right away, two if you’re pretty set but want to know other options, and three if you’re not sure. It just really depends on you, your decision making skills, and your taste. :)

8. Hire Your Vendors

Of course the next step is to pull the trigger and hire one of those vendors that you’ve met and fallen in love with. After your consultations, try to let vendors know your decision a week or two from when they provide you with an estimate/proposal. And then hooray! You’re one step closer to your wedding day!

Important note: Once you’ve hired someone, please let the other vendors that you met with know that you won’t be going with them. I know it sucks to do it and yes, you might feel awkward, but it has to be done- they have to know! A nice, simple email will suffice.

9. WEDDING DRESS!

Alright, so you have some of your vendors booked… now it’s time to take a break and go wedding dress shopping! I don’t think this needs much explanation. Just be sure that you’ve read this post first. :)

10. Design & Detail Inspiration

Remember back in the first 5 steps when I had you decide on your wedding style? Well with the second round of vendors you will meet with next (florals, decor, invitations, rentals, cake) you’ll need to have a good idea of what you want your wedding to be like, so it’s time to focus on design and details!

Know that when I say “design and details”, it really just means what your wedding will look like. Design is more of a general term, and details is more of the specifics (and where your personality can really shine through too!). This too is something that requires lots of research… which in the wedding world we like to call INSPIRATION! :) I’m sure many of you have probably already started saving photos of things that you like and are Pinning away for your dream wedding. After all, this big, beautiful wedding world here on the internet does almost solely revolve around design and details! But you want to make sure that you have enough inspiration to be able to accurately convey to your potential vendors what it is you want for your wedding. And then in the same breath, you don’t want to have too much inspiration either! Oh and don’t forget to bring your inspiration with you to your consultations! You can probably even just pull up your Pinterest boards in your meetings- which I think is absolutely amazing. :)

As luck would have it, I have a few different posts devoted to design and details that should cover everything…

“Finding Wedding Inspiration and Making It Your Own”

“Inspiration, Not Replication”

“Why Every Wedding Needs Details”

“What Exactly Are Details?”

“Wedding Details Inspired By YOU!“

Once you get to the last step for your first set of vendors, then move on to the next round of vendors! Wedding planning is like a roller coaster- you’ll go really fast at full-speed, then you’ll slow down, and then you’ll speed up again. Yes it’s normal, and it’s okay to have a lull in planning. Basically that roller coaster ride just keeps going until you get married. ;) So remember this:

“Wedding planning is like a roller coaster- you’ll go full-speed, slow down, then speed up again. “

Wow so that was LONG and absolutely FULL of information, but I hope all of this will help some of you out and get you going on the right path as you start planning your wedding! There are of course other things that have to be done as you get closer to your wedding, but all of this will definitely get you started and prepare you for what is to come. And if you have any questions, please know that I’m here to answer them! (No really- all you have to do is ask me over on Instagram!) Or you can ask here in the comments! There are no silly questions… you’ve never planned a wedding before, so how are you supposed to know?! :)

And remember, sometimes things are done differently depending on your own situation, so it’s totally fine if you don’t follow these steps exactly. In my experience as a wedding planner, this order has been to be the best way to go. :) And most of all, don’t forget WHY you’re planning a wedding- to spend the rest of your life with your best friend! HAPPY PLANNING!!!

How Much Do Weddings Cost?

Category: WEDDING PLANNING 0 Comments

Jan 3rd

by: Lauren

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How much do weddings cost? It’s a common question, and we have the answers using information obtained directly from wedding vendors.

First, a little note: I’ve had this data about what weddings cost ready for quite a few months now, and delayed sharing it in order to focus on information regarding COVID-19. I’m releasing it now because wedding vendors have been affected tremendously due to the Coronavirus pandemic, and now more than ever it’s so very important to hire professionals for your wedding. I’ve also been hearing about misunderstandings and misinformation regarding wedding pros’ costs, so I decided it was time to share. And plus, having this knowledge of what to expect wedding vendors to cost is one of the most helpful pieces of information you can have when planning your wedding! Let’s get started, shall we?

We talk a lot about what weddings cost here at Every Last Detail. It’s something that not many like to talk about it, but it’s also VERY important information to know so you can plan a wedding properly. And it’s no secret that our main focus in all we do at ELD is to educate YOU, engaged couples, about weddings. Because we’ve said it before, but we’ll gladly say it again… you can’t be expected to know everything about weddings when you’ve never planned one before!

Typically, whenever you look into what weddings cost, you’re given data that has been obtained directly from couples and what they spent for their weddings. This info only gives a glimpse of the overall average wedding cost, and includes figures from a wide range of weddings- from those have budgets of $500, all the way to figures like $5,000,000. It’s great to know, BUT it’s SUPER broad, and not necessarily a good reflection of what you can expect wedding vendors to cost.

Now, that’s great information to have, but in my 10 years in the wedding industry, I’ve noticed that there tends to be a little bit of a disconnect between what wedding vendors are actually charging, and what couples are expecting (or told to expect) to spend.

So, a few years ago, I started conducting surveys asking WEDDING VENDORS what their couples are typically spending with them. Because I’m all about information and using it to establish realistic expectations… and what better people to hear from than those who are providing the products and services for your wedding?!

Today I’m so excited to be sharing the latest data about what a wedding costs when you use professionals. This data is what surveyed wedding vendors across the US have reported that their couples typically spent with them in 2019.

It’s my hope that by providing you with this information, you will be able to have a better idea of what to expect when it comes to wedding vendor pricing so you can establish expectations for your wedding costs that are both accurate and right for you.

*Please note that these figures above are averages of what was reported by professional wedding vendors all over the United States.*

A few things to note regarding this data:

*The average guest count for these weddings= 143
*Data represents all of the United States.
*Catering and venues are often times one in the same.

Also, there were a few “categories” not included in the sampling, such as favors, gifts, and fashion. All of these categories are incredibly varied, most of which (except for fashion) are in price ranges of the low hundreds.

It’s important to note that pricing for wedding vendors definitely varies depending on location, level of experience, what you’re specifically getting, guest count, etc. This is also why I included the ranges of responses, to give an even better picture of what wedding professionals are charging. It’s also crucial to recognize that you don’t necessarily need to pay attention to the TOTAL AVERAGE here, as each and every wedding is different.

Over the next few weeks, my team and I will be addressing each vendor type and their associated costs to further expand upon this information, so be on the lookout for that!

Want more information on vendor pricing and wedding budget?

Click here for more insight!

PS: Are you a wedding professional who loves the educational content we share with couples? Please share this post with your couples and fellow vendors!

Are you interested in supporting Every Last Detail so we can continue to share information like this? We would love to invite you join our Vetted + Verified vendor marketing service, The V List! Click here for information and to apply. <3

What You Need To Know BEFORE You Start Planning Your Wedding

Category: WEDDING PLANNING 1 Comments

Jan 1st

by: Lauren

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You’re engaged. Congrats! Now that you’ve celebrated your heart out, you’re ready and excited to start planning your wedding! But wait a minute- you’ve never planned a wedding before, right? And before you do something you’ve never done before, you usually do some research, right? Well weddings aren’t any different, and trust me– there are most certainly a few things that you should know about weddings *in general* before you start ANYTHING.

What you need to know BEFORE you start planning your wedding:

Plain and simple, this is what I wish I had known when planning my own wedding:

*What I Wish I Had Known When Planning My Wedding

*10 Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me About Planning A Wedding

Pretty weddings cost a pretty penny. Your parents and family members are going to expect a wedding to cost what they spent back in the day, but *newsflash* that was 20, 30, maybe even 40 years ago! Gas and milk don’t cost the same as back then, so don’t expect weddings to. Here are few insights into what weddings cost nowadays:

*Why Do Weddings Cost So Much?!

*What A Wedding Costs (When you use professionals)

And on the note of what weddings cost, your budget is what’s going to make your wedding happen. These things are helpful to know:

*The 1 Thing That Has The Biggest Impact On a Wedding Budget

*Define “On A Budget”

One of the first things you’re going to do is inquire with vendors, and that is a whole new ballgame. A few tidbits about wedding vendors to help you out:

*5 Tips For Inquiring With Wedding Vendors

*You Don’t Want Cheap Wedding Vendors

*5 Reasons To Hire A Professional For Your Wedding, Not A Friend!

*Why You Shouldn’t Negotiate With Wedding Vendors

*What Negotiation Doesn’t Mean

Chances are good that you already have a Pinterest board started, and now you’re going to be spending even more time on the ever-so-inspirational site. A few words of caution:

*Using Pinterest To Plan Your Wedding

*Why You Don’t Want A “Pinterest Wedding”

And finally, I myself am a wedding planner by trade, and honestly, I believe that every bride deserves and should have a wedding planner. Yes, it costs money, and you think you (or your mom or your aunt) can do it yourself, but the truth is, the money that you spend in the grand scheme of things is pretty small- and in the end is 100% WORTH IT:

*5 Things To Know About… Wedding Planners

*7 Things Wedding Planners Do (That Brides/Moms/Aunts/Friends Can’t)

*A Wedding Planner Does Not Plan Your Wedding… YOU DO!

Once you’ve read everything above, you should be ready to get started with your wedding planning!

If you’re ready to move on, click the following link for your next steps:

Newly Engaged? 10 Steps To Start Planning Your Wedding!

How To Create A Wedding Budget

Category: WEDDING PLANNING 6 Comments

Dec 14th

by: Lauren

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Wedding budgets are THE most important aspect of a wedding. Of course your marriage is the most important aspect, but when we’re talking about wedding planning, it’s your budget that gets the place of honor. One would think that it would be easy to create a wedding budget, but it’s something that there isn’t any kind of “set” formula for, so it’s a bit of “unknown territory”. Heck, all of wedding planning is unknown territory if you’re at the point of creating your budget!

It’s important during all of this to keep in mind that your wedding budget is going to be unique to YOU- after all, it’s YOUR wedding, and YOUR preferences. But there are definitely some guidelines and steps that you can follow when creating your wedding budget, and that’s what I’m sharing with you all today!

Creating your budget is not something that is going to take days- you can really and truly sit down and do it in an hour or so. I recommend definitely sitting down with those who are contributing to your wedding budget and going through these steps together. When it comes to creating a wedding budget, it’s really just a few decisions that need to be made, all of where are contingent on one another and essentially need to be decided upon at the same time.

I’m a step-by-step person, so I decided to designate each “step” for creating a wedding budget…

1) Research…

…because you’ve never planned a wedding before, so you should absolutely be doing your research!

2) Dream…

…because you need to have some kind of wedding envisioned to budget properly!

3) Discuss…

…because as much as you want to avoid it, you’re going to have to discuss financials to figure out how much will be contributed.

4) Count…

…because the one thing that has the BIGGEST effect on your wedding budget is your GUEST COUNT!

5) Create…

…because once you’ve covered all of the previous things mentioned, you can get to creating your budget!

Okay, now let’s get started, shall we?

1) RESEARCH

First things first, you MUST do some research on weddings themselves. I’ve found that it’s a lot easier to create your budget if you know what you should expect and are prepared right from the get-go.

Sure, there’s the “average wedding” data out there, but the problem with that is the data has such a HUGE range when it comes to the weddings they are surveying. The majority of the time, brides themselves are being surveyed on what they spent for their wedding- heck, I’ve filled out a survey or two myself! But the thing is, these “weddings” are ranging anywhere from $2,000 to hundreds of thousands of dollars. Now I don’t know about you, but to me, that doesn’t seem like the most accurate data to base your wedding expectations on.

Since I’m a proponent of brides using professionals for their weddings, I decided that I wanted to hear from the PROFESSIONALS what their prices were. Because really and truly- have you EVER purchased something without at least either looking it up online or looking at the price tag first?

So a year or so ago, I surveyed wedding professionals across the country to find out what their average pricing was for a wedding of about 140 people, and here is the data:

(I do want to point out that these figures were reported by experienced, professional wedding vendors based on what their brides spend with them on average. )

If you do a little math, you will see that all of these figures combine to add up to just under $50,000 for an average of 140 guests. Now this doesn’t mean that you have to spend all of the same amounts for each vendor category of your own wedding, but it at least gives you an idea for what it might cost to work with an experienced professional. Having this information will give you a starting point so you can then customize your wedding budget to your wedding and your preferences.

WHY DO WEDDINGS COST SO MUCH?!

This is a question that I think just about EVERY couple asks. I know I asked it, and I’m pretty sure you’re probably asking it now, right? Well, I have some quick insight for you about that…

1) Wedding PROFESSIONALS. These people are skilled professionals with tons of experience. This is their livelihood. They do it full time, and it’s what puts food on their tables, just as your job puts food on YOUR table.

2) Products. Rentals, purchases, food, alcohol, flowers, linens, etc etc. All of these products play a key part in a wedding, and they unfortunately don’t just materialize out of thin air. They have to be paid for!

3) Guests. The more guests you have, the more money you’ll have to spend. (This won’t be the first time I say this!) It’s more food, drinks, tables, linens, centerpieces, etc etc. And it’s something that YOU can have control over. If you don’t want to spend much on your wedding- keep it small. That is the key!

For more on this topic, click HERE to read a full post on it!

It’s really important to remember that when it comes to weddings…

You get what you pay for! Paying for quality and experience will be something you won’t regret!

Okay, now that you’re armed with this information, you can move on to the next steps of creating your wedding budget!

2) DREAM: Determine the “type” of wedding you want

Now I’m going to do something a little out of the norm and suggest that you start off by thinking about the type of wedding that you want. It doesn’t have to be anything set in stone like colors and decor, but more along the lines of the style and feel.

Do you want it to be casual, relaxed, and fun? Or do you want it to be elegant, chic, and romantic? Outdoors or indoors? A farm wedding, or a ballroom wedding? All fairly broad things, but also very important things that will help you in creating your wedding budget.

3) DISCUSS: Have “The Talk”

I know, this is what everyone dreads. But you HAVE to do it so you can determine who will be contributing to your wedding. Will it be just you and your fiance? Just your parents? Or maybe a combination of you and your fiance, your parents, and your fiance’s parents? Every family is different, so don’t feel like you have to do anything in any particular way. In your discussion, you may talk about specifics for what each party can contribute, or you may not. We all know that money can be a touchy subject and everyone approaches it differently. It may even be helpful to create a few example scenarios to figure out how much you might need.

If you’re going the traditional route, your (the bride) parents would pay for the wedding reception, and the groom’s parents would pay for the rehearsal dinner (groom’s parents also sometimes pay for the alcohol at the wedding).

However, today it’s pretty common for multiple people to contribute- such as the bride and groom’s parents, as well as the bride and groom themselves. It’s also not uncommon for the bride and groom to pay for the “extra” costs of vendors or things that mean a lot to them- like a super amazing photographer, or a planner to keep them sane.

Plus, since many couples are getting married later in life (aka once they are successful and have established careers), it’s becoming a norm for the bride and groom to pay for their own wedding. There’s really no right or wrong way in deciding who contributes to your wedding budget though. It’s all about whatever works best for you, your family, and your wedding. Once you know who will be contributing to your wedding budget and how much they can contribute, you can add it all up and set your total wedding budget!

*PRIORITIES: It’s really important to also discuss what your priorities are, if you have any. If amazing food is the one thing that you and your fiance care about, you’ll want make sure you have a great budget for that. Be prepared to make some cuts to other areas within your budget order to accommodate your priorities. Decide what things are most important to you, and then move on to the next step!

4) COUNT: Number of guests

Next, you need to know how many guests you can expect. Your guest count is THE most important part of your wedding budget, because just about everything for your wedding is directly related to the number of guests. Food and beverage are a big cost, as are rentals.

If you want to keep your budget small, then you need to keep your guest list small too!

Sit down with your fiancé and start your guest list. Ask parents and those contributing to your wedding budget. Once you have your list that will be considered your MAXIMUM. Usually about 30% of guests will RSVP no to a wedding, so you can then consider your guest count to be 30% less of the number of guests you have on your list. I also recommend taking a good look at your list to determine who you would absolutely *have* to have at your wedding, and who you could do without- and use that to cut your list a little more and create an A list and B list.

Read more on the guest list: 5 Tips To Help You Tackle Your Guest List

5) CREATE

Once you have the previous decisions made, you can actually CREATE your wedding budget!

The typical method of creating a wedding budget would be known as the “Top-Down” method, in which you set your total cost, and then divide up your budget from there. You can use specific percentages to help determine your budget for each vendor category.

The following percentages are what I recommend to use as a basis. They’re a little different from other resources’ recommendations, but based on my experience as both a bride and wedding planner, they’re much more realistic (if you’re planning on working with professionals)!

Now as you can see, the reception (which includes venue, food, and drink) takes up almost half of your wedding budget. This is why your guest count is so important- it can make your wedding budget or break it!

Note: The dress is not included in the above percentage recommendations due to the fact that often times it is considered as a separate cost from the full wedding budget, plus there is such a varied price range for dresses depending on your taste and style. If you do include it as part of your full budget, then just add it in accordingly and remove some percentage from another category to accommodate.

[FREE DOWNLOAD!]

I have created a little worksheet for you to do the multiplication, fill in numbers, and create your own budget…

Click HERE to download

I also have a spreadsheet here on ELD that has formulas for all of the percentages and makes customizing your budget really easy to do. Go to TheELD.com/planningdownloads to download it!

Another method for creating your budget is known as the “Bottom-up” method. This works well if you have one or two costs and use the “percentages” for those costs to determine the rest of the budget. This would be a good method to use if you have already received an estimate from a vendor or two. You can use those figures to help you figure out the rest of your budget.

For example: you have already received an estimate for $20,000 for venue, food, and beverage. The $20,000 divided by 45% would equal to $44,444, and you can use that figure to help you set the rest of your vendor budgets.

Once you’ve started working on the numbers, you can start really customizing your budget to what is important to you. Do this by pulling from other categories to accommodate your priorities- the spreadsheet I have here on ELD makes this pretty easy to do. For example… if you want to make sure you have an awesome photographer, you can pull from one category to add more money to the photographer category. Just remember to always make sure your percentages add up to 100%!