Congratulations! You’re engaged! Now what?!
Some brides start their wedding planning even before you get asked the question! You start googling and, of course, start pinning. You get super excited planning and look at infinite images of bouquets that you love. It’s great that you can just pin your dream wedding and drool over your Pinterest dashboard, and you should be able to do that, right?! There’s nothing more special than the very day you say “YES I DO!”
But wait a minute… let’s snap back into reality. You had forgotten something. The very thing that would allow (or not allow) you to have our dream wedding. This is the not so fun part of the wedding. But unfortunately, you must deal with it and have the conversation with your partner early on.
Some couples come to me and they have absolutely no idea where to even start to set a budget. My typical answer would be that it’s really different for everyone. My couples would spend 10k on flowers while some might not want to spend more than 1k. Some brides must have her dream wedding dress while others might not mind tying the knot in something very simple and even short that’s not a grand princess ball gown.
Whatever your priority is, you just need to know and be clear about it with each other so you can make your wedding plans accordingly. So let’s help you get started. I created a list of the popular vendors that most weddings would need to hire. Sit down with your partner (and maybe whoever is contributing to your wedding funds), go through the list and give each item a rating of 1 to 10. 10 means that it’s very important to you and 1 means not so important and can do without. This way, you know exactly what is priority and what you want to splurge on, while cutting back on other areas of your celebration.
I have included an average price range that my typical couples spend on each vendor. Please read that again. This is just an average that my type of couples spend. Of course, there are always lower priced vendors and higher priced vendors. But the point of this exercise is to help you get started to get an idea of what your wedding budget could be. I’ve grouped some items together but you can always separate them and rate accordingly.
Keep in mind that my location is Montreal, Quebec. If you’re from else where, welcome and thank you for popping by! The price ranges might not be as accurate for you, but it’s great to download the vendor’s list and do the exercise with your partner. This way, you know exactly what is priority and what is not so you can keep yourselves on track.
I know that sometimes it can be frustrating when discussing money stuff with your partner. Just remember to stay calm and listen more than you speak. No matter what you choose to spend on, your wedding day will be the most beautiful as you tie the knot and start this new chapter together.
Now go ahead and download the PDF to your budget prioritizing worksheet below. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to reach out!
