You’re engaged! Now what?
Budgeting

The first step in planning your wedding isn’t very glamorous: Budgeting. You’re going to need to decide how much money you’re going to spend, and also how you plan to spend it.

First things first: How much are you going to spend? Determining the answer will probably involve sitting down with your family on both sides and having an honest talk about how much money, if any, everybody is planning to contribute to your wedding fund. Nobody looks forward to this conversation — talking about money is usually awkward at best — but it’s really important to know up front what your total budget will be. Until you know how much money you have to work with overall, you can’t make informed decisions about what you’re going to do with it.

Once you’ve determined the total amount you’re going to spend on your wedding, it’s time to itemize your budget, or decide how much you’re going to spend on each aspect of your big day. Your itemized budget will be your financial roadmap for successful wedding planning. This is where a professional wedding planner can really come in handy: It’s part of our job to keep up with current wedding trends, which means that we also keep up with the average costs for all the different products and services that make up a typical wedding celebration. Most wedding planners include budget consultation as part of their full-service planning packages, but you don’t necessarily have to hire a professional to help you with all of your planning to benefit from their knowledge and expertise: Many planners also offer budget consulatation as an a la carte service or will work with you on an hourly basis.

If you’re going it completely alone, then there are still plenty of helpful tools out there. Websites like WeddingWire and The Knot feature online budgeting tools that will help walk you through average spending trends nationwide and apply that information to your own wedding. You may also want to check out CostOfWedding.com, which will tell you the average wedding expenditure in your area, and will also break that down by spending category. It’s important to note that the average expenditures listed here may not reflect the average prices for the vendors you hope to hire, but it can still be a good starting point if you’re totally unfamiliar with what weddings cost.

Don’t forget to infuse your personal preferences into your budget. For example, if food is very important to you but your wedding dress isn’t, then don’t be afraid to bump up the percentage you’re planning to spend on catering and lower the percentage you’re planning to spend on your wedding gown. I ask couples I’m working with to come up with their top two or three priorities, as well as their bottom two or three priorities, and we adjust their budget accordingly.

Developing your wedding budget will probably be the least fun part of planning your wedding, but please don’t neglect to take care of this important task before you do anything else. No matter what your budget, you want to spend it wisely, and the only way to do that is to come up with a plan before you commit to any vendors or locations.

Next up: Your guestlist!

POSTS IN THIS SERIES
You’re engaged! Now what?
Budgeting
Drafting your guestlist
Setting the date

Engagement season is upon us! More proposals happen between Thanksgiving and Valentine’s Day than any other time of year.

Most newly minted brides-to-be can’t wait to jump into wedding planning, but just how do you get started on planning what may well be the biggest party of your life? That’s what we’ll be covering over the next few days on the Ayr Hill Events blog.

In this series of posts, we’ll be explaining how starting your wedding planning off the right way can prevent some serious headaches, save you money, and help ensure that all the pieces of your big day come together as you envision.

We’ll start tomorrow with budgeting. See you then!

POSTS IN THIS SERIES
You’re engaged! Now what?
Budgeting
Drafting your guestlist
Setting the date

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!

My little family and I will be staying home today, and I’m cooking Thanksgiving dinner for the very first time! Thank goodness it’s only for the three of us — no pressure. Whew!

We’re having turkey, mushroom-and-hazelnut dressing, gravy, cranberry sauce, green bean casserole, baked yams, salad, bread, and pecan pie. And I’m proud (and a bit nervous) to say that with the exception of the bread, every last bit of it will be from scratch! (I love baking bread, but I’m only one woman. I had to draw the line somewhere.)

Of course my family and I are thankful for one another and for the prosperity that allows us to enjoy such a (hopefully) sumptuous meal later on today, but we’re also thankful for all of you. Mr. Husband is always asking about my brides and grooms and he gets to know you almost as well as I do, and of course many of you have met Little D at some point in your planning process. Whether you know it or not, you’re kinda part of the family. And of course, I’m thankful for all of you readers, too.

Today and every day, we wish you all much love and happiness.

Have a blessed Thanksgiving!