Creating a Wedding Budget Tips to Get You Started By Joan Burns 'Event Planner Extraordinaire' After the engagement is announced and the excitement calms down, the planning of the wedding begins. And setting the budget is the first step. Make sure you have a realistic amount that you can spend on your Dream Wedding. But how do determine that amount? The cost of the wedding is certainly determined by the amount of guests you plan to invite.  Depending on the venue, the cost per person can be anywhere from $75.00 per person to $150.00 per person.  Of course, that cost can be a lot higher if your wedding is lavish or over the top.  I think a good rule of thumb is to plan to spend $100 per guest.  If you have 100 guests that would be $10,000.  But my experience has been that if brides don’t keep a tight eye on the budget and what she spends, the cost will creep up by $2000 to $3000 more before they know it.

Plan on spending about 50% of that budget on the reception and another 10 % on the flowers and any special décor.  Your bridal attire should take 10 % of the budget and music another 10%. The rest of the budget is spread out to include items such as photography, transportation, stationary and the like.  Here is where a Wedding coordinator can help keep you on track.

My friends at The Knot have compiled a smart list of who pays for what. It helps when you are working with your budget and the list is traditional. Remember you can break the rules to accommodate your budget and circumstance.

Ceremony
Bride and family pay for church or synagogue, sexton, organist, etc.
Groom and family pay for marriage license and officiant's fee.

Clothes
Bride and family pay for bride's dress, veil, accessories, and trousseau (read: lingerie and honeymoon clothes).
Groom and family pay for groom's outfit.
All attendants pay for their own clothing (including shoes).

Flowers
Bride and family pay for arrangements for church (including huppah if a Jewish wedding ceremony) and reception, plus bouquets and corsages for bridesmaids and flower girls.
Groom and family pay for bride's bouquet and going-away corsage, boutonnieres for men, and corsages for mothers and grandmothers.

Honeymoon
Groom and family pay for complete honeymoon.

Photography
Bride and family pay for all wedding photos and video.
Pre-wedding Parties
Bride or groom's family plans and hosts engagement party; if there is more than one, bride's family hosts the first one.
Groom's family plans and hosts the rehearsal dinner.
Bride plans and hosts bridesmaids' luncheon.
Groom hosts and plans bachelors' dinner.
Maid of honor and bridesmaids host shower.
Best man and ushers host bachelor party.
Friends may throw additional engagement parties or showers.

Reception
Bride and family pay for all professional services, including food, drink, decorations, and music.

Rings
Bride and/or her family pay for groom's ring.
Groom and/or his family pay for both of the bride's rings.

Stationery
Bride and family pay for invitations, announcements, and wedding programs.

Transportation
Bride and family pay for wedding transportation of bridal party to and from ceremony and reception.

Your Wedding Day should be magical and remarkable.  You are creating the memory of a lifetime. You just need a little guidance with your Wedding Budget. It takes a little planning, but it can be done!