Lets face it, up to now you’ve possibly got pages of ideas, notes and maybe even started some sort of planning your wedding to make sure you get  “it right” on the day.  Did you go over the ever expanding guest list, do the extra numbers mean you have to cut out some flowers or go cheap on the stationary?
One thing’s for sure if you’re not in control at this stage you possibly never will be.  There are literally a mountain of things you should look at  to ensure the big day “Pops”.
But how do we do it? where do we start? and more importantly how does all this fit into the budget.  So lets look at the basic content and then see how we can improve to fit neatly into the amount of money we are going to throw into this major event.
Firstly I want you to consider what percentage of your budget you are willing to invest into each of the items of the wedding bucket.  Given 100% of $00000 = $00000, how do we proportion this money as a percentage into;
1.    The Ceremony – Location fee, Officiant fee, Marriage License, and any other item in the ceremony – suggest ( 3% )
2.    Reception – Reception site, Food, Drinks, Rentals, Cake and so on – suggest ( 48% )
3.    Attire – Dress, Headpiece.Veil, Undergarments and hosiery, shoes, accessories, hair/makeup.  Then the grooms suit, shoes, shitrt tie and so on – suggest ( 10% )
4.    Rings – suggest ( 3% )
5.    Flowers – Ceremony, brides bouquet, maid-of-honour and bridesmaids bouquets, corsages and boutonnieres, Center piece and so on – suggest ( 8% )
6.     Music – Ceremony musicians or music, Band or DJ, sound system rental – suggest (8% )
7.    Photography fees – suggest (12$ )
8.    Transportation – transportation for wedding party, guests shuttle and or parking attendants – suggest ( 2% )
9.     Stationery – Invitations, response cards, thank-you notes, postage, calligraphy, guest book – suggest ( 3% )
10.    Gifts – Bridesmaids and groomsmen, parents, welcome baskets, out of town guest – suggest ( 3% )
Now this is just an idea, but you can easily see at a glance where if necessary you could cut your wedding costs to get back into your budget.  And in this example, just look at the percentage allocated to the Reception, and this is an area where the memories will only last up to the next decent meal! does it really take that much of the budget,  Yes sadly it does as research has shown us.
There are more items to consider in your planning.  What type of music you want, what type of music you don’t want, which guests you do or don’t want and the list goes on and on.
To help you, I’ve placed some articles on my site.  Just read them and use the info however you want.  If you need help them please contact me.