Setting Expectations through Manageable Wedding Budget Categories
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Now that you have your ring and you’ve counted the cash available, it’s time to break your budget down into a manageable spreadsheet. This spreadsheet will help guide your decision making as you start your wedding planning journey.
A wedding planner is a great resource to help build your budget. If you decide to craft the budget on your own, start off with a brain dump of all of the categories that you will need for your wedding. The more detail the better, so include subcategories if you know them.
To give you a place to start, the percentages below are what we typically see as an average. You’ll notice that the percentages as they are below don’t necessarily add up to 100%, and that’s because it’s tricky to assign a specific percentage when everyone’s priorities are different. So keep in mind your priorities, guest count and location, then massage these percentages to fit your needs.
Based on your unique situation some categories may be combined or eliminated on your budget. The same applies to the subcategories. Up front, you may not even know what exactly you need in terms of subcategories and that’s okay. In that case, just use the general category percentage for now.
Creating your Budget Spreadsheet
Open a blank spreadsheet and add a row for every category and subcategory in your brain dump. There should be six columns: category name, budget percentage, budget ($), anticipated actual, paid to date, and notes.
Category Name - Title for the category/ subcategory in that row.
Budget Percentage - The percentage of your budget that you plan to spend on each category.
Budget ($) - This is the dollar amount assigned to a category/subcategory based on the assigned percentage of the overall budget.
Anticipated Actual - This is the contracted amount. Fill this in as you hire your vendors. Remember to check the budget before signing anything to keep yourself honest about what you can spend.
Paid to Date - This helps you keep track of how much you have paid so far to your hired vendor. You can also include receipt totals here if you paid for something outside of a vendor contract. It will help you track what is left to pay.
Notes - I recommend putting in the payment terms you’ve agreed to with each vendor so you know when payments are due. Also add these dates to your calendar with a reminder a week out.
Make sure to sum the total for each category and create a sum at the bottom with all of the categories combined.
Wedding Budget Categories
Wedding Planner
Budget Percentage: 5-20%
Subcategories to consider: full service, partial planning or event management.
This is based on the location and service choice. You can opt for a full service planner with design services and expect to pay on the higher end of the percentage, or just an event manager with logistics only for the lower end.
Pro Tip: A full service planner will be a valuable resource to keep you from going over budget by helping you get what you need and want without straying from your original plan.
Ceremony Venue
Budget Percentage: 5-8%
Subcategories to consider: Site rental, church donation, officiant fee, marriage license, accessories like ring pillow, flower girl basket, unity candle, etc.
This category may only apply if you plan to have your ceremony at a different location from your reception. If it’s the same venue, then you may decide to rearrange some of the subcategories into other parent categories.
Reception Venue
Budget Percentage: 10-12%
Subcategories to consider: room rental fee, venue deposit, rentals (tables and chairs), dance floor rental, coat check, liability insurance, and security
This is just the items related to the site rental cost. Catering is a separate line item, but can be combined if you choose a venue that includes catering. If you are using a tent there will be a slew of other costs to consider (tent, flooring, heaters, portable bathrooms, electricity, etc), and might justify a category of its own.
Catering
Budget Percentage: 15-25%
Subcategories to consider: Tasting (sometimes this is included), rehearsal dinner, passed hors d'oeuvres, reception meal, service staff, catering equipment, rentals (china and glassware, etc.)
This will vary based on the guest count, location, whether it’s an on site caterer or offsite, and what style service you choose. Depending on your vendor it may also include some of the other categories like specialty rentals or beverages.
Drinks & Bar
Budget Percentage: 10-15%
Subcategories to consider: Cocktail hour drinks, reception drinks, champagne toast, bar service, mixers, coffee/ tea, non-alcoholic beverages, glassware (may be included under catering), corkage fees, and liquor license (if not provided by the venue or caterer)
You have some options with the level of service which will drive your cost. You can opt for an open bar, beer & wine only, or limit the covered bar to a specialty cocktail. Even within that, there are levels within the bar on what to offer. Depending on your preferences you may choose to offer top shelf brands, only your favorites or keep it simple.
Cake & Dessert
Budget Percentage: 1-2%
Subcategories to consider: Wedding Cake (or alternative like pies, donuts, cupcakes, or ice cream), display table, sheet cake for extra servings, cake topper, cake stand, cake cutting fee, cutting utensils, delivery fee, preservation kit (if you’re saving the top tier for your 1-year anniversary)
There are no rules that require a wedding cake. If you don’t like cake, don’t have one. Pies, donuts, cupcakes, ice cream–all great alternatives. Better yet, why pick just one?
Photography
Budget Percentage: 8-12%
Subcategories to consider: engagement session, rehearsal dinner coverage, wedding day coverage, albums and prints
Photos are core to how you will remember your day. A photographer's level of experience is important to consider, as a more experienced photographer will bring you confidence that moments won’t be missed.
Cinematography
Budget Percentage: 5-10%
Subcategories to consider: raw footage, highlight reel or feature film
Similar to photography, experience level is a key consideration in this expense. It’s a once in a lifetime event and you can’t recreate those memories, so capturing them on film is a great commemorative piece you can look back on for a lifetime.
Flowers & Decor
Budget Percentage: 6-12%
Subcategories to consider: Bridal Bouquet, Bridesmaids bouquets, toss bouquet, boutonnieres for groom, groomsmen, ring bearer, fathers, and grandfathers, corsages for mothers and grandmothers, petals for flower girl, ceremony arch/ chuppah, ceremony arrangements, reception centerpieces, cake flowers, specialty decor rentals (lanterns, candelabras, etc).
Seasonal and local are drivers in cost for flowers. If peonies in February are a top priority for you, a florist will find a way, just expect that the cost per stem will be a lot more than it would be in the spring. If your priorities are not in the decor, there are ways to make sure the event is beautiful without having to do much in terms of decorating, such as choosing a naturally beautiful venue.
Attire & Accessories
Budget Percentage: 5-8%
Subcategories to consider: Wedding Dress, Suit/Tux, Alterations, Undergarments, Veil, wedding rings, Jewelry, Accessories, Shoes, Reception Outfit (if you’re changing), Cleaning and Preservation, wedding party suits/dresses or accessories (if you’re covering these costs)
Some couples also include the outfits for the other events like the engagement party, engagement photos, bridal showers, after party, post-wedding brunch and bachelor/bachelorette parties. It’s up to you if you want to include those outfits in the wedding budget.
Beauty
Budget Percentage: 2-5%
Subcategories to consider: Pre-wedding haircuts and color, Mani-Pedi, waxing, professional shave, spray tan, hair & make up trials, wedding day hair and makeup.
If you are covering hair and makeup for the wedding party you may want to include that in this category as well.
Entertainment
Budget Percentage: 8-15%
Subcategories to consider: ceremony musicians, cocktail hour musicians, reception DJ or live band (or even a hybrid), equipment (sounds system, microphone, speakers), photo booth, dance floor and lighting.
The biggest cost variable here is a live band vs. a DJ, but this decision will set the tone for the wedding. Depending on your friends and family one may be a better choice than the other.
Stationery
Budget Percentage: 2-5%
Subcategories to consider: Signage for bar, ceremony signage, save the dates, wedding invitations and inserts, envelopes, postage (invitations, rsvp cards and thank you notes, return address labels, ceremony programs, menu cards, escort cards, place cards, custom napkins, favor labels, and thank you cards.
Some couples also include paperie for their other celebrations like their engagement party, rehearsal dinner and post-wedding brunch, to keep a cohesive look, others keep it separate.
Favors & Gifts
Budget Percentage: 1-2%
Subcategories to consider: favors for every guest, wedding party gifts, flower girl/ ring bearer gifts, spouse gifts, parent gifts, welcome baskets for out of town guests
Cost in this category is driven by how many you need and the cost per item.
Transportation
Budget Percentage: 1-2%
Subcategories to consider: couple & wedding party transportation to ceremony & reception, driver gratuity, guest shuttle service, valet parking service
Transportation may not be necessary for the bridal party if you are getting ready at the same place as the ceremony and reception. If you have a lot of out of town guests staying in an off site hotel, then you may want to provide a safe option for them to get back to the hotel after the reception.
Rentals
Budget Percentage: 3-8%
Subcategories to consider: tenting, specialty seating, tables, chairs, china, and other unique pieces based on your design.
Rentals will vary based on what is covered by your venue, possibly even the florals and decor categories. Occasionally you may need specialty rentals to accomplish a specific look or feel.
Extra Fees
Budget Percentage: 3-5%
Subcategories to consider: gratuities, wedding insurance, and overtime fees.
Don’t be surprised when you see tax, service charges and delivery fees on the quotes from your vendors. Most of the time a service charge is not the same as a gratuity, so be sure to clarify with your vendors. In the meantime, make sure to budget for those extra fees up front.
Cushion
Budget Percentage: 3-5%
We recommend a line item on your budget that will give you freedom. This covers you when you go a little over on another category or if something comes up last minute. This is an important category to help you avoid overspending.
Revisiting the Spreadsheet
There are two main times you will want to revisit your budget spreadsheet throughout the planning process: before you spend money and after you spend money.
Before you sign on the dotted line with any vendors, look back to your budget spreadsheet to make sure the contracted charges fit into the plan. If not, ask yourself if it’s worth dipping into your cushion to cover the difference. It’s best to avoid touching the cushion if you don’t need to in order to protect yourself for any last minute surprises that you don't see coming, but it’s there if you need it.
Then you’ll revisit again after you spend money you’ll want to document. For each of the categories make sure you have a column for the budget amount and a column for the anticipated actual spend. I also recommend tracking your payments, so you know where you stand against the final number. Every time you make a payment or charge something make sure you revisit the spreadsheet to document those spending decisions.
I know you’d rather be doing a wine tasting or picking out flowers, but planning a budget will help you to start off your marriage without unexpected debts hanging over your heads. As a planner, we’d love to help you plan your budget. Connect with us to learn more about planning your wedding in New Jersey and throughout the Northeast.