Getting the Wedding of your dreams on a Budget you can Afford | Budgeting

Getting the Wedding of your dreams on a Budget you can Afford

Written by Mae Summerville

Friday, 06 March 2009 05:51

by MaeSummerville

During your childhood I am certain the topic of your wedding day came up. Not only who you would marry but also all the things you would have at your wedding. I am sure you told everyone the huge ballroom where your reception would be as well as the large cathedral your wedding would be held in. Then you told everyone all the diamond jewelry you would be wearing, along with your designer wedding gown. Something so extravagant you needed attendants to walk behind you. You went on in great detail about the live entertainment you would have. The latest teen sex symbol would serenade you at your wedding and look teary eyed that he had lost you to another man. As you got older and matured the value of money began to burst your bubbles of the large extravagant wedding you deserved to have. I imagine all the parties involved in paying for the wedding ask that you set down and come up with some realistic numbers for the things you wanted included in your wedding. They may have given you a dollar amount and told you to work out a budget on that figure.

You may think that your dream wedding is a creation of your own imagination but in fact we have numerous influences from family, friends, to the media. And to make to worse you will watch a show on weddings and would likely come away thinking you can have anything you like at your wedding. The planners on the shows certainly never tel the couple "no". They can ask for outrageous things and while the planner may insist it is not in the budget you quickly mind that somehow she has worked it in to the wedding. Cigar bars, helicopters, even diamond jewelry that is given as favors is not out of the question.

The problem with these shows is they are not at all realistic about what you should do to have a gorgeous wedding on a realistic budget. That is why you really need think about what your wedding needs to look like, how it needs to be decorated, what sort of extras it must contain. Then you need to get preliminary pricing on all those things.

When drawing up your budget you need include certainly the basics such as the decorations for the church and think in great detail what all that will encompass. Then you need to plan out your reception. You need to again think in detail about entertainment, food, flowers, the tablecloths and other linens, reception decorations and even the table and chairs(if not furnished). You need to get accurate pricing for these items. Then you need to add these up and see if the amount you are wanting to spend even comes close to all these things. I always tell couples on extravagant things always try to get something that will have lasting value after the wedding-like diamond jewelry.

It costs $27,000 for a wedding with 200 guests. That is what the average cost is the United States. Your goal should always be to have a wedding that is high in quality first and high in quantity second. You can invite everyone in your town but are they really worth all the added expense. You need to visualize what you really want to achieve and prune yoour guest list down firs in order to achieve it. You can always give and take with yourself and come to an acceptable amount of people for an acceptable amount of money.

DISCLAIMER: This article is provided as information only and is not to be taken as financial advice.

Melesha Staples is wedding planner who consults with and advises brides on planning and other wedding ideas. You can see her entire collection of helpful advice at her website.