The first step to planning a great wedding is budgeting. Wedding budgets need to account for all your planned expenses and hidden expenses that will crop up at the last minute. Professional wedding planners say that unexpected wedding costs average can go up to 5000 EUR if you are not mindful. This is why a wedding loan can be the best option for your special day.
In this article, we will talk about the art of budgeting for a wedding, fulfilling your wish for a dream wedding within your budget, and how overspending is not inevitable. You can save a lot simply by planning well and minimizing these hidden wedding costs.
Wedding Budgeting
The three most common sources of financing a wedding are savings, contributions from parents or family members, and personal wedding loans. You can also choose a combination of sources to finance your wedding. Suppose you decide to take a personal wedding loan. In that case, it is essential to explore all your available options and compare interest rates before deciding on a lender. Irrespective of the source of your wedding finances, making a budget and sticking to it is essential.
Ever since the pandemic began, weddings have turned into expensive affairs. Due to pandemic restrictions and logistical difficulties, suppliers and caterers have hiked their prices. Not to forget the additional cost of maintaining hygiene norms at the wedding venue to ensure the safety of all your guests.
Hidden Costs When Budgeting for a Wedding
Let’s explore some avenues contributing to your wedding expenditure, especially the hidden costs that crop up at the last minute to inflate your costs.
- Hair & Make-Up Trials and Pre-Wedding Beauty Treatments – We know how important it is for the bride and groom to look their best on their wedding day. Many brides attend hair or make-up trials to find a hairdresser or make-up artist they trust. But hair and make-up trials can cost up to 50EUR per trial, which can quickly add up.
Instead of going to multiple trials with several hairdressers or make-up artists – it might be more economical to look for hair and make-up recommendations among friends and family. It can help you minimize your spending on trials. On the whole, hair and make-up trials, pre-wedding beauty treatments, bridesmaid make-ups, and male grooming can add up to 100EUR in a wedding budget.
- Wedding Insurance – Many couples forget to buy insurance for their wedding event. Even though a wedding cancellation is a rare event, the pandemic has taught us to stay prepared for all possibilities. It may be a wise decision to take wedding insurance. It will save you a lot of money and help you repay your loan for marriage in case of cancellation.
When purchasing insurance for your wedding, make sure you check what your policy covers and find the most comprehensive policy that your budget allows.
- Arranging the Right Wedding Attire – Wedding attire is not just about the beautiful white wedding gown. Your spending on clothes includes –
- Your dress for your bachelor’s or bachelorette party
- Clothes for the rehearsal dinner
- The groom’s wedding tuxedoTanya Sing
- The bride’s wedding gown
- The going-away dress
- Matching dresses for your bridesmaids
- The clothes you will wear on your honeymoon
It is a long list, and so are the bills. Couples spend up to 150 EUR on clothes in a wedding budget. Don’t forget to account for dry cleaning, alterations, and special lingerie expenses when calculating your wedding attire budget.
- Venue Extras – Renting a venue is an essential part of wedding planning. However, before finalizing a wedding venue, discuss the extras in detail. Read the fine print in your contract to determine the extra charges. Some venues have noise curfews that prohibit music and lighting after a specific time. If your party exceeds the time limit, they may charge you extra. Security, cleaning costs, cost of the cloakroom staff are all chargeable – so account for it in your budget.
- Extra Guests – Your guest list will continue to be revised until the day of the wedding. Invitations or save-the-date cards are usually sent months ahead of the wedding. In the course of these few months, you may see your wedding guest list growing more extensive than you planned for. Each guest increases the cost of food, gifts, and hotel rooms. So, be ready to accommodate a few extra guests even after you have sent out the invitations.
- Flowers – Every wedding venue needs beautiful floral decorations, and you may have some favourite flowers in mind. Be careful about flowers that are out of season; your florist may be willing to arrange for them – but they will likely charge you highly for it. Usually, the cost of flower arrangements, bouquets, and corsages together can go up to 500EUR. Choose your flowers wisely to get beautiful floral arrangements within your budget.
Budgeting accurately can go a long way to ensure that you get the wedding you dreamt of without burning a hole in your pocket. Apart from the hidden expenses mentioned above, make sure you carefully assess your bills for the cake, the band, the photographer, and post-wedding activities. If you succeed in minimizing the hidden costs, you can prevent your wedding budget from growing too big. And not to forget, the money you save here can be invested in a stellar honeymoon!
Author Bio:
Tanya Singh works as a Content Marketer at LoanTube – a loan comparison marketplace where borrowers can connect with multiple lenders via a convenient and transparent application. She writes about topics related to personal finance and loans helping her readers in making smart decisions when they need to borrow. Yoga brings her inner peace and strength, and traveling brings her joy (besides her work of course).
Photo by Curtis Adams from Pexels
