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Budget for your wedding? Why do some people think that having a budget is not important? When it comes to figuring out what your budget should be for your wedding, it is an all important topic that should be discussed with your fiancé in the early planning stages. Many couples today are contributing financially to their own wedding and most likely both individuals work. It’s no longer the sole responsibility of the bride’s parents to assume the financial task of paying for their daughter’s wedding. The grooms parents may offer to contribute, although they typically pay for the rehearsal dinner. Many second, third and possibly even fourth-time brides and grooms are definitely footing the bill for their nuptials.

What I think is very important is understanding as a couple what is your ideal wedding. Many couples have no idea what the cost of having a wedding is today. The average cost of a wedding is about $20,000. Here in the Washington DC Metropolitan area, the average cost of a wedding in 2013 was $35,306. Events such as these have become very expensive but it doesn’t have to be overly expensive. A couple on a budget can still have a decent celebration that possesses all of the typical traditions of a more expensive wedding. The difference is that the more money you have, the more you can purchase and the less you have to do. With less money you have to be more creative or possibly start a fund early on.

The estimated breakdown of a typical bridal budget is:

Honeymoon – 5-15%
Transportation -3 -5%
Attire – 5-15%
Parties – 2-5%
Ceremony – 4-8%
Photographer – 7-10%
Decorations – 2-3%
Reception -40 -60%
Flowers – 10-12%
Rentals – 3- 5%
Gifts – 2-5%
Stationery – 4-5%
Marriage Prep – 2-3%
Videographer – 5-7%
Wedding bands – 2-5%
Music – 4-9%
Miscellaneous – 8-15%
Wedding Planner – 8-12%

By far, the most expensive part of a wedding is the reception. if your budget is $10,000, then you can already be prepared to spend about $5-6K on food and drink to accommodate your guests in a catered meal situation. This is where, couples can really lose track of their dollars if they don’t stay on task and on budget.

Trying to include everyone in your friends and family network may not fit with your budget, which is why you and your fiancé need to have that all cumbersome task to agree on who to include and eliminate. The bottom line, more people equals more money. It’s not about who you are trying to impress, but more what you can afford. But if you just can’t say no, try being creative and have a pot luck type of event where everyone bring a dish, an early in the day celebration where the food is less expensive or a less popular day like during the week, a Friday or a Sunday. Starting your marriage in debt is not what you want to be aspiring to do.

Hiring a professional to help you stay on course and on budget will come in to be the most valuable investment in your wedding. Be sure to trust this with someone who you have the opportunity to get to know and who possesses the credentials and experience to back it up.

TAP

According to research provided by The Wedding Report (weddingreport.com), the most popular time to get married has shifted from May and June to September and October. There are some great reasons to consider when to marry and it many times that decision is based on the couple’s wallet or if guest participation is important, it may play a heavy role in that consideration.

The time of the year to consider getting married can vary from one couple to another. Some couples want to choose a time that is significant them as well as a time when it is considerate for families, friends and the wedding party. The origins for when May and June were more popular to marry were:

Harvest
Couples often chose to marry in accordance to their peak harvest time. Having a late spring early summer wedding meant that a possible summer pregnancy would still be early enough in the season that a wife could help out with manual work during that year’s harvest period. It also meant that after a spring birth, the recovered bride would be in good enough health to assist in the next year’s harvest.

Cleanliness
A long time ago, regular bathing wasn’t exactly considered a necessity and was therefore reserved as a once-a-year event that the most of the population observed during the last part of May or beginning of June. As expected, right after their “annual bath“, many couples decided to tie the knot since each person was probably their most presentable (and less stinky) during this time compared to the upcoming twelve months.

The Roman Goddess: Juno
Juno was the ancient Roman goddess of marriage, and accordingly, many Romans chose to honor this goddess by having their wedding in June. Many considered this month to be the most favorable time to marry and would be showered with luck and good wishes from the gods above if they did so.

Fast forward into the 20th Century, these months remained more popular because of the weather, it typically ranges from warm to hot and perfect for outdoor weddings. Participation from family and friends were more likely since kids are traditionally out of school and folks took time off of work. The more popular the time frame however, the more expensive venues, catering and other aspects of the wedding became.

Now in the 21st Century, the shift for the most popular times to wed went to the fall months, so why the fall? Many reasons were based on the weather, the fall months are far more “comfortable” for outdoor weddings and the scenery is as beautiful as the summer months. Less creepy crawlers in some areas are also popular reasons. The cost of venues were less expensive than late spring or heart of the summer but now that trend is also changing to be more like the summer months yet still slightly less. The level of participation with family and friends have not changed now that couples are sending out Save-the-Dates as a courtesy for planning purposes.

Overall, the off season (or deep winter) months are still the least expensive times to have your wedding; months such as — January, February, and March –but, December has been gaining fast because of the holidays). Because there’s less demand, you’ll likely get discounted prices on your reception site — not to mention most of your other wedding services, like catering, photography, and flowers (except around Valentine’s Day and Easter, of course, when roses and lilies are at a premium because they’re in high demand). You can still save on high peak times depending on the time of day and week you want to marry.

So when you are thinking about the best time for you and your sweetie to get married, be sure to consider not only the weather and participation of your guests but keep in mind what is best for your wallet.

TAP