When you’re beginning to plan your wedding, one of your first questions or things to consider may be how much of your budget should be allocated for each detail.

Once you’ve established your wedding budget, you’ll want to know what percentage to allocate for each detail– like your dress, venue, florals, photography/ videography, etc. This will help prevent you from overspending or uneven allocation of the budget.

After all, wedding budgets tend to run out quicker than you may anticipate!

But first and foremost, it’s so important to sit down with your partner and think through your personal wedding preferences. Do you want a larger, more extravagant venue, or do you both want a lowkey outdoor forest wedding? The venue is typically the most expensive portion of planning a wedding, so start there.

Now, think through the other fine print details. Do you care about extravagant florals? Do you want to have professional photos AND video? Is it more important to you to fly family members in from out of town, or do you want to focus on making the reception the largest and most grand party possible? How much do you want to spend on your wedding dress and apparel, and where can you cut costs there?

Have a reasonable discussion with your partner, who will also be an integral voice when allocating wedding funds.

According to Brides.com, there is an average allocation breakdown that many brides stay close to when planning their special day.

Here is a general overview:

Venue and catering – 40%
Photography and videography – 15%
Bridal attire & beauty – 5%
Entertainment – 10%
Flowers – 10%
Stationary, favors and gifts – 5%
Decor – 10%
Cake – 2%
Transportation – 3%

Of course, this standard budget overview differs from bride to bride. Want to save money on stationery? You can easily reduce that cost by sending digital invites or look into non-custom, less costly options. Getting married in your backyard? You can take away a large portion of that venue fee and focus more of the budget on catering/food if you’d like.

These options are completely customizable for a couple’s priorities for their own wedding. But it is helpful to have a guide to follow so that you don’t end up spending 70% of your budget on the venue and have to scramble to find cost-effective methods for basically everything else.

If following a budget seems like a difficult task (it’s true– it is definitely easier said than done), make sure to consult with a financially savvy wedding planner or finance professional. They can help you figure out how much is too much for different aspects of your wedding, how to save money in areas that you don’t necessarily want to prioritize, and where to focus more budget attention.

It can also be helpful to sit down with your family members who may be helping you pay for the wedding, your partner, and the wedding planner to get on the same page with budget allocations before you start seeking out vendors.

It may take some time, but you will eventually find a budget balance that you feel most comfortable with. And you’ll feel better knowing that you’re staying in those financial parameters while creating a beautiful wedding!

©CTW Features