A carefully curated wedding budget is key to planning an unforgettable celebration. It’s important to know where to invest and where to scale back so you can bring your vision to life without unnecessary financial stress.
Here, I’ll share some of my best advice to help you create a well-planned wedding budget for a luxury wedding weekend. I’ll also offer some suggestions on how to allocate your wedding investments wisely, so you can plan a meaningful, elevated celebration.
Plan for Your Entire Wedding Weekend
Before you consider where to allocate wedding funds, be sure to create an outline of all the events you plan to host. These may include:
- Welcome party
- Rehearsal dinner
- Wedding day events (ceremony, cocktail hour, reception, after-party)
- Farewell brunch
Keep in mind that each of these events will require its own costs for attire, venue, catering, entertainment, decor, and transportation. Even adding modest add-ons, such as welcome bags at your welcome party or a Bloody Mary bar at your farewell brunch, can make an impact on your overall wedding budget.
When creating your wedding weekend budget, I always recommend allocating a percentage to each event. This will help ensure that you don’t over-commit to the cost of the wedding ceremony and reception and fall short for the rest of the weekend’s events.
Your Wedding Investment Breakdown
Your wedding day is filled with so many unforgettable moments, and the way you allocate your wedding budget can have a huge impact on the overall experience. While there are some areas you’ll want to prioritize, there are others you can approach more modestly without sacrificing quality or guest experience.
At HauteFetes, we’ve helped so many couples bring their wedding dreams to reality! We’ve created a guide that breaks down wedding expenses into areas of high, moderate, and low areas of priority.
High-Impact: Where to Invest Most of Your Budget
Venue & Catering
Your venue is where the magic of your wedding day unfolds. It sets the tone and the ambiance of your special day. A great venue, along with excellent catering, makes for a memorable wedding.
The cost of your venue and catering will be the largest investment in your wedding budget. This cost encompasses site fees, food, and beverages on your wedding day. While this is an area we never recommend skimping on, there are ways to stretch your budget a little. For example, you may want to close the main bar during dinner service since you’ll be serving wine tableside as well. Since some of your guests will naturally retire as the evening goes on, for the last hour of your wedding, consider switching from package pricing for your bar to consumption-based pricing.
Photography & Videography
Your special day will pass in the blink of an eye, but your wedding photographer and videographer will capture all of the most meaningful moments. Your wedding photos and videos will become heirlooms that you and your family will cherish for decades to come. Investing in experienced professionals will ensure you have timeless images and footage of your special day. This is one wedding investment you’ll want to make, or you’ll likely regret it in the long run.
Entertainment
Whether you opt for live music or pre-recorded music sets the tone for your entire celebration. From the ceremony to cocktail hour, reception, and after-party, it’s important to choose a live band, headliner DJ, or individual musicians to create an unforgettable atmosphere. This is what will keep your guests engaged and partying throughout the whole weekend.
Wedding Planner
Yes, we’re a little biased, BUT a planner is a must for seamless execution, especially for large-scale or high-production and destination weddings. From managing logistics and working with vendors to budgeting and handling details behind the scenes, a wedding planner ensures that your day goes as seamlessly as possible. Having a planning partner by your side from the start and through your big day allows you to be relaxed and present during all the special moments of your wedding weekend.
Moderate-Impact: Where to Spend Flexibly
Flowers, Rentals & Décor
These wedding design elements will live on in your wedding photos forever. Focus your investment on high-impact areas like the ceremony, reception, and lighting. Scale back on minor details to keep costs moderate without sacrificing style too drastically. And, if it’s possible to flip some items between events, talk to your planner about where that makes the most sense so that you can stretch your budget further (just keep in mind that flip and labor fees may apply).
Stationery
As a wedding planner, I love stationery, which can really set the tone for your wedding weekend! However, digital Save the Dates and RSVPs are also a great way to save money. These cost-savings can makes room in your wedding budget for day-of stationery. Menus, programs, and seating charts are a great way to create cohesion across your wedding branding on your wedding day!
Lower-Impact: Where to Save
Attire + Beauty
Your wedding look is important! It will live on through your wedding photos forever. While professional styling can enhance your overall appearance, these costs can be scaled to fit your wedding budget. While you’ll probably want to hire a hairstylist and makeup artist, you can skip a day-of stylist or dresser if it doesn’t fit into your budget.
Favors, Gift Bags & Extras
Wedding favors can be a lot of fun, but keep in mind that many guests may leave them behind – especially if you’re having a destination wedding and their bags are already filled with attire for your weekend. To make the most of this wedding investment, consider edible treats or experience-based favors, which are perfect for destination weddings and tend to feel more meaningful (and luggage-friendly), such as a group walking tour, wine tasting, or smoothie voucher at the resort, which is always a crowd pleaser.
Practical items can also be great. Fans or parasols can make great favors for an outdoor wedding that takes place in hot weather, while pashminas can be perfect for a cold-weather reception – and, importantly, they double as helping to improve the overall guest experience, too. Interactive stations like ice cream, gelato, or espresso can also be a great idea.
Decorative accents for lounge areas or fun frames for bar signage that you can keep for your home afterwards can add charm to your wedding and keep things budget-friendly.
Transportation, Accommodation & Travel
You only need to work transportation into your wedding budget if your venue and logistics require it. This may be the case if you’re having a destination wedding with multiple venues or locations over the course of the weekend. In these cases, providing transportation will make for a better guest experience.
For accommodations and travel, be sure to negotiate with your wedding venue. Look into reduced room rates as part of a block. Booking flights in advance will allow you to take advantage of the best rates.
Want Help Planning Your Wedding Budget?
If you’d like guidance on how to prioritize your wedding investments and curate a budget that allows you to plan the celebration of your dreams, drop us a line at HauteFetes! We’re here to help you every step of the way and bring your wedding vision to life.