I started with an estimated (some might say idealistic or even naive) budget of £8500. My dad convinced me this was optimistic at best, but I couldn't work out where to allocate extra money. I ended up with a working budget of £10,000; £8500 allocated and £1500 contingency.
Now we have most of the numbers, we can turn this estimated budget into a real life costing. Our venue has finalised their prices for next year, we have a fairly good idea of guest numbers and all the other big items have been confirmed. As my dad predicted, we are going to go over my initial number, but it looks like we will stay within budget overall.
There are a few costs that remain unknown. We may have to pay extra to heat the church (I find this quite funny, but that's beside the point), and I don't know how much the hairdressers will be. There is still some slack in the budget, but not a huge amount. This, I imagine, is the point where couples lose sight of costs and end up going over budget.
I think it is the myriad of small things that push the budget boundaries, rather than the more obvious big costs. I am trying hard to enter every single cost onto the spreadsheet to ensure this doesn't happen. This includes items like socks (£3) and craft templates (£5). However, not everyone (for that read no one!) shares my precision, and I keep having to remind my mum to keep track of what she's spending. I think she's having too much fun to think about budgeting - probably a common theme with weddings!
The bulk of our money is going towards the items we prioritised early on in the process. The food and wine total is just over half of the total cost, and comes wrapped in a venue full of character. The photography, ceremony and disco make up 20%. The fun elements haven't cost very much, and have probably allowed us to save money, so the bulk of the remaining money has gone on what everyone is wearing (17%).
The realities of the costs leave me in two minds. I feel pleased that we will be spending less than half the national average on our wedding, but annoyed that one day costs so much money. Still, eloping was never an option and if we can have an awesome day for all our friends and family, it will be worth every penny. Hopefully!
Showing posts with label budget. Show all posts
Showing posts with label budget. Show all posts
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Whose budget is it anyway?
I have just added up Gadget's Ebay spending on the wedding. Bear in mind we are over 10 months from the big day, and there are still a lot of things to buy. Whilst I appreciate his involvement, I wish I had a bit more idea of what he's been spending - he's way over budget already.
As I've mentioned before, I'm a conservative spender. Gadget is not. He is a product of our capitalist society and consumer driven economy; he wants the best of everything and he wants it now. He doesn't want to wait and see what we already have that might work.
In the grand scheme of things he hasn't spent that much, and at least he's getting into the planning. My worry is where this will lead, and how I tell him that he probably can't have everything he wants. Whilst this sounds very negative, we both understand our financial roles - his is to spend and mine is to hold him back! This is the case for our relationship in general, and is clearly going to be true for the wedding.
It's not that he's deliberately wasting money; it's more that he can't function within a budget. Keeping track of his spending and stopping at a set limit are slightly alien concepts to him - which will make lots of sense when I tell you that his job title is "Commercial and FINANCIAL manager!"
Note: I feel the need to add that I had to check the spelling/grammar of this post title before I wrote it. Yes, I have OCD. Deal!
As I've mentioned before, I'm a conservative spender. Gadget is not. He is a product of our capitalist society and consumer driven economy; he wants the best of everything and he wants it now. He doesn't want to wait and see what we already have that might work.
In the grand scheme of things he hasn't spent that much, and at least he's getting into the planning. My worry is where this will lead, and how I tell him that he probably can't have everything he wants. Whilst this sounds very negative, we both understand our financial roles - his is to spend and mine is to hold him back! This is the case for our relationship in general, and is clearly going to be true for the wedding.
It's not that he's deliberately wasting money; it's more that he can't function within a budget. Keeping track of his spending and stopping at a set limit are slightly alien concepts to him - which will make lots of sense when I tell you that his job title is "Commercial and FINANCIAL manager!"
Note: I feel the need to add that I had to check the spelling/grammar of this post title before I wrote it. Yes, I have OCD. Deal!
Friday, May 4, 2012
Budget details
So this is how my budget breaks down. Some of these costs are fairly certain (photography, brides outfit) and some are guestimates (everyone else's outfits). I'm not including our honeymoon in this, as we'd have gone on holiday anyway. I'm also not including much for Gadget's suit. I think he's going to buy one, and as he'll need to do that anyway I have justified excluding it from the wedding budget.
Instead of showing you actual numbers (e.g. how much my dress costs), I thought it would be interesting to look at categories as a percentage of the total.
Points of info: Reception includes food (canapés, meal, buffet), drinks (champagne, wine, soft drinks) and DJ, they provide all staff and equipment including a venue coordinator. Mens clothes includes groom, best man, fathers and two page boys. Hair and make-up is for three people, Gifts are for the children, accommodation is just for us.
For our wedding the reception cost is almost half of the total, but it covers a lot of things, and includes most of our priorities.
Instead of showing you actual numbers (e.g. how much my dress costs), I thought it would be interesting to look at categories as a percentage of the total.
Points of info: Reception includes food (canapés, meal, buffet), drinks (champagne, wine, soft drinks) and DJ, they provide all staff and equipment including a venue coordinator. Mens clothes includes groom, best man, fathers and two page boys. Hair and make-up is for three people, Gifts are for the children, accommodation is just for us.
For our wedding the reception cost is almost half of the total, but it covers a lot of things, and includes most of our priorities.
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Definite progress!
Well I've had no reply to the budget of that wedding, but they have published this post. The author reveals her own wedding budget, and discusses what she would change if she did it again. She would prioritise her budget - maybe I'm doing something right! There are then loads of comments from readers almost all of whom are being open about their budget. The budgets range from £3000 to £17000, and there's some interesting details on what that money is going on.
The fact that these are comments left on a "pretty blog" suggests to me that more people would like to know how much these gorgeous weddings cost. Come on WIC, show us the money!
UPDATE: The bride has left a comment on the blog, and it truly was budget wedding at £6000 for 80 guests. Now I'm inspired!
The fact that these are comments left on a "pretty blog" suggests to me that more people would like to know how much these gorgeous weddings cost. Come on WIC, show us the money!
UPDATE: The bride has left a comment on the blog, and it truly was budget wedding at £6000 for 80 guests. Now I'm inspired!
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Bonny budget wedding?
I am absolutely mad having just read this post. I have left a comment on the blog, so we'll see if it gets a response. This (very pretty) wedding was published under a 'budget' heading - with no price tags on anything. You could probably guess the price of the dress - the bride got it for a quarter of the original price, a similar Charlotte Balbier retails for £1200 without alterations. But that's it. We have no idea how much they spent, and on what, and it ends with the question, "have any other budget brides been inspired by this?"
I thought I'd missed it. I scrolled up and down the page, and clicked on all the links. It's not there. What exactly am I supposed to be inspired by?
I thought I'd missed it. I scrolled up and down the page, and clicked on all the links. It's not there. What exactly am I supposed to be inspired by?
Monday, April 30, 2012
If they pay, they get a say
In my budget post I told you that our parents had offered financial contributions towards the wedding, for which we are extremely grateful. But before we accepted their contributions, we had to discuss our wedding plans with them.
As you may have noticed, we are trying very hard to stick the the "big picture" that we started with, and make the day represent us. Our parents are not us. They may not have the same big picture in mind. Which is fine if they're not paying for it, but potentially a big issue if they are.
My future in-laws made one request. They would like to invite half a dozen of their (very close) friends to the evening event. Although we have to limit the numbers for the meal, we can more than double them for the evening if we want. They have known these people a long time, and Inspector Gadget knows them quite well. I've even met some of them. So that's an easy request to agree to.
My parents have been quite involved in the planning already, as they're the only people close enough to the vendors. So we know they're happy with a lot of our choices. They also seem to understand the "big picture." My dad is going to tell my grandparents to imagine a traditional wedding, and then throw half their ideas out of the window and remember that I've never done what I'm told! They've loved some of the more quirky ideas I've come up with, and mum has even suggested a few herself (wands for the fairy princess flower girls? yes please!).
There's a few smaller details that they're not so happy with. They've refused to drive themselves to the venue, but have accepted that that's their problem, and they will sort it out. There is a reluctance to accept that I will only move my engagement ring to my other hand if I want to (I don't care if that's "how its done"). These are not deal breakers; they can all be solved without affecting the feeling of the day.
So both contributions were accepted. Before you accept financial help, please remember that whilst it is your day, you can't spend your parents money on something they strongly disagree with. If they don't share your vision, you may have to limit their involvement. That would really suck, but would be better realised early on in the process.
As you may have noticed, we are trying very hard to stick the the "big picture" that we started with, and make the day represent us. Our parents are not us. They may not have the same big picture in mind. Which is fine if they're not paying for it, but potentially a big issue if they are.
My future in-laws made one request. They would like to invite half a dozen of their (very close) friends to the evening event. Although we have to limit the numbers for the meal, we can more than double them for the evening if we want. They have known these people a long time, and Inspector Gadget knows them quite well. I've even met some of them. So that's an easy request to agree to.
My parents have been quite involved in the planning already, as they're the only people close enough to the vendors. So we know they're happy with a lot of our choices. They also seem to understand the "big picture." My dad is going to tell my grandparents to imagine a traditional wedding, and then throw half their ideas out of the window and remember that I've never done what I'm told! They've loved some of the more quirky ideas I've come up with, and mum has even suggested a few herself (wands for the fairy princess flower girls? yes please!).
There's a few smaller details that they're not so happy with. They've refused to drive themselves to the venue, but have accepted that that's their problem, and they will sort it out. There is a reluctance to accept that I will only move my engagement ring to my other hand if I want to (I don't care if that's "how its done"). These are not deal breakers; they can all be solved without affecting the feeling of the day.
So both contributions were accepted. Before you accept financial help, please remember that whilst it is your day, you can't spend your parents money on something they strongly disagree with. If they don't share your vision, you may have to limit their involvement. That would really suck, but would be better realised early on in the process.
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Please save the date!
The need for Save the Date cards is quite recent. Never have we led such crazy lives where 6-8 weeks notice is nowhere near enough time to arrange to attend a wedding! But have you seen the price of them?
Let's be honest here, almost everyone that will get a save the date card actually already knows the date. The few people that don't know haven't had chance to speak to us because we are in NZ. If we were in the UK and actually seeing/speaking to all our friends more often, everyone would know. So why do they need a fridge magnet/handkerchief/uniquely designed letter press card?
A quick google search finds save the date cards from 35p. 100 postcards start from 17p each. Magnets are over £3 each. Doesn't sound a lot? We have a fairly small guest list, and will be sending around 25 save the dates. So we could get double sided postcards for under £10, if we were prepared to use the slightly dodgy looking website software to DIY them. Actual cards would be about £16 plus p+p (with snapfish.co.uk, who I've used before and would trust). And magnets would be nearly £80!!
Then you have to post them. Even second class, that adds £9 currently and £12.50 after april. (must remember to get mum to buy stamps before then!) So at the lowest possible price, it's almost £20, and at the highest its nearer £100. I certainly have better things to spend £100 on, and I even have better things to spend £20 on. New eyeliner or save the dates? Hmmm...
Luckily, I recently discovered photoshop. I've designed our save the dates using a fab photo taken by my dad. They'll be going out by email. Bring on the new eyeliner!
If you aren't an avid photoshopper, you could still send free save the dates. Find a friend that can do it, and ask them to give you it as a wedding present/favour. Powerpoint can do some pretty good stuff, and most people have access to that at work. Some websites are now helping brides create evites, such as this kiwi site. It's also more environmentally friendly.
And if Granny really wants one (which she probably won't as she'll already know the date and may not have realised that save the dates are now considered essential), just print one out and give it to her.
Oh, do you want to see them?
Check out the penguins! (thanks to dafont.com - awesome free downloadable fonts)
Let's be honest here, almost everyone that will get a save the date card actually already knows the date. The few people that don't know haven't had chance to speak to us because we are in NZ. If we were in the UK and actually seeing/speaking to all our friends more often, everyone would know. So why do they need a fridge magnet/handkerchief/uniquely designed letter press card?
A quick google search finds save the date cards from 35p. 100 postcards start from 17p each. Magnets are over £3 each. Doesn't sound a lot? We have a fairly small guest list, and will be sending around 25 save the dates. So we could get double sided postcards for under £10, if we were prepared to use the slightly dodgy looking website software to DIY them. Actual cards would be about £16 plus p+p (with snapfish.co.uk, who I've used before and would trust). And magnets would be nearly £80!!
Then you have to post them. Even second class, that adds £9 currently and £12.50 after april. (must remember to get mum to buy stamps before then!) So at the lowest possible price, it's almost £20, and at the highest its nearer £100. I certainly have better things to spend £100 on, and I even have better things to spend £20 on. New eyeliner or save the dates? Hmmm...
Luckily, I recently discovered photoshop. I've designed our save the dates using a fab photo taken by my dad. They'll be going out by email. Bring on the new eyeliner!
If you aren't an avid photoshopper, you could still send free save the dates. Find a friend that can do it, and ask them to give you it as a wedding present/favour. Powerpoint can do some pretty good stuff, and most people have access to that at work. Some websites are now helping brides create evites, such as this kiwi site. It's also more environmentally friendly.
And if Granny really wants one (which she probably won't as she'll already know the date and may not have realised that save the dates are now considered essential), just print one out and give it to her.
Oh, do you want to see them?
Check out the penguins! (thanks to dafont.com - awesome free downloadable fonts)
Thursday, April 26, 2012
The BIG question
After "will you marry me," one of the most important questions is how much is this wedding going to cost? It's not a million dollar question, or even a 64,000 pound question - or at least I hope not! But it is really, really important.
So how do you answer it? Let's be honest, no one likes talking about money. Which is why I'm so thrilled that Rogue Bride, frugal wed and 2000 dollar wedding have laid their budgets out for everyone to see. I'm going to try and do the same (although I have no idea what our parents will think)!
There is very little sensible advice out there on how to figure out your budget. There's two main schools of thought:
So how do you answer it? Let's be honest, no one likes talking about money. Which is why I'm so thrilled that Rogue Bride, frugal wed and 2000 dollar wedding have laid their budgets out for everyone to see. I'm going to try and do the same (although I have no idea what our parents will think)!
There is very little sensible advice out there on how to figure out your budget. There's two main schools of thought:
- Look at how much you have in your savings, work out how much you can save between now and the wedding, add in any parent contributions and this is the answer.
- Say a figure out loud and keep saying numbers until you get one that sounds right.
To trash number two first, WHAT?! The figure that would make me not want to run away screaming would probably be about £3000. I'm naturally a conservative spender. The "average" UK wedding costs £20,000. Even though I have no intentions of having an "average" wedding, I cannot have the kind of wedding I want for £3000. End of discussion.
Number one may work for some people, but does not work for us. As a conservative spender, I am also a saver. I have spent years (since I was 16) building up my savings. I am trying to encourage Inspector Gadget to do the same. I do not want to spend them all on one day. When we get back to the UK, we want to buy a house, at least one car, a new computer (I have finally agreed to this, it really is dying) and goodness knows what else. We also have to get tickets back to the UK, and want to have a great honeymoon. Ideally, we'd like to be able to eat at the end of all this.
Lindsay has a much better approach on her blog frugal wed. A wedding is a short to medium term saving goal, and so should account for between 10 and 20% of your post tax income for the time you are planning it (e.g. a year).
Having found most of our wedding vendors, we are on track for that budget. My slightly-less-conservative-spending dad tells me my budget is "optimistic" at £8500, but he is happy we can do it for £10,000. So I'm trying to ignore the screaming in my head go along with that.
Then he and my future in-laws threw a couple of spanners into the works. They offered us money.
This was unexpected for several reasons that its not fair to discuss here. It means that we don't have to contribute as much of our own savings towards the wedding. When my dad told me this, he also told me that "it doesn't mean you can release the shackles." He knows me pretty well, and it was a bit of a joke as I would never be able to do that. It doesn't matter to me whose money we are spending on the wedding, we are not wasting it. Having said that, we are very, very lucky to have such awesome parents, and the contributions will be gratefully received. It means we might actually have enough money for a house deposit, so after the wedding we can start married life in our own home. Debt free. How great does that sound?
(Note: We're lucky as we earn good money, even in NZ where salaries are often lower. Circumstances - the UK property market - have conspired against us though, and even with that we are going to struggle to buy a house)
(Note: We're lucky as we earn good money, even in NZ where salaries are often lower. Circumstances - the UK property market - have conspired against us though, and even with that we are going to struggle to buy a house)
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Snap = happy!
Not knowing where to start looking for a photographer, I did a google search for "photographers in york." Lots came up. A few people had emailed me after a wedding fayre my mum attended. I looked through dozens of websites, and ruled out the ones I didn't like. Then I asked Gadget to rule out the ones he didn't like, and emailed the rest.
There were no set criteria here. We like photos, and we routinely sift through hundreds (or maybe thousands) of them. We know what we like. The one thing I can share is we do not like washed out, over exposed, so-called "vintage" pictures. We like our pictures to be fun, and we like them to include people.
Arbitrarily I decided that £1000 was the maximum I was prepared to pay. I don't really know why, but as we got five candidates under that price, it seemed reasonable. I also insisted that they had to specify whether they would take posed group shots, and if so were there any limits. A friend had problems with this, and I'm pleased she felt she could share this with me, allowing me to deal with it upfront.
As with the venue, it seems some people are incapable of reading emails (or maybe they just can't be bothered?). We got several standard, bounce back replies which contained nothing more useful than a price. They were all over £1000.
The short list of five quickly became four as one photographer confirmed he was booked for our wedding day. Then it became three as one person was "so busy photographing weddings" that he couldn't possibly meet anyone on a weekend. My dad did the interviews for us. He works in London during the week, and can only do weekends.
Of the two he spoke to, one was a clear winner. Like the venue, it ended up being an easy decision. Kath Occleston's photos are FAB - bright, fun and beautiful. I'm excited to meet her, and I really hope we can get permission to go up on the venue's roof to take photos (her idea, and if you've looked at our venue you'll see why!).
The last photographer fell by the wayside, as we were happy with our choice. I'm now glad they did, as they are still sending me solicitation emails.
There were no set criteria here. We like photos, and we routinely sift through hundreds (or maybe thousands) of them. We know what we like. The one thing I can share is we do not like washed out, over exposed, so-called "vintage" pictures. We like our pictures to be fun, and we like them to include people.
Arbitrarily I decided that £1000 was the maximum I was prepared to pay. I don't really know why, but as we got five candidates under that price, it seemed reasonable. I also insisted that they had to specify whether they would take posed group shots, and if so were there any limits. A friend had problems with this, and I'm pleased she felt she could share this with me, allowing me to deal with it upfront.
As with the venue, it seems some people are incapable of reading emails (or maybe they just can't be bothered?). We got several standard, bounce back replies which contained nothing more useful than a price. They were all over £1000.
The short list of five quickly became four as one photographer confirmed he was booked for our wedding day. Then it became three as one person was "so busy photographing weddings" that he couldn't possibly meet anyone on a weekend. My dad did the interviews for us. He works in London during the week, and can only do weekends.
Of the two he spoke to, one was a clear winner. Like the venue, it ended up being an easy decision. Kath Occleston's photos are FAB - bright, fun and beautiful. I'm excited to meet her, and I really hope we can get permission to go up on the venue's roof to take photos (her idea, and if you've looked at our venue you'll see why!).
The last photographer fell by the wayside, as we were happy with our choice. I'm now glad they did, as they are still sending me solicitation emails.
Monday, April 23, 2012
Do me a favour
Or don't. What is the point of favours? I have no idea. Something for your guests to remember the day by? The last time I checked they had memories and cameras. Something to make the tables look pretty? Don't get me started on that.
I know what they end up being - something that can cost quite a bit and either gets left on the table or forgotten about at home. There are arguments against both of these.
Favours don't have to be expensive - true. But if they're so cheap they haven't made any impact on your budget (please remember you need 50 or 100 of them), will anyone really want them? The other argument is to make them edible, then they're not wasted. Also true - but some people will still forget them and others will take them home and forget to eat them. They're not going to get eaten on the day, because hopefully you've given your guests enough to eat.
So we will not be having them. That's one less thing on the to-do list.
I know what they end up being - something that can cost quite a bit and either gets left on the table or forgotten about at home. There are arguments against both of these.
Favours don't have to be expensive - true. But if they're so cheap they haven't made any impact on your budget (please remember you need 50 or 100 of them), will anyone really want them? The other argument is to make them edible, then they're not wasted. Also true - but some people will still forget them and others will take them home and forget to eat them. They're not going to get eaten on the day, because hopefully you've given your guests enough to eat.
So we will not be having them. That's one less thing on the to-do list.
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