Did you know the average wedding in Indiana cost $31,996 in 2018?

How to pay for something like that? Well the first step is that you need a budget. Plain and simple. But don't worry because what we talk about today isn't going to just be “Save save save” Im going to give you some practical tips that will put you in control and help you plan a personally fulfilling and fun wedding day.

Creating a wedding budget consists of 3 parts. How much money you and your fiance have saved or have access to, how much you CAN save before your wedding day, and how much help family and loved ones determine they can contribute Financially. Do your best to come up with a figure. Even if its a ballpark figure. That's fine for now.

The first step for you and your fiance and start this process together. It's your wedding just as much as it is theirs and this is the great way to work on a large project together as a team. You only NEED 2 things to get married. An officiant and a location. Everything else is extra. So sit down and make a list of everything that you WANT at your wedding. Start this list off by each naming 1 MUST HAVE. Something that will make your day extra special and more memorable. It might be a live band or open bar, or it could be a A special dress or a Photo Booth at your reception. Don't spend too much time here, there is a good chance that deeper into the wedding planning that may change. A specific venue or that one perfect wedding photographer

Pro tip: Use a Trello board or google docs to keep notes, todo lists, and even your budget then you can share access to the document with your significant other so you can collaborate and keep each other updated.

Next start with your list of wants. Ceremony, Decorations and flowers, Dress and attire, Reception, ect. Then do some quick research no more than 20 mins on each to gauge a price, pinterest will be your best help for ideas, and then google for finding local vendors. As a wedding venue in New York city will cost much more than one here in Indiana.

Average cost percentage breakdown

• Dress and attire account for 10% of your budget

• The Ceremony will account for 15%

• Decorations and flowers, 15%

• Photography and videography 20%

• The reception 35%

• And then 5% for miscellaneous charges. Uncorking fees, set up and tear down fees, ect.

Those numbers are just averages and can obviously be adjusted to fit your wedding and your personalities. If you don’t need a videographer for your wedding, cut a portion and reapply the extra somewhere else!

Now take the number you came up with earlier for your budget and apply the percentages to it. Now you have a ballpark on what you will be spending on certain aspects of your wedding day. Then start booking vendors. Book those most important to you first so that if the prices of vendors differ from what you budgeted you can adjust on the non essentials.

Typically wedding venues and photographers get booked first, within the first 2-3 months of your engagement. The venue first because if it's really important to you, can predicate your wedding date. Once you have a venue locked in you can start hiring other vendors depending on their availability. So spend most of your time in the beginning planning process focused on booking them. Once they are booked everything else will fall into place!

That's how you get started with your wedding budget.

If you get overwhelmed at any point by budgeting there are a lot of options that can help keep your wedding from getting out of control. Things like editing your guest-list. According to that $32000 number the average wedding guest costs you $237. Cut down your guest list by just 4 or 5 and you have saved a good chunk of money. You could also pick a different venue, chose a DJ over a live band or for serious savings, get married on a Monday!

At the end of the day your wedding is about joining your life with the person you love most. So remind yourself that you can take a step back take a deep breath and remember no matter what decisions you make your still getting married to your best friend.

See More: Complete Wedding Planning Guide!

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