I am so incredibly excited to have said yes to my Lover a few weeks ago! Planning my own wedding is something I have been so excited to do ever since I started planning and styling Weddings and Events over 10 years ago. 

My Lover and I are both Planners both in our personalities and in our jobs. Myself of course, planning Weddings and Events and him in Financial Planning. 

A wedding for most couples is a large financial commitment, one of the biggest a couple will make in their lifetime. Whilst I prefer to call a wedding a financial investment, of course, my Financial Planner Fiancé has a different definition of the word investment. Due to our difference of opinions and very different backgrounds of planning, our most common topic of debate and headline of our very early wedding conversations is the infamous B word.. Budget!

As many of our Lovers know, the Budget conversation can be a difficult one to have. From working in the Wedding industry, discussing budgets with our couples and my own friends and family, I have found that the expectations of budget are completely different between the couple. One somewhat realistic, and the other (usually the one that has not been imagining their wedding for the past 10 years) restricting. 

For a lot of couples, the realisation of costs associated with having a wedding are shocking. I know, these things add up! In Australia, the cost of an average wedding is $32,000, a figure that made my Lover's whole face drop when he learnt it. When your Fiancé is one who would be happy to elope at the registry office like mine is, a compromise (or negotiation) is required. These discussions are difficult, so how do you know where to start?

For me and my Lover, we sat down with a big glass of red wine each and had a lengthy conversation about what was important to us on our wedding day. For me, I wanted something intimate, that felt like us with food and drink that we love. For him, he wanted something relaxed, all at the one location, as little “pomp and ceremony” (his words, not mine) as possible and a 20k budget.

From this open discussion we found that there are similarities between what we both wanted and a shared vision of what was truly important to us. A relaxed and intimate wedding, our favourite food and drinks and we had now established the magic number.

From there we sought after a few quotes from different restaurants that we both adore, and compared the pricing and inclusions. As the time of year or weather wasn’t a huge concern for us, we were both happy with a winter date for a lower minimum spend. When comparing your venue quotes, your date can affect your overall price so if you are not worried about the time of year to host your special soiree and want to save some money opt for an off-peak month. Plus, if you are planning to honeymoon in Europe like we are you will be well timed for a European summer.

We also chose a venue able to host both our ceremony and reception, ensuring we will not need to travel between locations and also helping keep to our budget. When receiving your quotes, take into consideration the room or venue hire duration and the amount of hours you have exclusive access to the space. Sometimes an additional hour of venue hire can be cheaper than a second venue option or gaining a permit to host a ceremony in a public location. You will also save on transport costs between venues. 

An obvious tip for reducing your budget is to cull your guest list. I understand this can be one of the most daunting and challenging parts about planning a wedding. For us initially, it was easy to agree on a list of 50. However, the current guest list is at almost 60. Drawing the line on a guest list is one of the most challenging things to do. If you're struggling with culling the third cousin you’ve met twice in your life, we’ve got you! We have come up with ways to finalise your guest list and how to break the bad news to loved ones that they won't be receiving an invite - it’s well worth the read!

Want help kick starting your Wedding Planning? Book a free call with a Stylist here.

Alanah x