Building a Wedding Budget That Actually Works

Wedding budgets fall apart for one reason: they pretend the day is going to cost what you wish it would cost, not what it actually costs.

Start from the total, not the line items

Decide the total number first. Whatever number makes you and your partner feel okay. Then work backward.

The 50/30/20 split

50 percent on venue + food + drink. 30 percent on photographer + florist + DJ + cake. 20 percent on dress, suit, rings, and the small stuff.

Build in a 10 percent buffer

The actual cost will be 8 to 12 percent higher because of things you did not budget. Build the buffer in from day one or you will pay it later in stress.

Track every deposit

One spreadsheet. Vendor name, total cost, deposit paid, balance, due date. Couples who run their planning from a single shared spreadsheet hit budget.

Our Saturday peak rate is $5,900 and our base package covers a lot. See the full pricing here.