Every week I speak to couples about their wedding budget and sometimes they have worries with it. I am and always will be in the business of bringing peace and relieving people of worry so let’s look at 3 tips to master your wedding budget.

Specifically wedding couples can be worried about their spend getting too pricey. I can totally understand this (especially with cost of living, fuel & everything else) but this is something of huge value – wedding photographs, memories that you will have for the rest of your life.

The advice I offered was to not compromise with the 3 things that you value most for your day and to invest in those areas. This does not mean to necessarily go for the most expensive suppliers or the cheapest, but to consider the things that are a priority about their day.

For example, we knew that the photographer (well, it’s gotta be, that is my job) and food were at the top of the list of things for our day. So we ended up spending the most money on those parts of the day. We wanted the suppliers that we connected with and that were top quality – we knew our venues weren’t luxury but we were happy with a DIY element to the aesthetic.

Here are my 3 tips to master your wedding budget:

1. Write down your Top 3 most important things for your day

Here’s some examples:

Rings | Photographer | Food
Venue | Entertainment | Photographer
Photographer | Food | Venue
Dress| Band | Photographer

Once you have done this you will be able to make decisions with your budget that align with the value on those top 3 things.

“Rings are in our top 3, so we really don’t mind going with that esteemed goldsmith“

“I’ve always dreamt of this venue, let’s go with them on a date that suits us because they’re a priority”

“Uncle Bob did say he would do our photography for free but we feel so comfortable with this photographer and the beautiful shots they produce”

2. Make quick, confident, faith filled decisions

Beth & I had four months between getting engaged and getting married so we knew we couldn’t hyper-fixate on the small details. It also meant that we didn’t spend thousands on wedding stationary, but went methodically through a list

Venue – CHECK

Photographer – CHECK

Dress – CHECK

Band – CHECK

We knew we wanted to be married, so we were quick with our decision making and got things done, without breaking the bank.

3. Spend within your means

It can be so easy to think “OH we’ll come across some money soon” or “We can’t afford this, but we’ll just use the credit card” but this blind action can get you into trouble after your wedding day. The thought of still paying off wedding debts a year after your wedding can fill the day with anxiety, and that is not what we’re about here! We want to bring as much peace & comfort on a day that is all about love.

Spend on the things you truly value, enjoy planning your dream day!