So you are engaged to get married but don't have a lot of extra money to spend for the wedding? No problem you can still have a beautiful wedding for nearly half the cost. The key ingredient to have is a budget worksheet or calculator and budget plan before doing anything. By spending the time to plan ahead and budget your major expenses you will ensure success in saving money. You will not be caught on a whim and spend over the amount planned. Not having a plan is a recipe for disaster because this often means you are searching for crucial items last minute which can really add up.

Below are some of the more common categories that comprise a standard wedding budget form. You will want to at first include all of these categories and then latter you can easily go in and delete any categories that are not needed.

We have given some estimates of the percent a particular cost should be in relation to the total budget. For most items we provided a range of costs. If the item is very important to you then you should plan on the higher end of the range and if it is not important much at all use the lower range. Just make sure that it all totals only 100% in the end.

Location, Location, Location

This is one of the most important keys in Real Estate and in Weddings alike is location. It is important to leave a category of your budget for the location of the wedding and the reception.

Wedding Site:

There are so many places to get married that the list is endless. The cost can vary greatly from a simple backyard wedding to an incredibly expensive formal church wedding. Typical costs for the wedding site will run from 3% to 5%.

Reception

The Reception is one of your biggest expenses and should be planned for carefully. Again the price and percent of your total wedding budget will vary depending on the site. Plan ahead, do some comparison shopping and visit the a few sites first. Typically costs will run around 48% for the reception. This includes the food, site rental, drinks, cake and favors.

Other Important Details

Along with the site rental and reception costs there are things that need to be planned for ahead of time. These are all included below. Keep a careful eye out for the things that you think are important to your wedding in particular and things that don't matter so much.

Attire

The attire for the wedding includes such things as the wedding dress, viel, tuxedoes and bridesmaid dresses. Depending on your own style preferences and choices this category of items can run between 8 to 12%.

Rings

Rings are such an important symbolic part of the wedding. You do not want to forget the cost associated with them. Typical costs will run between 2 to 5%. The main differences here will be between the metal used and the diamond chosen for the ring. Design rings and signature pieces can often run 2 to 3 times more then a custom made ring. Many jewelers are happy to custom make a ring for you.

Flowers / Decorations

There are a variety of expenses in this category which include everything from flowers to reception decorations. Typical costs will run between 6 to 10% of the total budget.

Outside Sources of Help

Often Deejays and photographers are important to the wedding and reception and a cost that should be figured in. The prices can vary widely depending on their experience level and other factors.

Photographers

Photographers are important as the wedding pictures will be one of the lasting memories of the wedding ceremony and reception. It is important to choose a photographer carefully and to find one that you can work well with. Typical costs for a photographer will run between 9 to 14%

Deejays

Again there is a wide amount o differences in the prices charged by different Deejays. It is important as always to do some comparison shopping on the phone before going out to interview the select few. Typically costs associate with Deejays are between 6 and 10%.

Gifts and Stationary

These are important ways to interact with your guests. Stationary includes everything from wedding invitations to thank you cards. While the gifts will include the more traditional gifts like the Bridesmaid and groomsmen gifts. Typical costs in this category run between 4 to 8%.

It is important to work up a and develop a budget breakdown and to know where your costs are going to come from. Before adding any numbers to your wedding budget checklist you will want to prioritize the budget and develop a worksheet. Then you can go and start adding in numbers and fleshing out the wedding budget plan.

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