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Wedding Budget Breakdown | Episode 7
38 Plays3 months ago
In this episode, we’re talking about wedding budgets from a planner’s perspective. The financial side of planning can feel overwhelming, but when approached intentionally, it brings clarity and confidence to the entire process. This conversation is all about understanding the bigger picture and setting a strong foundation for your day.
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Transcript
Introduction to Wedding Planning
00:00:00
Speaker
Planning a wedding comes with timelines, trends, expectations, and a whole lot that couples never see coming. We're two wedding planners pulling back the curtain on what really happens behind I do. Each week on Behind I Do, we bring you real talk about real weddings, timelines, trends, the wins, and the what ifs. From the smoothest silk celebrations to the did that actually just happen moments, we're sharing the stories, lessons, and insider knowledge that help couples plan with confidence and maybe even laugh along the way.
00:00:27
Speaker
Whether you're a bride, groom, vendor, or wedding lover at heart, this is your backstage pass to the world of weddings. Told candidly, graciously, and with the expertise only seasoned planners can offer. Grab your coffee, your planning binder, or your confetti, and join us
Understanding Wedding Budgets
00:00:42
Speaker
behind I do. All right, episode seven, budget breakdown, what couples wish they knew sooner.
00:00:49
Speaker
Budget's a big B word here that every no one wants to talk about in a wedding, but pretty much everyone has a budget. And even when you don't have a budget, you do. yeah Because don't realize it. You don't really know what it is. But that's our favorite. and people like oh, we don't really have a budget. It's like, OK, then let's spend five million dollars. How does that sound? Like, wait, wait, wait. Wait, I guess we do have a budget. yeah We just haven't really said it.
00:01:14
Speaker
Yeah. so we kind of have a budget guide that we created for our couples. And like Allie said, in our initial inquiry, we always ask couples what their budget is.
00:01:24
Speaker
a because I think we're really big on we need it. Like, let's just break the wall down of it. Like, it doesn't need to be something that's scary that we can't talk about. Like, you know, we also need to know realistically, like where you're at. Like, and with that being said,
00:01:39
Speaker
Back to the whole like luxury planners, like there are certain planners around here that you have to have a certain budget to work with them. And it's just it's a tricky thing. We are not like that. Like we have riots that call us and they like, do you have like a minimum budget that we have to have to work with you? And I say no.
00:01:57
Speaker
But you also need to be like realistic. Like that's like the biggest thing, like understanding. Like Allie said, you might not know what you want to spend, but like being realistic with like what you're wanting to do and how much money you have to do it
Realistic Budget Expectations
00:02:10
Speaker
with. Because, you know, like I like truly had an inquiry call with Ryan. and Her budget was $10,000. And like i just nicely was like, I don't think we're a great fit for you because like our base package is $3,500. Like there's just like it's just not going to work. And we take up 35% of your budget. Yeah. So it's like I think just like being realistic with that. But
00:02:31
Speaker
I also am a firm believer that like anything is realistic within reason. Like I would say, you know, cause some of these other higher end planners say that when we tell a couple that they can do wedding for less than $50,000, we're like bamboozling them. And I'm like, I disagree with that. Like, are you going to get everything you want? Maybe not. Like you just need to be like realistic, which we'll kind of dive more into that. I just like to set that preface preface that like we are like big component or components Proponents. Proponents, thank you, of like, you know, you can really do a lot with a little, but you have to be realistic. Like...
00:03:07
Speaker
And all the numbers, like just to preface this, all the numbers that we're talking about were based in Boise, Idaho. yeah So these are mostly for our local Boise weddings. Yes. We do do a few weddings in some of the more quote-unquote luxury markets like Sun Valley or McCall. And those numbers might look a little bit different. But in general, this is like a good base for Boise. And we would say our average budget's start at 20,000 and go upwards of a hundred. So just so you were like, yeah. lu Yeah. I mean, I would think most our couples spend around 50. Like that is like the most common, like 50 to 60 I would say our typical, what they end up spending at the end of the day.
00:03:51
Speaker
Yeah. Like some of them, you know, want to stay the 40 to 50, you know, obviously that 20,000 is going to be a little harder.
Breakdown of Typical Wedding Costs
00:03:58
Speaker
And again, like depending on what you book us for, like, it's just, going to be harder, but yeah, I mean. We've done it. Yeah. It's It's doable. Yeah, but more realistic with the couples that like get all the things, like you're going to spend at least 50, like, and you could, you know, get 50 to 60. I mean, it's, yeah, but that's typical for, it like she said, Idaho. So typically like DJs are roughly like three to 5,000 around here. That's like a pretty common
00:04:24
Speaker
price range for them. Planners can range anywhere from five to 10. again, that is like planning. So obviously like wedding coordination, it looks a little different. Um, you know, there's some, like we've said that charge 1200, we charge 3500. So there's like, that's typically a little cheaper, but to actually get a planner, I would say five to 10 is pretty typical.
00:04:46
Speaker
Um, bar again, can be varied because it really depends on like what you're serving. Selections are. Yeah. What level of alcohol you're serving. So I would say most our couples like want to spend like three to five. And we've kind of talked about this in the last episode of like hosted. and most of them want to like host three to five thousand.
00:05:07
Speaker
And that's not and everyone. Like some are like we want to cover all of it and it's 8000. It's just that's I think the average that we've kind of pulled from our weddings that we've seen. Catering again is kind of depends on like style and.
00:05:24
Speaker
The caterer you pick. So variable. Like a food truck? or Yeah. Are talking a food truck or a plated dinner? but But we, like, typically said it's, like, anywhere from 5 to 10. Obviously, if you're going the plated route and you have 200 people, you're going to be way higher up. Like, it's just, again, it's such a hard thing to, like...
00:05:41
Speaker
I don't know. but that's i mean on average i would say florals again three to nine like some of our couples like their budget for floors was like four thousand dollars like i see that a lot but i've but we've also had brides who have spent fifteen so again i think It all goes back to like what's important to you and like being realistic with like what you want and how much money you want to spend on it. But again, that's why we always say interview multiple vendors and like because that's going to help you get a better visual of like what you're going to spend because you're talking through what you're wanting from each. And then they can each give you like an invoice of like, OK, well, this is what that's going to cost. And the nice thing with florals.
00:06:22
Speaker
It's typically, it's like once you do that and the florists create these really pretty proposals, you can kind of eliminate. be like, okay, like 7,000 is way too much. Like where can we like trim it down? The cost or can we reuse? or Yeah, exactly. Like, yeah, move florals from ceremony to reception. How can we like double use things? So photographers, I mean, anywhere from four to nine is pretty common. I know that's like kind of a big range, but it just, around here it is so hard because, know,
00:06:50
Speaker
I feel like in some of these areas, there are so many of them and some are like, you know, cheaper and some are like way more. So it's just, you know, that's the average that we see.
00:07:02
Speaker
And then venues around here, commonly like six to 9,000. Like that's pretty standard. I mean, I don't know many venues. There might be like one or two that are like 10 grand. Yeah.
00:07:14
Speaker
And some of the city-owned venues are a little bit cheaper, but with that in mind, you don't get tables and chairs. yeah And there's like things that basically will get you to five grand in a venue fee yeah that you're not yeah accounting for. um The train you go here is like less than $2,000, but it comes with nothing.
00:07:31
Speaker
Yeah. So you have to bring everything in. Yeah. yeah, I mean, that's just like on average vendors don't hate us. Like that's just typically what we see with our couples and just kind of the numbers that we roughly pulled. We've pulled for our last um like two seasons of weddings. But it can vary for sure. Yeah. And our biggest thing that we start talking to clients about when they're looking at their budget is we recommend identifying like your top two to three like most important vendors that you need to book.
00:08:03
Speaker
And typically this. oftentimes looks like a venue, a photographer, floral, something like that. But if you if you're like a huge dancer and your DJ is your number one vendor, that's awesome. Like let's put all of our money into the top DJ here and make sure it's like the most fun night of your life. So talk to your partner and figure out What's important? we could only pay for three things, what would we pay for? And like that kind of helps you narrow down who's most important to you. And you're like, well, I would not have a wedding without florals, music or food. Great. Those are the three things that matter the most to you. And start with those people first.
00:08:41
Speaker
And like. Really get the top end. Yeah. Best fit for you um vendor that you can find. And then like a lot of our couples, I would say food is not a priority for maybe half of our couples. So does that look like a food truck or like i said, all of garden or yeah like what are some low cost ways to feed a lot of people? And you can kind of start.
00:09:07
Speaker
pinning those people in to like a lower budget section to help kind of keep your budget
Managing and Prioritizing Wedding Budgets
00:09:12
Speaker
in check. think, yeah, like once we book like your venue and your top two, three vendors, then you like in our budget Excel sheet that all of our venue, all of our couples have access to, it kind of lets you see, okay, this is where we're at. We're already at 20,000.
00:09:26
Speaker
So like realistically, if you want to only spend 30,000, thirty Like, is that possible? I mean, just like having those conversations of like being realistic about that and saying, OK, well, I think we're going to have to bump it to 40. Just like having those conversations about like, again, like what is going to be realistic with what you're wanting.
00:09:44
Speaker
Yeah. Or can we only have one top tier vendor? Yeah. Can you only afford the $9,000 florist and everything else is going to be that low end of all of our averages to make sure that we get you everything that you need? Yeah.
00:09:57
Speaker
um budgets definitely have i think in general like people do first of all like have that main concern going into their wedding like i don't want to overspend on my budget and i think that's an important starting place with your planner with your partner with your parents whoever's helping you pay like having that money conversation like honestly after you get engaged like first thing who is paying for this how much are you willing to contribute like Obviously, standard American like wedding is typically that the bride's parents are paying for some of it.
00:10:34
Speaker
So is the other partner's family contributing? like Are you as a couple paying? We have a lot of couples that pay for their entire wedding. selves yeah So are you guys just paying for it yourselves and like...
00:10:46
Speaker
knowing kind of to have all those conversations beforehand i feel like is your first start super important and having your budget and then like also telling your planner like this is like a hard line like yeah we have 42 000 which combined between our savings and what our parents are willing to give us and like this is what we're spending um or is are you the couple that's like yeah my parents are like based like i have a couple that She just says, like, my dad says to just send him the receipt. Like, let him know what it's going to cost, and we'll just keep going. And if at some point it gets to a place where he's not comfortable, he'll let us know. Like, yeah there's a hundred ways to do it, but know what you're working with so you can actually start because there's a lot of places that you can get really carried away. Which in that, I mean, so and even some of our couples, like I'm working with a few now that are like,
00:11:33
Speaker
the Like 50 is like what we like where we'd like to be, but also like we'll spend what we need to spend to get the vendors we want. Like I think that if like having that flexibility of like and it began, like I said, having those conversations with your planner, like this is kind of where we're at. And if it's somebody that we like love and they're a thousand over our budget, we're probably still going to do it. Like yeah having those conversations. It's good to know that before we get started so we can.
00:11:59
Speaker
Be flexible or, like, are we not sending you proposals that are over your price? Right. Like, if we check in with a vendor and they're like, no, we can't do that. We are going to charge twice what you're thinking. Yeah. Then, like, we stop having those conversations. And the nice thing about, too, like, within our the aisle planner program or platform that we give all our couples access to, we input your, like, whatever your said budget is. Say it's 50. And then within it, it automatically, like...
00:12:25
Speaker
percentages out like what each area like based on your 50,000 like you have 4,000 to spend on floral so it kind of gives you like a good idea of like if you're like I don't even know yeah like it can kind of give you a rough idea and I think too again it's good to like interview all these vendors because then it just again like gives you like because a lot of people don't know what they don't know And so to like be able to see these numbers and having a better understanding of like, okay, all floral quotes came around seven to eight.
00:12:55
Speaker
So like what we're wanting is actually like. This is what it actually costs. Yeah. So I think it's just nice to actually see numbers and just have conversations with vendors. Yeah. And it is alarming, like, because we do do vendor availability and like quotes, we just see a lot of it first. And it, it will be shocking to you, like how varied um different companies are and how in depth their proposals are. And I think that's something that like another vendor flag to look at is like how like methodical are they on their proposal and like, or their estimate to you or however that first like number comes to you. because
00:13:34
Speaker
that makes or breaks like who you choose and I think if you have someone that is so detailed and so it's such a beautiful proposal like you can tell that they've taken the time to work on it and you're like oh that's exactly what we want to eat like you were listening down to every like course option and that was yes buffet is going to be how we go or however it works That's like super a green flag to me when it's like a really long proposal that breaks down like their travel fees and like has literally everything bulleted to like the cent that you're going to pay. yeah I don't like the like really loose. The one pager. Yeah. That's something we should have talked about in the lab last episode about perfect vendors because I think that's so important. And honestly, like contracts.
00:14:18
Speaker
Like it drives me nuts when there's a contract and I'm sorry, vendors will a, when vendors are like, I don't have a contract to me as a planner. I will, I would tell my couple not to book them.
00:14:29
Speaker
Like I don't, that is like so to me so unprofessional. It's too sketchy because like you have no binding agreement agreement. And also like the contracts that are just like a one pager that have no like detail specific to their wedding.
00:14:43
Speaker
Like there's like, I'm like, I just like, I'm just like, what? We were just signing a blank sheet that just is like basic standard contract terms. Like there's nothing specific to the couple. There's an egg just, and then also like on the contracts when there's no vendor contact, like even on their contract, there's no like vendor email, phone number, like that. I'm just like, how are they supposed to get a, i don't know.
00:15:07
Speaker
That we should have talked about too. I think is a huge red flag. Like vendors that don't have contracts and vendors that don't have like Good contracts. Yeah. Which should be a red flag because that means that they're going to blow your budget because if they don't give you like a specific number, there's no pricing on the contract that you agreed to. And I'm like, what's happening? Yeah.
00:15:27
Speaker
So those are things you definitely want to keep an eye on. yeah Sorry.
Aligning Aspirations with Budget Realities
00:15:30
Speaker
It's a little tangent. a little thing Another thing that we try to preface with all of our clients, like as we go into these planning meetings and we're talking about budgets and stuff is that your inspiration photos are very likely from a very small scale, like a style shoot that was not real. It was not a real wedding. um it could be AI now that you're like inspiring to be like, yeah um, and it's just not realistic for your budget, your budget and, or your size of wedding. So if you love that, like insanely decorated, beautiful, like caterpillar table with florals all the way down the center and glassware and plates and,
00:16:10
Speaker
like fancy chairs and fancy linens. Your budget is even 50,000. It's like, it's not going to work for your, if you have a high guest count, if you have a 20 person dinner party for your wedding, like we will absolutely make it happen and it'll be beautiful. But I think that's one of the biggest things is that your inspiration is not reality. And like reminding yourself that while there are pieces of this gorgeous table that you can take from yeah how the gold silverware matches the gold yeah lantern on the table, like Those are great elements that we can add into it. But understanding that your wedding will not look like right this yeah fake wedding. Like I think, yeah, like how can we look at a picture and be like, okay, what do you like most of it? What can we pull from it? Okay, well, let's do this and this piece.
00:16:54
Speaker
And I think it also goes back to like even when you look at past like weddings that we've done you're like, i love that. I want to do everything that they did. It's like i think with any of it, it's like we a you don't want to copy somebody's wedding. Like how can you just take aspects of it and then like see, yeah, like let's calculate that out. Like say you want the blue goblets and the really nice like.
00:17:13
Speaker
White plates with the gold silver. or Well, it's like price that out. like Let's get a quote from event rent and see realistically like this is what that's going to cost. Yeah, because you're not likely thinking that's going to be thousands, but it's thousands of.
00:17:27
Speaker
Money, like dollars added onto your budget. And if you have 200 people, I mean, even 150 people like delivery fees, like somebody has to deliver that. So like you have to think about that. Like that's not just something us as your planners can just throw in our car. Like that's a lot. That's crates of plates and silverware and glassware. It's like they have to like.
00:17:46
Speaker
trailer it to your venue so and then who's like cleaning it so then that's like another fee that like well it's not in your rental fee that's going to be added onto your catering fee to bus and to bus it and to like clean them and put them away properly so there's all these little things that like look beautiful and when you look at the back end of it you're like oh wow that is Like, is $5,000 worth it or should I use bamboo plates and throwaway silverware?
Unanticipated Wedding Costs
00:18:14
Speaker
Like, there's some of these things that you don't think, like, cost that much because it's a dollar a napkin. You're like, oh, yeah, like, that's pretty cheap. And then a dollar a charger and then a dollar a dinner plate and then a dollar a spoon. It all adds to course.
00:18:26
Speaker
It gets out of control sometimes. Really, yeah, it does get out of control. so And, like, linens. Like, I mean, linens per table. I mean... Like the standard is like $12 to $15. But if you want like a specialty, like we love using BBJ linens. If you want a specialty linen, they can be like north of $100 linen.
00:18:44
Speaker
So you would just like. Which again, that's like what you see on Pinterest. Like you see these beautiful luxury linens or again at these styled shoots. Which, again, maybe one of our podcasts could be about styled shoots. But another hot take. But it's like you see it in So Great and it's like, yeah, that's so pretty. But that linen is $100. And you need tables. So do and a donnu band like Through the roof. Yeah. So it's just these little things that planners can like help you identify where um little things to think about. it's going to be really expensive and where it's not. Yeah.
00:19:20
Speaker
Other little like expenses that kind of come up that you don't think about would be like, are you paying for all the bridesmaids? Like, are you doing bridesmaids, groomsmen's bridal party, whatever gifts? Yeah.
00:19:31
Speaker
um Like a lot of people like to do PJs is like really, it but it's like 50 to $100 for a set of PJs. Right. And then are you doing their hair and makeup on top of that? Are you paying for that? Are you paying for their dresses? Like, are you making them food on the wedding day? Like, are you providing lunch for everyone from something catered? And like, are you having mimosas and like all these things that you're not originally like calculating in, like do add up to be thousands of dollars? Like.
00:19:56
Speaker
at the end of your wedding planning um so those are just things that we also try to like leave room for and like talk about early like yeah are you getting wedding favors like what would that look like cost wise um one that i love is everyone always wants to do like a welcome bag like for out-of-town guests and like at these smaller weddings and stuff and they always get canceled like so like never mind so expensive to make like a cute bag for even 50 to 100 bags, like for each couple that's coming. And then who's delivering them all? How do they get their bags? Are they just going to throw them away?
00:20:28
Speaker
Like it ends up being such a waste. But there's all these little things that get caught at the end because it just doesn't make sense in your budget. Yeah, for sure. And I think some things that like people think are going to cost a lot that actually in reality are. i mean, I think venues shock people.
00:20:46
Speaker
So, I mean, I think that's what I feel like around here. Our venues aren't super expensive, but I just think it's I think most couples think of venues only to be like two grand. So I think that like shocks people. And I mean, like cakes can be pretty expensive. I mean, again, depending on if you're how many tiers you're doing.
00:21:03
Speaker
And then, I mean, I think florals is the biggest one that I think most our couples are like shocked by. And they're like getting more expensive with shipping and just like availability. And then depending on if you like are obsessed with like a hydrangea, like, and you try to get it in December. Yeah. Like the cost of things like that, that you don't.
00:21:23
Speaker
Take into account. Yeah. Is mind blowing. Yeah, for sure. And I think we've talked about a little bit. I really think decor. I think that's where it's like we've already talked about its things. What you think, oh, it can't cost that much, but just it adds up.
00:21:37
Speaker
And in reality, it's like, you know, you're probably going to be spending two, three thousand dollars on tables, chairs, plateware, linens. I mean, all the things. So. Yeah, and that's kind of where we do like to talk to our couples. If budget is, like, a concern and we're trying to be careful, like, what can we, where do we get our max, like, spend? Like, is it the sweetheart table or is it just something, like, specific that you can do that's small that, like, helps you get the look that you're going for but you don't have to do it for, like, the masses? Yeah. um Or is there, like, a a moment, like, a ceiling installation that's, like, going to, like, make the...
00:22:17
Speaker
Wedding feels so different versus just spending all your money on doing every seating, every single seat, having something separate.
00:22:28
Speaker
Yeah. But yeah, I mean, I think overall, like as far as ah avoiding overspending and stress, I mean, i think the big thing that we said is planning ahead. And I think.
Advanced Planning for Stress Reduction
00:22:38
Speaker
I think it's important. I mean, some couples don't do it, but having at least like a year to plan your wedding, I think is like huge. And like, i mean, I think for mine, we had like 16 or 18 months or something like that. And it's, I liked it because it's like, we were paying for a lot of it ourselves. And so it's like, we could divide like, okay, this month we're going to pay, like, it just allows you to kind of like make smaller payments early on. So it's not just like these massive $2,000 payments,
00:23:07
Speaker
All at once. So I think that's like super helpful, which again, it's, I mean, that's not everybody. I think it depends again, like who's helping pay and how you're paying for it. But that was like super helpful. And again, I think again, like talking through your budget and who, like where the money is coming from and really having a good idea of like, is there a hard number that we have to stop at?
00:23:27
Speaker
And just like really being aware of that. um Having a planner is going to help you from overspending and just help you First of all, help you like straighten up your thoughts and get like organized on what's important with you. and I think bringing you back to reality. Like remember what you said. You told me. that This number was hard. But also like we with our planning clients, we do that work for you. The overwhelming like getting multiple bids and kind of helping you read through. Like I have a all the time where I'll have a a couple and they'll just be like, can you help me like read through this bit and compare it to a different one? Like, totally, let's go through like line by line and see like what this florist includes and like what's extra and we can really compare. i think that helps a lot. and We know our vendor partners so well that if you have a hard number or um like one of our florists is just so wonderful, like we can just say like we have a $2,500 budget, like this is what can we get? And they're great at working with us. So we know the more budget friendly vendors
00:24:32
Speaker
Versus the ones that aren't. Yeah. um Which helps a lot. Super helpful. And like even again when you have the nice thing about sometimes having a plan like with us like we have some like rental companies or stuff that like we get a discount with them. So it's like that's also helpful of like you know if we go here like you're going to get a 10% discount off your linens because we have that connection with them or whatever. or We have a...
00:24:54
Speaker
Discount code with the hotel here. Like, so, I mean, things like that, I think are helpful to kind of relieve some of that stress. But I, again, I think the biggest advice that we can give to is just obviously hiring planner. mean, versus a coordinator. I mean, that's again, the whole thing, but like the planner actually, like how we do it, it's like meet with you every month. And like Allie said, we get you bids. We go through them together. We add them into your budget Excel sheet. We talk through all these things together of like, okay, this is where we're at in your budget. Like this person is, you know, this photographer is $2,000 over this person. Like, are you okay overspending in that area? Just like having those conversations I think is helpful. And I think just automatically for couples relieve some of that stress.
00:25:37
Speaker
And I think breaks it up, like we said, so you're not... booking all these people at the same time and like stressing about like, I can't even keep track of it's like, let's just focus on like your photographer and your caterer. Like, let's get those books. Let's get those nailed down. And then we can move on to like the next step. Yeah. Just having like a third party too. That's just not like in your wedding planning world. Like it's not your parents. It's not your significant other, but it's someone who's done this a lot before understands like wedding pricing and the wedding industry and can be like, yeah, that's a really good price. That's great. That's normal. Or like, wow, that seems kind of outrageous. Let's like double check but somewhere else. Yeah, this is going to work. Well, and that's like what's hard about budgets. It's not the fun part. Like you have all these ideas and all these things you want to do and you'll make the invites and do all this stuff. And so it's.
00:26:26
Speaker
It's nice to have somebody, like Ali said, a third person or third party that's like having these conversation conversations with you and bringing you back to reality of like, we'll get there. We'll get to the fun details, but like let's figure out your vendors and your budget and make sure we're like on track.
00:26:41
Speaker
So it's just a lot. I think for a lot of our couples, it's like they'll joke with us all the time. They're like, people are always like, how's wedding planning going? And I'm always like, it's great. like It's easy. Yeah, because they're like because I have Jaden or Allie who's like walking me through everything. like I don't have to stress about it. So it's just it is just nice to have, i think, someone to hash things through also.
00:27:03
Speaker
for sure. All right. Well, good luck out there with your budgets. Cheers.