Wedding Budget

DIY Wedding Budget Breakdown

Recapping my wedding budget I planned to spend no more than $6,000. Boy was I wrong. I went WAY over budget!!!

So here's a break down of my expenses:

Bridal Attire - $2,604
This included my dress, shoes and all my jewelry. As well as my hubby's entire outfit. the bridesmaids dresses, shoes and jewelry. Plus alternations, hair and makeup. Half of the cost were my expenses (my dress)

Ceremony - $841
This included the chapel rental, music, 2 giant topiaries and aisle decor. Our officiant gifted her services to us.

The Reception - $3,718
The building, security, food, DJ, linens, favors, drinks, cake, candy & cookie bars, chocolate fountain and tablescapes. Major expenses were:
Caterer w/plates etc.- $1,200
Cake - $250
DJ - $220
Table Linens - $148
Chocolate fountain - $220
Candy & Cookie Buffets - $285
Venue w/tables & chairs - $400

Honeymoon - $1,260
Airfare ate up $830 of this :( Original cost only $550
We also had 2 nights at hotels stateside and a week at Sandals - Montego Bay.

Misc - $700
Photography, DIY invites, transportation etc. We got some really good price breaks here. Only $25 for 1 way transfer to the reception in a towncar - needed for my dress.

The final price ended up being $2,800 over my initial budget. There are a few things I would have done differently, like:
- Purchase the airline tickets myself and earlier - saving atleast $300
- Bulk order more flowers and DIY project materials. I overspent in this area buying silks locally versus online - saving atleast $200
- Maybe had 2 small chocolate fountains as a DIY instead of the rental. But the convenience of not having to set up or cleanup was worth the $200.
- Creating the Programs myself instead of buying them pre- packaged - a $40 savings.

But that's not too bad considering I had less than 6 months to plan this wedding. Looking back I loved "Our Sweet Day" and realize there were only a few things I conceded on and even less that didn't' happen. So spending the extra money was well worth it. There weren't very many things I could have cut, only a few more things I could have DIY'ed or spend-thrifted down to save a few bucks here and there. Overall I am very pleased!

Total cost w/ All Inclusives - $9,347.16 (honeymoon, rings, rehearsal dinner)

Wedding Only cost - $7,862.16

Wedding Cost Per Person - $104.83
Food Cost Per Person - $19.29