Picture this, after a hard week at work you sit down together to start planning your wedding, it’s tempting to start with the fun stuff, googling venues, flowers and transport etc, however this can lead to you making decisions that further down the line could see your budget spiralling out of control!

Most couples are not fortunate enough to have untapped resources to spend on their wedding, but even if you do, we believe that deciding on a wedding budget and adhering to it is the most important part of the wedding planning process!
We have a firm philosophy at West Country Wedding Planner that you should never spend more than your original planned budget unless there is an outside change i.e. a parent or relative gifts more, or you have just accepted your dream job position which pays much more! Even then only raise your budget if there is a genuine need or if you actually want to!
So how do you decide how much to spend?
Start by carefully considering the amount you both are comfortable with spending, make sure you include everything from marriage licence fees to the honeymoon. If you are saving for your wedding, then you may want to divide this figure by the number of months between now and the month before your anticipated wedding date to ensure that you can both comfortably afford to save that amount. Once agreed, make a note of it for reference.
Next (if you haven’t already) tell your family and/or close friends about your initial wedding plans. Although it is increasingly more popular for the Bride and Groom to pay for their own wedding, if anyone offers a contribution then add that to the figure you have agreed above.
Finally, have you considered having a wedding-related gift list to add to your spending limits? Many companies offer this service, whether it be for services such as venue and reception décor or honeymoon contributions.