The day you get engaged is the start of a whole new life together! It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been together, suddenly you are “in it together” in a whole new way. As Milwaukee’s most trusted wedding and event planners, we hear a lot from clients that taking the first steps towards planning is overwhelming. What we suggest as you begin planning your wedding might surprise you…let’s talk about the first steps you should take when budgeting for your wedding!
Pop the Champagne and Celebrate!
That’s right; we’re telling you that for the first few weeks, you should be celebrating! Getting engaged is a big deal, and we think you need to make this a time of celebrating and feeling the love. Talk with your fiance about who you’d like to tell first and how, and then how you’re going to spread the word about your engagement.
Usually, it’s the parents that couples want to tell first, so discuss how you want to tell them. In-person? On Facetime? Telling them first and showing them the ring is important to many parents. Also, make sure your parents find out before you announce it on social media, so you don’t hurt any feelings.
After you’ve told all the most important people in your life about the great news, then you can announce it on social media. Don’t forget the hashtag #IsaidYes!
Don’t worry about having dates, venues or anything else figured out at the point that you announce your engagement to the world. Some people may be excited and ask about the finer details of your wedding, but it’s perfectly fine to say that you’re just in the beginning stages of planning.
Don’t rush…savor this time. You may feel incredibly close with your fiance at this point, so take it all in and spend as much time together talking about how you feel, taking walks, and definitely going on some dates!
Time to Talk Wedding Priorities
Even if you have discussed marriage and weddings before, you might be surprised to have different feelings now that you’re the one that’s engaged. We’ve seen it a lot; even the people who claim to not be into weddings change their minds when it comes to their own. Feeling sentimental and suddenly wanting a different kind of day than you thought happens quite often. So our next bit of advice is that you should sit down separately and together to work through the priorities.
This can make for a really fun date night! Sit down with a piece of paper each and write down all the parts of a wedding and what is most important to you. Dream big during this time; it’s important to share with each other the things you are most excited about.
Wedding Priority Checklist
Here’s an excellent place to start to talk about priorities, and steps you can take to stay on top of your wedding budgeting:
- Date. Is there a special time of year or day you want your wedding to be on?
- Budget. What are you willing and able to spend, and is anyone contributing to your budget?
- Wedding Planning. Do you need help from a full-service planner from start to finish, or do you just need a bit of help the last few months before your wedding to make sure everything comes together? Read about the different options here.
- Style. What kind of look and feel are you imagining?
- Dress. Designer, boutique, or something less traditional?
- Guestlist. How many people do you want to invite?
- Venue. Indoor/Outdoor? Where do you imagine your dream wedding?
- Invitations. Mailed paper invites, online invites?
- Food and Drink. When you imagine your wedding dinner, what does it look like?
- Cake. Yes please to cake? Or maybe you want some other kind of dessert?
- Photographer/Videographer. Do you want one, or both?
- Wedding Entertainment. DJ, Live band, etc. Who do you want to help bring the party?
Next, identify what top three priorities you have and compare.
Don’t be worried if they are different! Just because he cares about the cake and that’s at the bottom of your list does not mean that you’re going to have difficulty making decisions together on your wedding! It’s common for couples to prioritize something the other doesn’t have as much opinion on.
The Biggest Expense; Your Guest List
When we talk to couples about wedding planning, this is the first thing we consider, your guest list. This is one of the most important steps to keep in mind when budgeting for your wedding.
Another person on the list doesn’t just mean another seat at the dinner table; it also means an additional invite, place card, cocktails, appetizers, guest gift at the table, centerpieces, linens & tableware. Wedding budgets are calculated as a price per person, so if your wedding budget is $150 a person and you add on your aunt and uncle and their 5 kids to your list, you can see how quickly things add up.
This is where the role of a planner is invaluable; we can help you with everything from calculating the price per person to helping you distribute the budget in the most cost-effective way to achieve your wedding day vision.
The Role of a Wedding Planner With Budgeting Help
When couples come to us to help plan their Milwaukee wedding, they can be in different places on their wedding journey. Our goal is to help you identify what you need the most help with and then dive in with big smiles on our faces to ensure your wedding day is perfect!
Very often, the first big hurdle is budgeting. It’s stressful for most clients, and this is exactly why we help couples with this from the start, so we all understand what we have to work with. Our goal is to help you define the look, style, and mood of your wedding while still staying within that budget.
Things can go off the rails quickly without a budget, and couples can get overwhelmed and driven by emotions. Sometimes looking back at that first “top three priorities” list is helpful at this time! While most budgets will move a little here and there, our goal is to help you be completely informed about where your money is going.
We know that a successful wedding is a day where you are surrounded by people you love and that your wedding looks and feels like “you.” The wedding industry has so many variables and can make you feel like you “must-have” things to have a successful wedding. Having a trusted planner on your side gives you peace of mind when making decisions that affect the budget.
We love weddings, but we love seeing our couples start a life together without a ton of debt from a wedding day even more! Keep reading for more wedding budgeting steps you can take. See some of our favorite events here.
How a Wedding Planner Can Help You Stay on Budget
Think of us as your most organized BFF with insider knowledge of the Milwaukee wedding scene. From the best venues to the best vendors, we can help plan the wedding of your dreams by guiding you to the products and services that meet your needs.
If you tell us that you need to stay under a specific dollar amount, we honor that decision and will work to find you exactly the right fit for your day and your wedding style.
How do we help you stay on budget? Lots and lots of communication. No matter if you hire us for our Luxury full-service planning, our Signature partial planning, or our Classic day-of coordination, we make sure that everyone is on the same page so you can enjoy your wedding day. See all our wedding planning packages here.
Milwaukee’s Premier Wedding Planners
In the process between becoming an engaged couple to a married couple, there will be many challenges to face, from budget to wedding day logistics. Wouldn’t it be nice to have someone in your corner to help you out with every part of that journey?
Our extensive expertise with weddings in Milwaukee means that you won’t have to worry about a thing except marrying your person. No matter what kind of wedding you dream up – we can help! Here are just a few of the services we offer:
- Event and design decor
- Vendor and venue recommendations
- Budgeting
- Essential wedding planning documents
- Coordinating ceremony rehearsals
- Floor plan and wedding day timelines
- Vendor management on the wedding day
- Reception tear down
Our greatest joy is seeing our clients and their friends and family fully enjoy their wedding day. We want you totally immersed in the day and we want your friends and family to be honored guests as we take care of all the logistics. See some of our past events here.
We would love to help you plan a wedding in Milwaukee or anywhere in Southeastern Wisconsin. We are here to make your wedding of your dreams stress-free. Comment below on which of these steps you’ll most likely take in budgeting for your wedding, or share with us your own budgeting tips!
