Things to Consider in a Wedding Budget

Congratulations! Your big day isn’t too far away. When your wedding finally rolls around, you’ll be full of excitement for your future together with your partner. Be sure to keep the positive vibes front and center by planning your wedding budget in advance. Speak to your partner and agree about the amount you want to spend on your wedding, as well as the main things you’d like to spend your budget on. If you don’t do this, spending can quickly get out of hand as weddings are expensive events!

Here are some of the main things to consider about your wedding budget:

  • Your venue, including catering. Couples usually allocate around 40% of their total budget to hiring out a venue and providing catering for all of their wedding guests. This is very likely going to be your biggest expense, so be sure to choose it wisely!
  • Your wedding attire. Whether it’s a dress or a suit, wedding attire can get expensive fast. Although you might only be allocating around 5% of your budget to this, some couples might feel passionately about wearing something very elegant. If this is the case, be sure to cut down in other areas to make up for this expense.
  • Photography. Wedding photography can be expensive, and it takes up around 15% of a couple’s budget, on average. Capturing sweet photos and videos of your special day is crucial, since you’ll definitely want to look back on them in future. If possible, make sure your budget allows for an experienced photographer or videographer to attend. Also, be sure to ask if the photo album is included in the your package.
  • Music, entertainment and decor. There are so many things that go into an average wedding which might be forgotten about when it comes to deciding on your budget. Be sure to remember that you’ll need to pay for every little detail, including centerpieces on tables, flowers, DJs and any other entertainment you might provide for your guests.
  • Stationery. Consider all the little things you’ll need to print out or get created for your guests. It might be special invitations to send in the mail, name tags to sit on the tables at your venue, menus or thank you cards. All these pieces of stationery add up to take around 3% of your budget.


Written by Jack Vale in partnership with outdoor designer and retailer, Werever.

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About Naif Productions:

Naif Productions is a strategic event planning, design and production firm specializing in corporate, live coaching sales events, social, non-profit, and weddings. Based in New York City, we produce events worldwide from Fortune 500 clients and coaches to families and charities. Naif Productions specializes in helping clients attain their goals, realize return on investment, and achieve the most unique, creative experiences.

About Annette Naif:

Since 1986 Annette Naif has been designing and producing custom events, helping clients create their unique style that translates into a memorable and profitable experience. Annette spent 17 years producing events in the motion picture industry where she helped coordinate numerous productions for film and episodic television programs. Since then Annette’s been running her own event production company, coaching other event planners, teaching an event operations and production course at NYU, and now is the CEO & Creative Director of Naif Productions.