Dividing up your wedding budget

Nov 13, 2009 12:44 PM by OneWed.com

Posted in Love & Sex / Weddings / Wedding Planning

Where Does The Money Go?

Deciding on a budget for your wedding is only the first step in figuring out what things will cost. Once you have a total number in mind, you'll have to decide how much to spend on what. OneWed.com has these helpful guidelines.

Unhappy bride

Wedding reception (48%)

The biggest portion of your wedding budget will go to the wedding reception including food, drink, the venue and any rentals. All of that will probably total about 48% of your budget.

Photography & videography (12%)

Your wedding day goes by so quickly, it's hard to create those lasting memories without a little photography and videograpy. That will total about 12% of your budget.

Wedding attire (10%)

It may seem like 90% of your time is spent on looking for your dress, but your wedding dress, your groom's tux, your shoes, hair and makeup should equal about 10% of your wedding budget.

Music (8%)

About 8% of your budget will go toward the music for the reception and the ceremony.

Flowers (8%)

Flowers for the ceremony, reception, bouquets, boutonnières and flower girls will be about 8% of your budget.

Thank you gifts (3%)

Save about 3% of your budget for thank you gifts for the bridesmaids and groomsmen.

Stationery (3%)

Wedding stationery has a lot of parts including invitations, programs, thank you notes and save the date cards. With all of that it's still only about 3% of your budget.

Wedding bands (3%)

For most people, the wedding bands are about 3% of the wedding budget. Obviously, this can vary a lot depending on the type of wedding rings you want.

Wedding ceremony (3%)

The wedding ceremony should be the most important part of the day, but it will only take up about 3% of your budget. This amount includes your wedding license, officiant fee, unity candles and other things like that.

Transportation (2%)

It wouldn't be a wedding without you. If you're planning on arriving or leaving in style, you should reserve about 2% of your budget for transportation. This number also includes parking attendants, or shuttles if you need them.

Remember, these percentages are just a starting point. Every couple has different priorities and you may want to allocate more or less to certain elements. So get out your calculators, and get planning.