The Ultimate Hymeneals Budget Checklist

The full breakdown of potential hymeneals expenses. Brace yourself.

Wedding Budget Breakdown | Two grooms cheers at The Saguaro Scottsdale

The Saguaro Scottsdale | Jade Min Photography

Have you followed our half dozen Simple Steps for Setting A Hymeneals Budget? Fab! Now that you lot have a dollar amount in listen, let's figure out how to best spend your wedding budget.

We've put together a Wedding Budget Checklist that includes the items well-nigh weddings entail, likewise every bit the "typical" percentage of your budget you lot may desire to reserve for each one.

HUGE caveat before we begin: The percentages below are solely based on industry averages and may non be correct for you lot. Feel free to adjust them co-ordinate to your needs and priorities—just make sure your adjustments add upward to 100%.

(Have we mentioned we're slightly Type-A? Relish!)

ATTIRE → 7%

Wedding Budget Planning | Bridesmaids in mismatched dresses at Kimpton Shorebreak Resort

Kimpton Shorebreak Resort

What that MAY include:

  • Engagement Party Outfit (plus shoes and accessories)
  • Appointment Photos Outfit (plus shoes and accessories)
  • Bridal Shower Outfit (plus shoes and accessories)
  • Available / Bachelorette Outfits (plus shoes and accessories)
  • Rehearsal Dinner Outfit (plus shoes and accessories)
  • Wedding Dress and/or Adjust / Tux
  • Wedding Apparel or Accommodate Alterations
  • Specialty Undergarments
  • Veil and/or Conjugal Jewelry / Accessories
  • Wedding Shoes
  • Reception Outfit (if you're changing out of your anniversary look) or After Party Outfit
  • Post-Wedding Brunch Outfit (plus shoes and accessories, of grade)
  • Hymeneals Clothes Cleaning and Preservation

Wedding Attire Budget Tip:
Borrow outfits for your bach party or bridal shower from your about fashionable friend, or apply a budget-friendly attire rental service similar Rent the Runway!

BEAUTY → 2%

How To Spend Your Wedding Budget | Bridesmaids in floral getting-ready robes

Rebekah and Grace

What that MAY include:

  • Pre-Hymeneals Haircuts or Color
  • Waxing
  • Facials
  • Mani-Pedi
  • Professional Shave
  • Tips (normally around 20% for any pre-wedding beauty treatments)
  • Spray Tan
  • Lash Extensions
  • Hair Trial Appointment
  • 24-hour interval-of Wedding Hairstyle
  • Makeup Trial Engagement
  • Day-of Wedding Makeup
  • Hymeneals Party Pilus / Makeup if you're planning on paying for it

Wedding Beauty Upkeep Tip:
Schedule your makeup & hair trial on the day of your date shoot—nosotros're talkin' double-duty beauty!

CAKE → two%

Wedding Budget Percentages | A cool modern sculpted wedding cake

BASH | Hayley Moore Photography | Two Sons Cakery

What that MAY include:

  • The Cake Itself (or pies or donuts or cupcakes or...)
  • Cake Brandish Table
  • Sheet Cake for extra servings
  • Specialty Design Elements (similar saccharide flowers or hand painting)
  • Block Topper
  • Cake Stand up
  • Cake-Cut Fee
  • Cake-Cutting Utensils
  • Delivery Fee
  • Additional Desserts (if you're doing a dessert table/station)
  • Preservation Kit for ane-year ceremony

Wedding Cake Budget Tip:
Purchase a small-scale but pretty two-tier cake for brandish and cutting, and have a sheet cake sitting behind the scenes to serve your guests.

Anniversary → 2%

How To Plan Wedding Budget | An outdoor wedding ceremony at Sacred Mountain Julian

Sacred Mountain Julian

What that MAY include:

  • Ceremony Site (if split from reception venue)
  • Church Donation
  • Officiant Fee
  • Marriage License
  • Ceremony Accessories (ring pillow, bloom girl basket, unity candle, etc.)

Wedding Ceremony Upkeep Tip:
Concord your hymeneals ceremony and reception in one place if possible. Not only will it cut downward on transportation costs, merely it will besides reduce travel time for vendors that get paid past the hour.

DRINKS → viii%

Wedding Budget List | A cute signature cocktails sign with coral floral arrangement

LUCE on Kettner | Sara Elizabeth Photography

What that MAY include:

  • Cocktail Hr Drinks
  • Reception Drinks
  • Champagne Toast
  • Open Bar / Hosted Beer & Vino / Specialty Cocktails
  • Bartender Service
  • Mixers
  • Coffee / Tea
  • Non-alcoholic Beverages
  • Glassware (if not included in your catering package)
  • Bar Signage
  • Corkage Fees (if you lot opt to BYO)
  • Liquor License (if not provided past venue or caterer)
  • Bartender Gratuity

Hymeneals Drinks Budget Tip:
Host an open beer and wine bar only, or offering a signature cocktail. Guests tin can enjoy these free drinks, or opt to buy difficult liquor themselves at the bar. Likewise, don't experience similar you have to pay extra for a champagne toast. Very few guests actually potable the champagne, and they tin toast to yous with their favorite hosted beverage instead.

FAVORS + GIFTS → two%

Wedding Budget Breakdown | Disco ball straw cup wedding favors

Elizabeth Burgi Photography

What that MAY include:

  • Wedding ceremony Favors
  • Wedding ceremony Party Gifts
  • Gifts for your Flower Girl(south) or Ring Bearer(s)
  • Spouse Gift
  • Parents Gifts
  • Welcome Baskets for out-of-town guests
  • Thank-you Gift for any standout vendors

Hymeneals Favors and Gifts Budget Tip:
Choose an inexpensive notwithstanding delightful wedding favor like the ones listed here (all $i or less!).

FLOWERS + DECOR → viii%

Wedding Budget Flowers | A bountiful bridal bouquet with dahlias and roses

Regal Bee Flower Co. | Katie Jackson Photography

What that MAY include:

  • Bouquets (for bride(s) and/or wedding party, and perchance a toss bouquet)
  • Boutonnières (for groom(southward) / groomsmen, fathers and/or grandfathers)
  • Corsages for Mothers / Grandmothers
  • Flowers and Accessories for the Flower Girl / Ring Bearer
  • Anniversary Arch / Chuppah
  • Ceremony Arrangements
  • Reception Centerpieces (for guest tables, guest book table, food stations, etc.)
  • Wedding Cake Flowers (if boosted cake décor is needed)
  • Wedding Chalkboards / Signage
  • Specialty Décor Rentals (east.chiliad. tenting, lanterns, candelabras, etc.)
  • Additional Rentals (such every bit tables, chairs, red china, etc. if not provided past venue or caterer)
  • Commitment Fees

Wedding Flowers Budget Tip:
Two words will lower your floral expenses: Seasonal and local. When you purchase what's in season, y'all get flowers at the summit of their supply and at a cost that's unremarkably lower. Plus, when they're locally grown they don't need to be shipped halfway effectually the globe. So not simply practice you save money, simply you besides reduce your carbon footprint. Win-win.

Nutrient → 18%

Wedding on Budget | Soup shooters for wedding passed apps

Colette's Catering & Events

What that MAY include:

  • Tasting Appointment (if not complimentary with your catering package)
  • Rehearsal Dinner
  • Passed Hors D'oeuvres
  • Plated, Buffet, or Family-Style Meal
  • Food Stations
  • Service Staff
  • Catering Equipment (such equally plates, silverware, glassware, serving platters, etc.)
  • Catering Rentals (such as tables, chairs, linens, etc.)
  • Vendor Meals (information technology's nice to feed your lensman)
  • Tax and Gratuity (sometimes called the "service accuse")
  • Setup and/or Cleanup Fees
  • Bar/Beverage Service (meet "Drinks" higher up; may be included in your catering packet)

Wedding Food Budget Tip:
 Passed hors d'oeuvres can be pricey, and then skip them entirely. Instead, place big crudité and charcuterie platters on a table for a self-serve titbit station. Your guests volition still be able to crumb during cocktail hour, and y'all'll salvage a parcel on hors d'oeuvres + service staff fees.

INVITES + Newspaper → ii%

Wedding Invitations on a Budget | Minted wedding invitation suite and matching save the date

Minted | The Poffs

What that MAY include:

  • Date Party Invitations
  • Save The Dates
  • Wedding Invitations (including inserts like RSVP cards or maps)
  • Rehearsal Dinner Invitations
  • Mail Nuptials Brunch Invitations
  • Envelopes (note that specialty size envelopes will exist more expensive to ship)
  • Stamp (for invitations and RSVP envelopes, besides as thanks cards)
  • Return Address Labels
  • Nuptials Ceremony Programs
  • Wedding Reception Newspaper Appurtenances
  • Escort Cards
  • Place Cards
  • Menu Cards
  • Custom Napkins
  • Favor Labels
  • Cheers Cards

Wedding Invitations and Paper Budget Tip:
Go paperless! A fashionable site like Paperless Post can generate e-invitations for everything from the Date Party to the Rehearsal Dinner. For more than formal pieces like wedding invitations, cull a unmarried-page postcard to relieve on both the price of envelopes and standard postage. Likewise opt for a Costless wedding website!

MUSIC → viii%

Wedding Budget Checklist | Newlyweds dancing at their microwedding reception

Howe Farms | Nelya

What that MAY include:

  • Ceremony Musicians
  • Cocktail Hr Music
  • Reception DJ or Live Band
  • Microphone (for wedding ceremony and reception toasts)
  • Sound-organisation or extra speakers
  • Photograph Booth & Trip the light fantastic Floor Lighting (if your DJ provides these extra services)
  • Karaoke equipment if you're fun like that

Wedding DJ and Music Upkeep Tip:
Find a wedding DJ with a great, all-inclusive package that can cover you from ceremony to cocktail hr to reception. They'll be less expensive than live musicians, and may provide everything from MC and DJ services to simple lighting design and even photo berth setup.

PHOTOS / VIDEO → 10%

How To Plan Wedding Budget | A bride and groom in bright pink laugh as they feed each other wedding cake

Mary Costa Photography

What that MAY include:

  • Engagement Session
  • Rehearsal Dinner Coverage
  • Wedding Day Coverage
  • Albums or Prints
  • Same Day Edit
  • Raw Footage
  • Highlight Reel
  • Feature Film

Wedding ceremony Photography and Videography Budget Tip:
Find a lensman that will give yous total rights to your digital wedding photos. You'll be able to impress them out at your discretion, and will save money by using more affordable printing options—or only emailing them to your loved ones!

RECEPTION VENUE → 18%

How To Create A Wedding Budget | A tropical outdoor wedding reception at The Betsy - South Beach

The Betsy - South Beach

What that MAY include:

  • Room Rental Fee
  • Venue Deposit
  • Ceremony Fee (if ceremony is being held at reception venue)
  • Additional Rentals (such as tables, chairs, china, etc. if non provided by caterer)
  • Dance Flooring Rental (if non already installed/included)
  • Parking Fees
  • Coat Bank check Fees
  • Liability Insurance
  • Taxation and Service Fees
  • Security (some venues require information technology)

Wedding Reception Budget Tip:
Go "off" the beaten path when information technology comes scheduling your wedding. Have it on an "off" 24-hour interval (e.1000. Wednesday), or "off" season (eastward.g. December), or at an "off" time (e.grand. morning) when venues don't unremarkably book events. You'll benefit large-time with hefty savings off their normal fees.

TRANSPORTATION → 2%

How To Determine Wedding Budget | Newlyweds in front of their vintage wedding getaway car

50'Auberge Del Mar

What that MAY include:

  • Wedding Couple / Party Transportation to the Anniversary Venue
  • Wedding Couple / Political party Transportation to the Reception Venue (if dissimilar from Anniversary Site)
  • Gratuity for the Driver(s)
  • Shuttle Service to transport guests to/from their hotels
  • Valet Parking Service

Hymeneals Transportation Budget Tip:
Who says you lot have to rent a limo? Ain't no shame in a wedding party carpool caravan. And a bicycle congenital for ii is an amazing add-on to wedding photos.

WEDDING PLANNER → 3%*

*This percentage is on the low end of the spectrum, and may simply cover a Day-Of Wedding ceremony planning parcel. If you're looking for a Total-Service Coordination package, expect to spend closer to 10–15% of your total upkeep.

Percentages for Wedding Budget | Two brides in sunglasses enjoy their outdoor cocktail hour

Vibrant Events

What that MAY include:

  • Twenty-four hour period-Of, Month-Of or Full-Service Hymeneals Coordination
  • Venue and/or Vendor Referrals and Liaison
  • Upkeep Development
  • Timeline Creation
  • Rehearsal Coordination
  • Wedding Day Setup and Management

Nuptials Planner Budget Tip:
A lot of wedding planners offer à la carte services, such as phone consultations, at depression or hourly rates. So if you lot can't swing the full-service package, opt for something more than affordable. Picking a coordinator's brain for an hour or request them for venue recommendations tin equal huge value for a modest fee.

WEDDING RINGS → 2%

Tips for Wedding Budget | Wedding rings resting on cute porcelain dinosaur ring holders

Sevlynn Photography

What that MAY include:

  • Wedding Bands
  • Hymeneals Band Resizing Fee
  • Wedding Ring Insurance
  • Whatsoever Customization / Engraving
  • Wedding Ring Box / Dish / Holder

Wedding Rings Budget Tip:
Our favorite place to shop for inexpensive jewelry? Etsy. They have beautiful options for hymeneals bands at all different cost points.

EXTRA FEES / EMERGENCY FUND → v%

Wedding Hidden Fees | A newlywed couple cheers during their outdoor elopement picnic reception

Christy McCarter Photography

What that MAY include:

  • Vendor Tips
  • Sales Revenue enhancement
  • Service Charges
  • Hymeneals Insurance
  • Liquor License (if non provided by the venue and/or caterer)
  • Overtime Fees
  • Make clean-up Costs
  • Unexpected Rentals (e.grand. portable heaters or restrooms)

Emergency Fund Budget Tip:
It's well-nigh guaranteed that you'll come across some hidden fees or other unexpected expenses, and then make certain to give yourselves a cushion. Example: Some venues may charge y'all extra for bringing in your own vendors outside of their "preferred" list, then be sure to ask almost that before you set up your center on someone specific!

HONEYMOON → Umm...

How To Figure Out Your Wedding Budget | A fun vintage pool at Graduate Nashville

Graduate Nashville

Afterwards all that, who tin can beget a honeymoon?!

Honeymoon Upkeep Tip:
We didn't include "honeymoon" as a wedding ceremony expense, but we love the idea of registering for one. Companies like Honeyfund brand it easy! Guests are able to "souvenir" experiences in lieu of toaster ovens, and y'all get the honeymoon y'all thought you couldn't afford.

Man, we love a happy ending!

Designer Hymeneals Invitations – On Budget!

Minted believes in making great design by independent artists available to everyone.

Minted Affordable Wedding Invitations | Savvy Wedding Line

Check out their affordable Savvy Wedding line of nuptials invitations: They've stripped away extra services and pieces to focus on what matters most—unique designs and the same high-quality printing and paper that Minted is known for.

Want even more value? Order your FREE sample kit, schedule a FREE 30-infinitesimal consultation with 1 of their expert Wedding Concierges, and get FREE guest addressing styled to match your design!


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