Welcome to the Photohouse Films Blog. Here at Photohouse Films we are more than just your every day wedding photography and videography company. Among our incredible team, we have over 60 years of wedding related experience and we love sharing all our insights with couples like YOU!
We are so glad you found our company and our website and we cannot wait to help you with all your wedding related needs.
If you recently got engaged or are planning on a 2023/2024/2025 wedding, you are probably on the wedding planning track. It can be hard to know where to start, when to start, and what to start with…
The best tip we can give to you is this: START WITH THE BUDGET.
The Wedding Day Budget
The wedding day budget is going to be key to every part of the planning process.
From knowing what the total amount you want to spend to being able to allocate to different needs, budget is everything.
When it comes to setting your budget think of the following things:
- Knowing what you and your partner can contribute to the budget
- Knowing what others might contribute to the budget
- Doing your homework and researching what wedding things cost in your area
- Making a list of the top 5 things you want your budget to go towards
- Consider working with a Planner/Coordinator who can help you stay organized and on budget
What Can YOU put towards your budget?
Knowing your own financial availability for your wedding is going to be huge when it comes to setting your budget. When it comes to thinking about how much of your own money you want to spend.
According to local Austin wedding planners, in 2023 the average couple is spending about $50,000 on their entire wedding. However, when it comes to the size of the wedding that baseline number can grow rapidly. If you are considering getting married in a larger, busier town (like Austin that is currently the wedding capital of Texas), that expense can usually be closer to $70,000 for the wedding.
So, sit down with your partner and think about what you two consider to be a reasonable amount you can spend on the wedding and stick to that. Have a hard line of where the financial resources end when it comes to spending on the wedding.
Is anyone else going to contribute to the wedding day budget?
We looked into it and we found that Brides Magazine estimates that parents of the bride and groom typically help cover 35-42% of the wedding costs for their children.
When considering the final overall budget you have for the wedding, make sure to have those discussions with family or close friends and see if anyone is considering contributing to the available funds for the big day.
There is a lot of history in the notion that the parents of the bride help pay for the actual wedding day. Parents of the groom assist with the execution of the rehearsal festivities or post wedding day celebrations (sometimes even the honeymoon). Once you know what your nearest and dearest are planning on helping with, this will help you know how much you need or want to complete your budget.
Do your homework about the cost of weddings in your area
Planning a wedding depends on knowing about the typical pricing for things in the area you want to get married. For example, the cost of renting a wedding venue space in Austin may be totally different than the cost of renting a venue in Paris!
Doing a little research ourselves, we found out that the typical cost for a wedding in Texas right now is about $30,000 – $90,000. Quite the range.
Well consider the venue, the photography/videography, the food, the cake, the entertainment, the decorations. So many things stack up to create that final wedding day amount.
While you are planning, take the time to look around and see what all the necessities and desires of your wedding day will cost. Compare prices amongst vendor types. Look into what each detail will cost and make sure those things are in line with your budget.
What are the top things you HAVE to have at your wedding?
This is one of our favorite tips and it is an important one too when it comes to budget.
In the last few paragraphs we talked about how important it is to know how much each vendor type costs. Once you have a rough idea of those numbers, pick and choose what things are the most important to you. That way you can make sure the budget is allocated to those things for your wedding day!
By picking a top 5, you will know what matters most to you for the wedding day and you will be able to relax, knowing those things can easily be paid for.
If you are a foodie, maybe you want to spend a lot on making sure the wedding is yummy every bite of the way! If you are a flower lover, maybe you want to spend a good portion on the decor!
Whatever matters to you, pick it and budget for it!
Get help! Planners and Wedding Day Coordinators are KEY to successful wedding planning
If you become familiar with the PHF team and blog you will learn one thing about us for sure: we LOVE planners and coordinators.
We are big believers in the power of hiring someone who knows what they are doing.
Not only will you feel relieved with having the help of a professional but they will be able to guide you every step of the way.
Wedding planners will get to know you and will learn about all your wedding day dreams. They even help you figure out what a healthy budget for you could be. They will also connect you with vendors who fit your budget!
If you need ideas on who to reach out to when it comes to planning your wedding, let the PHF team know and we can connect you with some amazing people and teams!
Sure, budgets can be boring and tedious – BUT, they can be wedding lifesavers too!
Trust us when we say, you will be so thrilled to have a budget. They will help keep the process moving and grooving until the big day arrives!
Hopefully these five tips will help you as you start to navigate the planning and budgeting process.
However, should you need more budgeting tips – just reach out to us! Will loves a good budget chat!
We wish you an amazing planning season and cannot wait to share more wedding based tips with you here, on Youtube and TikTok!
Check out Will’s incredible new educational series XXXXXXXXXX
