The Romantic Price Tag: How much does a Wedding cost?
Weddings are once-in-a-lifetime events that people spend years preparing their wallets for. So how much does a typical wedding cost and what things should you spend on to make your dream wedding come true? We listed tips and tricks to help you out!
Things to consider before planning your wedding:
Traditional vs Modern or Civil Wedding
Before anything else, decide whether you want a typical church wedding or a more modern celebration. These things will potentially have the biggest impact on your wedding budget.
Number of Guests
Another big impact factor is the number of guests you want to have. Remember that the longer the guest list, the higher the cost so invite wisely.
How grand do you want the wedding to be
The last thing to consider is your vision of your special day. Do you want a grand wedding with a long guest list or a simpler, quieter affair? Ensure you have a clear vision for your wedding so it’s cohesive and clear.
Major Components
If you choose to have a traditional church wedding, there are three major parts you have to allocate money to: the church, the reception & venue, and your suppliers.
The Church
Church venues typically cost around 15, 000 to 25, 000. This is generally inclusive of the officiant, and simple floral designs for the altar, the aisle, and the pews. Of course, additional designs will cost more.
The Reception & Venue
After saying your solemn vows at the church, it’s time to celebrate with a bang! The reception venues typically cost around 60,000 and rise depending on whether it’s peak season. There are a lot of venues that offer all-inclusive packages that meet all your wedding needs.
Your Chosen Suppliers
Weddings, especially grand weddings, have a lot of moving parts to pull off. Choose whether you’ll avail a wedding planner and/or coordinator. Keep a list of your must-have suppliers and allocate a specific budget for them.
All in all, a grand church wedding can go over a million pesos while mid-range or middle-class weddings usually cost around 200, 000 to 500,000. Civil weddings are generally cheaper since they’re missing the pomp and circumstance of grander church weddings. They reach typically around 20,000 to 50,000. The costs of both rise with the bigger guest list.
Possible Additional Costs
Aside from the factors mentioned above, other possible costs might slip your mind as you plan your wedding:
Supplier/Crew Meal
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- You’ll also need to feed your suppliers since they’ll be spending their whole day making your wedding extra special.
Out-of-Town Fees
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- If you’re going to have your wedding far from your chosen supplier’s service area, they might charge you an out-of-town fee to offset their cost of travel.
Parking Fees
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- Some churches and reception venues charge for parking since the space is limited.
Corkage Fees
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- Venues may charge additional for food and drinks from unaccredited suppliers.
Additional guests for catering
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- If you plan on adding more people to your guest list after you’ve settled the number of your guests with your caterer, they may charge you for the extra plates and food.
Accessories for the ceremony
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- This includes the ring cushion, the wedding cord, the veil, Arrhae or the coin pillow. There are bridal shops that offer wedding gowns that include the other accessories needed for the ceremony.
Shoes and Other Bridal Accessories, Jewelry, Hairpieces etc.
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- Your hair and make-up stylist might suggest some accessories to pull off your desired look.
Tips for staff
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- While voluntary, it’s in good spirits to tip the staff that brought your wedding to completion. The amount per person is up to you but usual tips go for 500 – 1000 per person.
Tips for Tracking Your Wedding Cost
Be smart about how you spend your money and keep track of your spending.
Set your wedding priorities
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- As we’ve said above, it’s better to have a clear vision of how you want your wedding to look. Identifying your priorities early on saves you time, effort, and money in the long run.
Track budget and wedding expenses
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- It’s better to see your expenses easily. You can use either a notebook or a digital spreadsheet to list down your suppliers, your allocated budget, and actual expenses for your wedding. There are templates available online to help you keep track of expenses better.
Separate savings account for Wedding
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- Lastly, try and open a savings account specifically for wedding expenses. Open it up in traditional banks for extra security.
To sum it up, a traditional church wedding is going to cost more than a civil wedding because it involves more moving parts. You also have to consider how many people you want to invite and your vision of your special day.
There are also a couple of things you have to keep in mind like the additional costs of corkage fees and small accessories that might slip your attention. To track your expenses, there are ways to be more efficient such as noting all your budget for each supplier and tracking your expenses as they happen. You can also open up a savings account in a traditional bank to make sure you won’t spend the money specifically on wedding expenses.
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