Getting carried away with the budget....help!

You need to figure out your priorities and stick to them. Keep track of everything in an Excel/Google spreadsheet. Are the upgrades worth the money? For one couple, it might a waste while someone else embraces it. Only you can decide if something is worth the money.


Most people focus on the factors they and guests will remember (photos, food, entertainment) and skimp or toss out the rest.

What's a budget?? 😂😭


I totally understand. Luckily, we'll save on some flowers but then my mind is like since we're saving with that, we can spend more on other things or add things we didn't think we'd have to budget for before lol.

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Exactly my problem! We've managed to cut money out with flowers (using sola wood), making DIY centerpieces, and shopping sales. But every time we cut something out we find another thing we want and think "well we did just save some money here, we can afford this now". It's like a never ending battle lol.

I think I’m going over cus I didn’t realize how expensive things were and wasn’t aware of some charges...like I never knew makeup trials were a thing and that they’d be so costly.

View Quoted Comment Yes! And I hate it cause we only have a few months left ssssoooo, I need to get my life together. It's all me cause FH doesn't really care about much. He said he's just along for the ride 😂

We ended up sticking to our budget on pretty much everything except photography. We ended up going over on that, but we decided we were OK with that because the pictures are super important to both of us, and we found a way to make it work financially. We also didn't realize how expensive some things were. But yeah, it is tempting to see a bunch of cool upgrades that vendors offer, and to spend an extra $200 here, another $150 there... Super easy to go way over budget. I suggest taking time to consider each upgrade that you want, talk with your fiance, and decide on each option individually.

We ended up tripling our budget so you’re not alone! Haha.


However, when we first started planning, we really didn’t do research on how much wedding things cost. Once we got a better grasp of pricing in our area, we adjusted our budget based on the wedding we wanted.
I do recommend adding a buffer to your budget. We added a line item equal to 10% of our wedding cost for any “surprise” expenses. We ended up using all of it. Haha

No, ma'am. Sticking to budget. I made sure to stay off pintrest!

It’s unfortunately really common that people go over their budget. I know exactly what you mean because I did the same thing. I remember my intention with the menu was to just leave it at the basic cheapest one and then I saw the upgrade available or the other options available and I ended up upgrading but I honestly was really happy about it because it was so much better. So I think you just have to weigh out the pros and cons of everything like OK even if I did not upgrade the menu I would’ve been OK with it but I really don’t think I would’ve been as happy

We realized about 2 weeks before the wedding we did not even think about vendor meals ($75/person), tips for all our vendors ($750), and professional dry cleaning at the hotel for our attire. So, I think a lot of people start with a budget and exceed it a bit lol

I was doing fantastic with our budget. Then Covid hit and we had to postpone. And since then, it seems like it’s been a free-for-all! I think it’s a mixture of being bored at home, having a lot more time to think about new things I hadn’t thought of before (or rethinking things we had already made a decision on), the ease with which you can order things over the Internet, and I keep telling myself “but we have a whole extra year to save now!” It has definitely gotten out of hand! Like, I may need an intervention or some sort of 10 step program soon! LOL So far I have added 2 entertainers, purchased a second wedding dress, doubled my budget on flowers, expanded our videography package, purchased an enhancer for my engagement ring, added a pre-wedding mini-moon (I don’t even think that’s a thing LOL), and had a $600+ veil made (and I didn’t even plan on wearing a veil)! I truly do not even know what our budget is anymore 🤦🏼‍♀️😭

Something that baffles me often on WW, or the knot, any similar site. There is this huge focus on one thing, sometimes for a year or two. It makes me wonder if the majority of people ever had a big party, or helped to plan ant project, conference, social activity or dinner party. The wedding should not be the one and only social event of your life. And people try to cram so much into one evening or weekend. And where once it seemed common for friends to go away for 2-5 day mini vacations, but at wedding time people spent 3-5 hours together at a bachelor party or bachelorette/ bridesmaids party, now more and more it is expected, in addition to a shower, to have multi-day mini vacations. And staying over with girlfriends, and manis and pedis, never party of wedding culture have come in. All things that were no part of weddings, but that happened frequently outside of them, got added to them ( one reality show at a time.) None were wedding things at the time I first married 20 years ago. Half of college kids , and more than half of those who go right to work or the military, go back to their parents, not automatically on their own.
Is that the difference? Young dating couples, and newlyweds, rarely have dinner parties, so they are clueless about invitations, special meals featuring food in a semi formal way, for 12-20. Amd soon to be wed and newlyweds on here rarely talk as though they expect to do anything by way of entertaining again unless they have another wedding. Cramming firsts that usually happen over numerous years into one, is too much. Like kids in a candy shop. Who not surprisingly end up feeling sick near the end.

What is so crazy is the fact it is my FH that is the one who wants to spend more on potential options and I am the one who is constantly asking for us to re-evaluate and look over our budget to make sure we are spending too much.

View Quoted Comment I don’t know where you’re getting the idea that people aren’t having dinner parties or going on vacations with friends just because they’re having big weddings that they’re excited to plan.


Before even being engaged, my husband and I hosted plenty of dinners and holidays at our home for friends as well as vacationed frequently with our family and friends. That didn’t stop us front wanting to have an over-the-top wedding. It made us want one more because dinner parties and vacations were the norm for us.
We saw our wedding and the events leading up to it as a way to treat our loved ones to a fun time. Considering so many of our guests were traveling across the country to celebrate with us, we wanted to make sure we hosted them well.
Maybe people don’t talk about future dinner parties or summer vacations on here because it’s called “WeddingWire” not “What I’m doing for Spring Break-Wire”. ::shrug::
Also wedding norms vary in different cultures. For example, I know that in Indian culture, it’s common to have weeklong wedding events.

View Quoted Comment Same here. I tend to entertain frequently (until the pandemic, that is), and every year we have a huge, over blown Halloween party. Friends and family have kind of come to expect something over the top when it comes to my events- and my wedding will be no different! We are planning a destination wedding and will have guests from all over (including overseas) and want to make sure we properly host them and show them a great time. Plus, let’s be honest, a wedding celebrating the union of 2 people forever is a much bigger deal than a Friday night dinner party with a few friends LOL Of course there is a lot more excitement surrounding it!

View Quoted Comment So many say, the have not ever done a written invitation ( except kids parties) , do not know how to address things for married vs single titles, dealt with RSVPs , have never done flowers before ( and say so) , say they have never given a somewhat foal dinner party, for a lot of people itis clear. Not everyone. But a lot. And working catering over a long period of time, it is clear from many who come for their tastings and planning who talk about never having done these things. The people whom I live with, and the background of the 2 of us, plus being rural, you make your own social life. Have to do a poll one day. The last I saw on the knot, several years ago when my sister married again, showed a lot of very casual gatherings, but more structured? Less than half had done them.

View Quoted Comment Us too. He would run things by me after getting all jazzed, to see if affordable short or long term. A pattern for how we handle money and household things, still.

View Quoted Comment Completely agree. I was doing good budget wise but the pandemic and being home all the time got to me too. All of a sudden I am way over budget and not done yet. Every day I had packages being delivered to my house and my fiance was like now what did you order?! Lol

View Quoted Comment Yeah, I think this is going to vary based on people’s social circle and/or where they live. My circle of friends are big into hosting parties and dinners. Also, for me, I was social chairman for my sorority so I was planning $10-20k formal events in college. Lol.


You also have to factor in people living in HCOL cities like NY or San Fran. They might be living in small apartments where hosting a formal dinner isn’t possible. Not everyone has the luxury of being able to throw events/get togethers on the norm. The wedding may be their first (of even the few opportunities they get) to do so. It’s exciting and fun for them! And I get excited for them when I read about it.

View Quoted Comment Hahaha! Omg yes! Packages every day & the same convo with fiancé 😂The struggle is real