This might sound like a stupid question, but how did you land on your budget for your wedding? I see a lot of posts on here saying our budget was 7k, 15k, 20k, etc. How did you land on that number? I know it shouldn't be over what you can afford, obviously. Thankfully, we're in a position where we can afford more (especially with some help from family) than I *think* we need or want to spend. I just don't know what that magic number should be for our budget that we will try to adhere to going forward.
For example, I can make a grocery budget based on my experience grocery shopping, knowing how much things cost, what we like, what we occasionally splurge on, etc. If we were to move, I could make a budget for housing by visiting many different rentals and comparing prices. I have no points of reference for most wedding-related costs though! Is the first step to visit different venues to get an idea of pricing? Compare hotel or banquet hall receptions to renting out a venue and catering separately? What is the most efficient way to get a feel for costs so that you can create your budget? Or did you not do it that way and just picked a number that seemed reasonable? Am I overthinking this!? My fiance keeps saying we, "need to make a budget" but I truly don't know where to start! Help!
ETA - I would like to keep the guests to around 250 but my sister had a 500+ person wedding (mostly my parents' community, hence why they will be contributing to the cost significantly if this is again important to them).
