Tutera - That costs how much?: the brides guide to budgeting for an unforgettable wedding

THAT COSTS HOW MUCH?: THE BRIDES GUIDE TO BUDGETING FOR AN UNFORGETTABLE WEDDING . Copyright 2009 by David Tutera. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martins Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.

Previously published in The Big White Book of Weddings. ISBN: 978-1-4299-5859-2. St. Martins Griffin edition/January 2010.

www.stmartins.com

M oney makes the world go round... and when you budget properly, you can absolutely prevent your number-crunching from spinning out of orbit.

My rule of thumb: Theres no need to spend a ton of money to have an elegant wedding; you just have to spend the money you do have wisely!

The budget is the number-one place I see my brides go from wishful to woeful... and its all because they dont create a good, solid strategy of how they are going to afford all the wonderful accoutrements of their wedding. The stress of finances (in addition to the wedding commotion) takes them into unchartedand unpaid forterritory. How I wish they all knew this was preventable! You just have to be a well-educated brideand now that youve done your homework, youre ready to graduate to part two! Sounds like a perfect time for a few life lessons on bridal bucks, so lets hit the budget books, my lovely bride-to-be, and save you some cash for the honeymoon!

Before you make any financial commitments to anything (a dress, a caterer, even a venue), its important to first plot out how you will pay for the wedding shebang as a whole. What good is it to have a gorgeous fancy wedding gown... and no reception to show it off at? (All dressed up and nowhere to go is not what were going for!) Ensuring you have enough money to purchase what you want (and keeping you out of a disaster zone of debt to come home to from your honeymoon) is our priority here.

Each brides budget is different. Instead of giving an exact dollar figure of how much should be spent on each element, here is an idea of the percentages of your budget that should be allotted.

The Budget Breakdown

Budgeting is a constant work in progress throughout the duration of the wedding-planning process. Many variables come into play that determine how much you have to spend in other areas, so its a continuous bridal balancing act. To get you acquainted with what will be in your wedding equilibrium, here are some tips to keep you from toppling (in order of what the most expensive items, from highest to lowest, will traditionally be).

Food and Beverage Expenses

Food and beverage expenses, being the most costly (and most controlling) element of your budget, play a large role in your budget and will give you the best idea of what you will be left to work with monetarily.

When you decide how much your food per person will cost (or when you decide how much you can pay for food per person, whichever comes first), you can then determine the general cost of your wedding. A very simple equation can get you there:

YOUR GUEST COUNT: ________

COST PER PERSON FOR FOOD AND BEVERAGE EXPENSES (for both cocktails

and reception): $ ________

+ TAX: $ ________

+ SERVICE CHARGE: $ ________

+ GRATUITY (separate from the service charge): $ _________

YOUR FOOD AND BEVERAGE COST: $ ________

Is the number higher than you were expecting? Before you panic, remember that food and beverage will be your highest cost (and this is the category that makes a wedding costly from the get-go).

SMARTLY SPEND, SMARTLY SAVE

Beverages are the fastest route to send your budget through the reception hall roof. Ask about special packages. Inquire about the difference in price and quality between a premium bar and a top-shelf bar. Can you save money by bringing your own alcohol, and paying a corkage fee to do so?

Ask for options: Do you need a four-course dinner or can you scale down to three? Do you need stations or can you save by having passed hors doeuvres? (While youre at it, ask what entrees and hors doeuvres are priced lower than others.)

Do they include a wedding cake in their costs? (If its optional, is it cheaper than hiring a bakery?)

Often, catering companies will include basic linens, flatware, glassware and china, tables and chairs, and table numbers and accessories. Some provide centerpieces and/or candles. Find out all the details of whats included in the price-per-person cost up front.

Discuss any upgrades that are possibledont wait to find out when youre too late and a dollar short (no joke!).

Ask what your catering company may have in stock that you can rent (or have included), down to the color of linens to match the napkins and the ties of your servers.