First comes love

Planning goes geek: Free excel sheet for the wedding budget

So we've finally done it. We've finally created a real wedding budget!  And thanks to a little help (ok a lot of help) from Craig, I've made it presentable enough to share with you in case you'd like to use it for your own planning!

Download FCLweddingbudgetsheet.

Here is a screenshot:

 

Now it might look complicated but don't panic!  You only have to fill in the yellow boxes.

All the other boxes will magically calculate numbers to give you all sorts of geeky stats like:

• Running total of your budgeted items.  "Budget remaining" will turn RED if you go over budget :)
• Running total of budgeted items by category.
• What percentage of your budget each thing takes up (both individual items and categories).
• And similar stats for what you actually spend so you can see how close you're hitting your estimates.

Of course, the items I've listed are pretty specific to our own wedding (a bagpiper may not be your thing) so you can replace any item. I've also added a few rows with "other" in case you need to add items.

Oh and the currency is in British pounds. ;)

Hope it's useful for you!

Cutting costs, not substance, for the wedding

As the budget is slowly solidifying I've been giving thoughts to how costs can be cut.   One easy method of course is to cut out line items altogether.  For example, we're not going to have a ring bearer or flower girl. It was an easy decision as neither of us know kids young/old enough to be one and look at that, we've just saved probably well over £100 with that omission.

That's one method, but I think examining every element and how savings can be made will be just as important as cutting out the big stuff. More importantly, I think careful consideration and lots of creativity will help produce a stylish effect that doesn't miss a cent.

With that in mind I'm starting a new little category that will brainstorm different ideas on how to achieve wedding worthy style without wedding worthy costs.

Today's topic is: Centerpieces!

• Books:  I love the look of old hardcover books. Even when they're ratty looking it just adds interest and character.  To use them as a centerpiece create a grouping using pretty ribbon or a very simple flower arrangement to create an eyecatching display.  I think the best place to find them is charity shops and thrift stores (if not your own collection).  You could even create specific themes such as love stories or children's books.  And when the day is over, donate them back!

• Fruits: Fruits are a great way to create bulk with minimal use of expensive flowers.  Arrange seasonal fruit and add some blossoms to the nooks.  See this example for inspiration that can be easily modified to suit your own tastes and budget.  Dahlias instead of roses! Rasberries instead of radishes! :)  The tiered pedestal can be recreated using cake stands stacked on top of each other or why not just use a nice big bowl.  And who said you had to use flowers at all?  The thing I like about this idea is that if you select edible fruits then your guests have something to snack on and create less waste.

• Candles:  First check if your venue allows them.  Then, make sure you look for bulk (votives are especially light on the budget). Unscented is also cheaper and avoids irritating guests who are sensitive to scents.  Then the world is your oyster. There are so many ideas out there for candle arrangements that have nothing to do with weddings but would be entirely appropriate and breathtaking.  You could go garden-themed, minimalist, romantic, or even quirky if you strike it lucky at a flea market.

• Rethink the centerpiece:  Ok I admit, this is a bit vague but I'll use my friend's wedding as an example.  She and her husband (who are now expecting their first baby, eee!) are documentary film producers.  So they created centerpieces for each table based on a movie they loved.  For example, their table was Amelie and it was decorated with a gnome (amongst other things I can't remember but I remember that gnome!) My table was The Matrix which I remember had sunglasses and bent spoons.   And so on.  The items were displayed on stacked boxes covered with a tablecloth and had popped popcorn and novelty film tape scattered about.  Really cute and memorable, this was over 5 years ago!  How often can you say that about someone's wedding centerpiece?  So my point being that if you can approach the centerpiece as a reflection of you as a couple you can assign a budget per table and let your imagination run wild.

I'm personally considering either candles or fruit (or both!) and if I use flowers it'll be very minimal and focused on color (not sure what color yet).  Any other non-traditional centerpiece ideas out there?

The future vs the future future

Now that we've set the date and put down a deposit on the venue, Craig and I need to start looking at the budget in earnest.  Although some generous offers have been hinted (and straight out offered and gratefully accepted) we are planning to fund the wedding ourselves.  We've already started putting away a good bit every month and when I asked Craig to do some Excel work and project how much we could save by August it seemed like a doable budget (no matter what averages wedding magazines report).

We've also been setting aside money for a house.  We don't know where we're going to be buying or even when, but a little nest egg is slowly building up.  Craig projected that for me for the next year as well.

And then he showed me the combined total.

Oh!  I will heartily admit that the idea of using all of it, yup all of it, for the wedding crossed my mind.  Letterpress invitations!  Full makeovers for the entire bridal party!  Custom made hanbok for my mom!

I let myself fantasize for a good 30 seconds before I had to firmly reign myself in.  FIRMLY.

Seriously, do I want a pair of Louboutins for the wedding or do I want a massive walk-in closet for all my shoes? This is a no brainer for me!

I feel very responsible and grown up planning and budgeting for our wedding over a year away.  But I know the true sign of being responsible and grown up is to remember that the wedding is about beyond that one day, that first day, the beginning of our future future.

So I'm off to Paris this weekend (something of a reunion for me and one of my bridesmaids... we'll always have Paris...) and I'll be on the lookout to score some vintage steals and inspiration.  À bientôt!