Wedding Planning: Budgeting Tips for a Memorable Celebration

Estimated reading time: 11 minutes

Uncover the hidden expenses of weddings and learn how to plan a budget-friendly celebration without compromising on your special day.

Budgeting To Attend A Wedding

There is no such thing as simply going to a wedding and wishing the newlyweds a happy life together.

A wedding is no laughing matter, and as much as most people are thrilled when people they know get engaged, some start to budget for the big event.

The kicker here is that it’s not just one yearly wedding for many people.

There may be many weddings they are invited to.

Wedding Planning

Planning a wedding is difficult, but it can get out of hand if you’re not careful.

You might scare off potential guests who can’t afford to pay for the wedding events you plan leading up to your big day.

We are now in the hottest month of the year for weddings, so many people receive wedding invites that shake up their budget. Why?

Weddings are expensive not only for the couple getting married but also for those invited to the wedding.

Factor in if you are part of the wedding party, and you’ve just bumped up the cost of attending a wedding even more.

Last week I talked about Grandma Baby showers and how they are the new rage for grandparents although many people I’ve spoken to have no interest in them.

They don’t want to shell out more money because they either don’t have it or don’t want to.

Pre-Wedding Events

Weddings are even worse than attending a baby shower because the events are endless.

I’m not used to all these pre-wedding events, but do they add up and strain our budget?

Sometimes, we have to decline events such as the Buck and Doe, also called the Stag and Doe, or Jack and Jill, where money is raised by playing for prizes.

You end up drinking your face off until you need to be wheeled out of the event.

Jell-o shooters make their rounds all night, and your wallet will likely feel lighter.

I’d suggest only bringing what you plan to spend, like going to the casino.

You may also have to spend cash on a bridal shower gift, also called a wedding shower, or spend money for a night out to enjoy the bachelor/bachelorette party, signifying the last night of being single.

These pre-wedding events cost money, as well as buying outfits for these events.

If the wedding you are invited to is a destination wedding or beach party, you might have to pay for airfare and many other costs involved in getting to and from the event.

Wedding Budget

When couples design their wedding budget, they can quickly go overboard with the thrill of the day, especially if they are looking for wedding ideas by going to wedding shows and magazines.

Our wedding was small, and we didn’t have a shower because we didn’t want our guests to pay for anything more than to come to the event.

We asked for no gifts in our invites, but that doesn’t mean the guests won’t listen as they still bought us gifts.

Although we had a frugal but fabulous wedding, we wanted our guests to be able to come without the stress of these pre-wedding events and having to spend a lot of money.

Some couples get invited to so many weddings each year that I honestly don’t know how they can afford to pay for it all.

One of our friends, a maid of honor, has shelled out almost $1000 on her dress, gifts, and planning and paying for bridal showers, food, and prizes.

I can understand why some people hide when they think they will be asked to be at a wedding party.

Mrs.CBB recently attended the wedding shower for this friend, and she overheard that they are paying upwards of $30,000 for 200 guests.

The stag and doe they recently held brought in just over $2000 towards the wedding.

Almost all gifts received from the wedding shower were for the kitchen or cash.

I bet some of you who had a wedding shower still have gifts that haven’t been used yet and are collecting dust in your basement.

Cost To Attend A Wedding

A Marketplace reporter, Quentin Fottrell, said that in 2014, those invited to a wedding could expect to spend $592, up 10% from last year, not including the gift.

If you are a close family, you can expect to dish out $200 for a gift, with an average of $109.

Of course, this all depends on where you live and the type of wedding you are attending.

Participating In A Wedding Party

I’m unsure if I’d accept being in a wedding party unless it were a family member, just because of the costs.

Attending all the pre-wedding events might also be something I pass up because I don’t often drink or have the cash in our budget.

I don’t think there is a rush for most people to get married, which gives them time to budget for what they need.

Don’t budget more than you have and expect the guests to pay for the rest because no one needs an elaborate wedding to say, “I love you,” and “I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”

A wedding is meant to celebrate two people in marriage and is not about funding the event.

If you can’t afford a wedding, please don’t get married.

Take your time and save the money.

Discussion: What are your thoughts on pre-wedding events and the costs of being in a wedding?

Please share your comments below.

Thanks for reading,

Mr. CBB

Home and Blog Update

It’s been another uneventful week for us at the CBB house, although I managed to tear up the back garden to plant almost all our new shrubs and flowers.

As you can see from the photo above, our lime tree is coming back with full force, as there are vibrant green limes all over the tree.

Our fig tree has come back to life, and leaves are growing all over, which is good because my wife would have been upset as it’s an essential tree from her father.

Besides that, I’ve had to add 4 more packets of basil to our pots as it wasn’t growing as much as I’d like.

This time I paid a bit more money for the seeds, so we’ll see what happens.

Last year, we didn’t get our seeds from the dollar store as they were sold out, so we bought the pricier ones.

We’ve been successful with Dollar Store seeds except for the basil this year, which has only been proven to give us minimal basil.

We want to make basil cubes again this year as we use them in soups, stews, and pasta throughout the winter months.

Work-Life

Other than that, I’ve worked quite a bit, as you know, so I’ve been in and out on the blog these past two weeks.

The good thing is we haven’t been able to get out and spend any money in our budget, and the bad thing is I’m falling behind on my rentals around the house.

So, on that note, I hope you all have a great week. I will check back to see what’s new and exciting in our lives next Saturday.

Weekly CBB Posts

If you missed any CBB posts from the week, here is the list of posts you can catch up on reading!

• How answering the home phone saved us $134 in our budget
• Do your parents stick their nose into your bank account balance?
• Do you only buy groceries that are on sale?
• How far would you go to fund your child’s education?
• Is Father’s Day just another marketing ploy to eat into your budget?

Fan Deals Of The Week

Submit your Brag or Inspiration If you have a brag that you want me to share, email me at canadianbudgetbinder (@) [yahoo] [.ca] or fill out my contact form by Friday each week to have your brag considered for the Saturday post.

Below are CBB fan Jen’s garage sale finds from last week!

Hi Mr.CBB and Fans!

I found many sales overpriced this week, but I still managed to walk away with some deals.

• Pink sparkly shoes: $1 (brand new – bought as a birthday gift for my friend’s daughter)
• Pink slippers: $0.25 (brand new – bought as a birthday gift for my friend’s daughter)
• Aeropostale bag: $0.75 – was asking $1 (in great condition – bought as a birthday gift for my friend’s daughter)
• Two blue sandcastle buckets (including tennis balls and pucks): $0.75 for both
• Clothes pins: $0.25
• Children’s Place sunglasses: $.25 – were asking $0.75
• Five bags of plastic knives and spoons: $1 – were asking $2 (great to have around next time I’m asked to bring cutlery to a function)

 Total $4.25

You should have seen me! 

I go to garage sales with my parents, and whenever my mom wants something, she asks me to barter for her. I got her some great deals, too, this week! 

Making A Difference

Note: If you are a blogger who gives back and would like to be featured, by all means, get in touch with me as I am filling spots up for the rest of 2014, and they are going quickly.

Today, I would like to introduce Julie from Millennial Cents to you!

Hey there, I’m Julie from Millennial Cents.

Who doesn’t love money, right? We all do.

Do you know what’s more potent than having money? Knowing how to use it.

Making money works for you, not the other way around.

That’s what Millennial Cents is all about: empowering Millennials through financial guidance.

Millennials are a technology-loving, wander-lusting, “carpe-dieming” and…debt-filled generation.

Our generation has a reputation for spending, NOT saving.

I want to help change that.

In my blog, I explore different topics relevant to the daily decision-making processes that Millennials go through.

• Want to travel the world on a budget?
• Want to buy a house?
• Do you want to start a business?
• Want to shop for gifts more innovatively?
• Need some DIY beauty hacks?

Millennial Cents is here to tell you how to make it happen.

Through simple educational articles and engaging content, I hope everyone visiting will be inspired to squeeze more juice out of life.

I’m sure that the better they understand the world of money, the richer their whole world will become.

Now that’s Millennial Cents.

Google Search Terms

Every week, thousands of people visit Canadian Budget Binder because they searched online and found my blog.

Any spelling errors below are because I share with you how they typed their search engine query to land on my blog.

• Has Bobby Flay ever messed up a meal?– I’m pretty sure he has, but the likelihood that we ever see it is slim to none.
• Cookie Binder– Sounds like a great name for a cookie blog
• Veriquick dollar store pregnancy test– I’m guessing the reader meant a VERY QUICK dollar store pregnancy test
• Attractive Canadian men-  hmm
• DIY shower valve party– Sure, have a reno party and invite all the handy friends in your life to help out! Pizza and beer on me! lol
• Nosey neighbors talking to potential buyers- Unfortunately, we can’t control everything, but if potential buyers want to talk to neighbors, some people recommend it to learn about the neighborhood.

Thanks for joining me for The Saturday Weekend Review #76 edition.

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