How To Calculate Wedding Expenses
Today in western culture marriage is a significant part of growing up. It includes feelings of love, commitment, and closeness with someone for the rest of your life. Often times getting married is viewed as a sign of maturity and growing up. With that being said the prices of an average American wedding has been steadily on the rise. Budgeting and planning a wedding can be one of the most stressful and difficult parts of such a special day. But here are a few things to expect and consider when planning a wedding.
In a 2017 report the average American spends upwards of $33,000. Citing venue, food, and the engagement ring as some of the highest expense when it comes to weddings. The number of guests invited also can have a huge reflection on the price. While the median wedding costs $33,000, the same report states that a high spender can expect anywhere for $100,000 and on.
The biggest expense on average for weddings is renting a venue. One of the main things to look at for a wedding venue is the capacity of the place you are renting. The capacity has to fit into line with what your guest list looks like. Another thing to keep in mind while looking for wedding venues is what services do they provide and what packages do they offer. Some venues include things such as catering, decoration, servers, set up and clean up. While some allow the customer to just rent the place and then plan everything. With the help of a wedding planner most likely. For example many wedding reception venues atlanta ga can range from $5,000 – $6,000 for renting a place all the way to $15,000 for many of the things already planned out for customer.
Another huge expense to consider while planning a wedding is photography and videography. If someone is willing to spend tens of thousands of dollars on an event, expect to want high quality photo and video work to remember the ceremony. When looking for a wedding photographer some research is highly recommended. The Knot, a huge resource for wedding planning, recommends to meet in person with your photographer. Look at full wedding albums, videography and photography. Don’t just look at these albums alone, get a few eyes especially someone with some photography knowledge to judge the work of the photographer. Another thing to keep in mind when picking a wedding photographer, like any art form there are many different styles. And if the company you are looking at isn’t matching what you are looking for find another. Don’t settle in this department.
Planning a wedding can be a huge challenge. A costly and anxious venture in many respects. Many suggest a wedding planner. Someone with lots of experience can help organize and make the special day even better, but at a cost. The best plan of action regardless of budget is to plan accordingly. With a good plan in place, and a set budget there shouldn’t be any unsuspected costs and allow for your big day to be the best that it can.
