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Kristen
Savvy May 2018

How many of you went over budget?

Kristen, on November 19, 2017 at 6:44 PM

Posted in Planning 102

I always hear about this happening, but it really hit me when I got my florist quote today. I know flowers are expensive, but this is over 2x what I was budgeting, which was already A LOT! I've been pretty spot on with estimating other quotes, so this was really disheartening. Especially with how...

I always hear about this happening, but it really hit me when I got my florist quote today. I know flowers are expensive, but this is over 2x what I was budgeting, which was already A LOT! I've been pretty spot on with estimating other quotes, so this was really disheartening. Especially with how much I've been dreaming about beautiful, romantic flowers for our day. And it's one of our last few vendors to book, so there's not much wiggle room in the budget.

I know we'll figure it out, just needed to rant. I can't be the only one though! Did you go over? By how much? What did you decide to splurge on anyway?

102 Comments

  • Kaye
    VIP October 2018
    Kaye ·
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    I was shooting for 5k and I will likely be 8-9k for a small wedding

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  • M
    Savvy October 2017
    MadsRae ·
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    When planning my wedding I did not go over budget but what I budgeted for certain things was off. I budgeted a lot more for a dress but fell in love with one way under. I budgeted a lot less for a photographer but it was way more expensive. I found that although some are shocking it usually balances out

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  • Heather
    Beginner March 2018
    Heather ·
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    I am under budget, and I am hoping to stay under budget by $1,000 - $2,000.

    I got really lucky with caterer and my dress because both ended up being significantly less than planned for.

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  • Spaghetti
    VIP November 2018
    Spaghetti ·
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    We have a budget but it's been adjusted as we figure out what we're comfortable with. Going over budget and spending money we don't have is not an option.

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  • Dolores Umbridge
    VIP June 2017
    Dolores Umbridge ·
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    Budget? What's a budget?

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  • Mags
    Super July 2018
    Mags ·
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    Per the current budget we are at around 500 under. Biggest sticker shock so far is the DJ. While I'm also realizing just how important it is to chose a good one. Haven't booked one yet but know it will likely be close to double of what I thought they charge :-(

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  • Ks_catonlap
    Super October 2017
    Ks_catonlap ·
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    Our budget was 15k. We ended up going about 8k over, but that was 8k worth of stuff other people paid for. So we still kinda managed to keep it where we wanted it, though we could have saved if we'd been a little more scrupulous.

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  • Kerry
    Dedicated May 2018
    Kerry ·
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    We don't have a specific budget, like others have said, just a number we'd like to stay under. So far, we're on track/under. We saved a lot in areas that weren't as important to us, which helped. We still have a lot to do, though, so I could be saying something differently in a few months lol.

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  • Celia Milton
    Celia Milton ·
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    I agree with, "how do you set a budget without knowing what things cost"?

    I'd be cutting the guest list first thing, but that's just me.

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  • Deidre
    Dedicated April 2018
    Deidre ·
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    Some areas have costed more than I expected, but I've been able to save with decor. I'm making a lot of it and buying things secondhand from a secondhand Facebook group.

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  • Amy
    Dedicated December 2017
    Amy ·
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    I went over in my mind but not the official budget of $20,000. I thought I was going to be $5,000 under for a while but the little $20, $40, $60 things keep adding up. I'm going to be pretty much right on target. My biggest splurge was my dress - I totally planned on spending under $1,000 for it since I'm only wearing it for one day. I ended up over $2,000. I also did a lot of small extras I didn't need to like favors and activities for the kids, so that added up as well. We also had some additional expenditures in that I paid for all the bridal party's clothes because I know their budgets are all tight.

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  • Mrs. Brown
    Devoted May 2018
    Mrs. Brown ·
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    We said we would try to stay around 10k but it's looking more like 13k and were still 5 months out Smiley ups I'm just trying to save where I can, but there are sometimes things that come up that no one told you about or new ideas that you have

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  • melanie
    Master August 2017
    melanie ·
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    I went over on my dress, other than that we stayed within budget


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  • Spaghetti
    VIP November 2018
    Spaghetti ·
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    We have adjusted our budget a bit. However "over budget" to me is spending money you don't have or that you should not have. A budget holds you accountable and there's no option for going over budget for FH and I. We have slightly increased it as we realized we a had a little more money we could put towards it. Going forward I think we're at the most we feel is reasonable so although we have the money for some more upgrades, we'll either put that towards the honeymoon or towards saving for a house.

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  • Amanda
    Super May 2018
    Amanda ·
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    Yeah, we're a little over budget I think, but it's important to us for our guests to have a great time with food, drinks, and entertainment.

    I'd say the one splurge was our photographer, so much so that we're passing on a videographer. I just want to make sure my pictures really capture the essence of the day.

    I was also shocked at the cost of flowers. I ended up getting exactly what I wanted, but I am providing all the vases which I was able to get on sale. I also downsized my bridesmaid bouquets so they're a mini version and saved some money there. Flowers weren't super important to me, so I was willing to compromise, but it's crazy how expensive the industry is as a whole!

    If you're uncomfortable with the cost, keep searching. You'll find one you're happy with. Ours is almost like a year-round flower nursery versus just a small floral shop. I think that had something to do with the value. Good luck!

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  • Pegs
    VIP July 2018
    Pegs ·
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    So, we're doing a destination weekend in Greece - Welcome Party on Friday, Wedding on Saturday, Recovery Beach Day on Sunday.

    We had a goal of $45,000 for the entire weekend but with the Dollar-Euro exchange, we'll be well over that (so, probably more like $55,000). It's not terrible but it is what it is at this point.


    Thankfully, we have both of our parents' help so this amount was not outrageous for us.

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  • Mrsbdg
    Champion August 2017
    Mrsbdg ·
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    We blew our first budget out of the water ($5k).

    We realized to have the wedding we wanted we would have to spend a lot more. I got a freelancing gig and a PT job. We cut our monthly spending by a lot and made a new budget of $15k. We came in about $2-3k under that budget.
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  • cantwait4thedate
    VIP November 2017
    cantwait4thedate ·
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    Same with me Sos0033. We came in under budget by at least $2000, but if we had everyone come who was invited, we would have been right at our number. It was nice to spend less, but would have been okay with the amount we decided on, however, there was no real "budget".

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  • Bianca
    Dedicated May 2018
    Bianca ·
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    Our budget we want to be at is 15K but wiling to go up to 20K. Currently we are on projection to be around 23K. Hopefully we get some No's to the RSVP's and that will help lower our cost. Trying to save on our invitations and flowers will be a big one.

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  • Maria
    Master June 2018
    Maria ·
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    Short answer yes. But I wonder if my original budget even counted. I was so naive about how much money I needed to invite 135 people. The original budget is laughable. I feel like I changed my perspective once I was more informed.
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