Top 3-5 splurges

1. Food/venue
2. Gifts for bridal parties
3. Attire
We didn’t really have a budget and would have paid whatever whatever cost, but we had a short engagement and made fast decisions. I.e. we spent maybe an hour researching and contacting photographers, interviewed two over FaceTime and then picked the one whose personality we preferred the same day we talked to her. She happened to be the less expensive choice, but we didn’t make our decision based on that.

1: Open Bar
2: Food
3: Honeymoon

I think there's really only one thing that I would specifically call a splurge - our centerpieces. A friend is custom making laser printed models of tracks from the MotoGP circuit. They'll be used as decorations in our home after the wedding, so we'll get a good amount of use and love out of them. The bulk of our budget, however, is going to venue/food/drink. The venue also provides the catering, which is honestly really good so we weren't worried about that.

Venue, food, and photography.

1. Photography/videography

2. Live band - this was huge for my fiance. His parents have both passed away, and this is something they would have insisted on for the wedding if they were still with us, so it feels like a way we can honor their wishes.

3. Premium open bar

We also really splurged and are doing a short fireworks display at the reception. It's something I always dreamed of and it was something we were able to make work within our budget!

While these weren't splurges as they don't account for an abnormal percentage of our budget, our priorities were;

Venue
Music
Alcohol

Surprisingly, the only thing that's a higher percentage of our budget than is considered normal is decorations. We went with local artists and had custom pieces designed, which costs quite a bit more than others. So I guess maybe that was our splurge?

1. Venue - this set the tone of everything & included catering

2. Bar - we have many drinkers in our guest list so we knew this was a must

3. Honeymoon