One of the most important subjects to discuss and decide on early in the wedding planning process is the budget. The couple must not move a single muscle until the wedding budget has been decided. This principle is hard, as, for the bride-to-be such as me, when I go to the malls and especially craft and bargain stores, ooohh!!! There are just lots of nice ribbons and beads and stationery and laces and other trinkets that I’d like to buy and craft into “something-whatever” for my wedding. But then, I had to remind myself to buy it later, when all other necessities are bought, so it would be easier to determine if there’s money left for those little extras or not.

And so, Prince Charming and I sat down one day (way before I bought that white fabric, of course) and talked about the money. Since we are not millionaires, …okay, not rich… we didn’t have a specific budget in mind, but we just listed down an estimate of all the necessities, then listed all the other elements that we want.

The necessities:
……International air travel, round trip: …$1,300
……Domestic air travel, round trip:…………. 270
……Land trip expenses ………………………….230
……Legal documents ………………………………30
……Pocket money …………………………………500

The fixed priced:
……Reception package ………………………..1,400
……Accommodations …………………………….300

What we actually did was we made a research first on the necessities and fixed priced elements of the wedding before setting a budget. This way, we were able to come up with a more realistic budget. We researched what prices are available, then studied the ones with the lowest price but still with the quality that suited us. It’s no use setting a $1000 budget for a reception, only to learn that such a price does not exist in the market… unless you’re desperate to stick to that price to the point of self-catering your own wedding.

Flexible expenses:
……Attire …………………………………………… 100
……Paper & print …………………………………..100
……Favors & gifts ………………………………… 100
……Allowance for extra expenses ………….. 200

Things we can do without
……Flowers …… …… …… …… …..(I might carry just a single bloom, then try something creative for the rest)
…… Professional photography…..(friends have cameras..that should be okay)
…… Car rental………… ……. …… (we don’t need limousines or special cars)
…… Paid entertainment………… …(we have talented friends and mp3 players)

Yes! It’s a destination wedding. The destination is a third world country, where everything is a whole lot crazy knock-out cheaper, and the reception venue is at the best hotel of that city. It’s indeed crazy. We’ll be spending $4,500 for a wedding with 100 guests that normally costs around ten times more in Australia. Now that we’ve settled the budget, let’s go shopping!