Las Vegas bride, what’s your wedding budget? If you answered with a specific number, congrats! You’re well on your way to accomplishing your wedding planning with a budget that’ll keep you out of debt and in the know on your spending boundaries. On the other hand, if your answer included “Ummm, I don’t know yet” or “Well, we’re flexible,” you might want to take a moment to discuss the money matter. To any recently engaged couples, hakuna matata. There’s no need to be concerned. You deserve a week or two to celebrate together and to share your new relationship status with friends, family, and Facebook. But amidst all the excitement, you’ll soon need to find time to start planning your Las Vegas wedding.

You’ve probably heard of all the different tasks you’ll need to do as a bride who’s beginning the wedding planning process. But before you visit wedding professionals and book services, you’ll need to consider what you are willing to spend. Today we’d like to give you, Las Vegas brides and grooms, an overview of how to set your budget, what to spend, and where to spend it.

Show me the money.

First, decide how much money you and your fiancé will contribute from your savings to the wedding fund. Secondly, determine how much money you and your fiancé can save in the coming months that you can realistically spend on wedding planning. Finally, meet with both sets of parents and discuss set figures to establish how much your parents are willing to contribute toward your wedding day. In this final scenario, be sure to stay within your parents’ price guidelines and make sure to thank them for their generosity.

Establish an overall figure.

Once you have discussed the finances with your fiancé and your families, you’ll know how much money you have to work with. Combine these three sources of cash to establish a total figure. This number is your wedding budget.

Consider the percentages.

Now that you have a total figure for your wedding budget, you’ll have to break it down into expenses. If you would like, you can hire a wedding consultant for assistance. But if you prefer a D.I.Y. method, view a wedding planning budget guide that estimates what you need to spend for each category. Whether your budget includes $2,000 or $25,000, a wedding budget guide with percentages (see right) will let you know how much to spend for every element of your Las Vegas wedding.

Stick with your budget.

You’ll find that it becomes easy to sway from your projected prices. While full-fledged bouquets in every nook and cranny of the reception room would look stunning, it may not be doable for your pocketbook. Be respectful to yourself, your fiancé, and you family by sticking to your budget. Often, when you’re honest with wedding professionals about how much you have to spend, they’ll be willing and ready to work with you to make your wedding dreams come true without breaking the bank.

Author: Allyson Siwajian © 2010