We finally managed to lock our budget after rigorous number crunching! We're using excel but looked at all kinds of online wedding budget samples as a guide, including a suggested one from the Government of Canada , one from theweddingring.ca (supposedly based on GTA prices) and the Weddingwire one. I noticed a bunch of questions in the community regarding budgeting so hopefully some of these points will help with your planning, especially if you're using the Weddingwire budget tool.
1) Head count - if you're following sample budgets online, most seem to be created for parties of 100 or less and you'll need to adjust accordingly if you have a bigger party.
2) Taxes and tips - the suggested costs in a lot of budget samples are just the base price that don't factor in taxes. Don't forget about them when budgeting or else you will suddenly go insanely over-budget.
3) Unfactored costs - almost all budgets I've seen don't factor in things like the rehearsal, insurance, SOCAN, delivery fees, special occasion permit (for those of you serving and hosting in a non-traditional wedding venue), gifts for your bridal party, etc. The one that seems to be overlooked a lot is labour.
4) All the trimmings - Quotes from vendors are usually not the final cost, especially if you didn't think to ask for specific services. Does your DJ cost include a lighting or projection package? Corkage fees for bringing in your own wine? Cutting fees for serving cake to guests? Printing for your photos? Alterations for your dress/suit?
5) Rings - they can be expensive and you don't want to overlook their effect on your wallet lol
Happy planning!
