What now? Breathe...

Award winning Wedding Planner and venue stylist Paula Burns, helps you to take the anxiety out of your planning.

Planning a wedding is huge! And don't let anyone tell you any differently.

Yes it's fun. Yes you get to choose beautiful things and make big decisions, that don't usually play a part in your normal life. But it's a HUGE undertaking. So my job is to help you sail through it, by reminding you of the little things that will make a big difference to your day. One of those things is setting a budget. You can't plan a wedding without one! So whether your budget is big or small, it's a task that has to be done.

Setting a budget can be one of the most difficult tasks to do, especially as you may have no experience in the wedding industry and the types of costs relating to it. So where do you even start?

You start with you. Only you know how much you can afford to spend, so it's important not to get swayed by everything that sparkles. Here are my top tips on getting clear and managing your budget:

Decide on a figure that makes you feel comfortable and more importantly, decide whether you can absolutely afford to spend this amount. Take into account if you will be getting any financial help from friends and family. Do this exercise BEFORE you start researching prices of venues & suppliers! The response I get to this is 'what if my budget is unrealistic?'. This leads on to my next tip; your expectations needs to match your budget.

When I work with my clients I spend time exploring their options based on their budget and then match them as close to their expectations as possible. It's a trick I've learnt during my18 years planning and managing weddings. It all comes down to understanding the hidden factors that will affect your budget.

For example, the type of venue you choose is your biggest consideration. But this doesn't mean you have to lower your expectations if your budget is restricted. Choosing a venue without grounds and opting to have your outdoor photos at another location is an option. Or hiring a venue and transforming it can make things a lot cheaper.

The choices you make for your catering can also drain your budget –choices like table service, number of courses etc. While bespoke menus or later weddings can have favourable effect on your funds.

I also advise to look out for those pesky extra charges that can crop up when you least expect them. That's only because they weren't discussed up front. Things like delivery & pick up costs, set up fees and even extra touches that you don't particularly want or need.

I have dedicated a whole section to managing budgets in my Ultimate Guide to Starting your Wedding Plans which you can download from the shop on my web site www.paulaburns.net. I go in deep with tips and tricks on how to get comfortable and how to manipulate your budget. Until next time, enjoy your planning and...don't forget to breathe x www.paulaburns.net info@paulaburns.net

Tel: 07830 315367

@paulaburnseventsandweddings