When you get engaged you start looking up venues and catering, rentals and photographers. But before you can make final decisions on any of these big budget items, you first need to know one thing: how many guests are you inviting?
That’s right – the one thing that impacts all others is the guest list.
Here’s the break down for how the guest list impacts different aspects of your wedding budget:
Venue
If you are planning on having a guest list of 100, there are many venues that can facilitate your guests without issue. But, if you end up actually having a guest list of 300, many venues can no longer hold that number of guests. This means you would need to look elsewhere. Knowing how many people you are going to invite is a huge factor in picking your venue.
Catering
Similar to venue, you need to know how many people are coming so that you can order the correct amount of food and, maybe more importantly, cake! Disclaimer: you normally can finalize your numbers with the caterer closer to wedding day. However, for budgeting purposes specifically you really should know close estimates ahead of time.
Florals
This might not be as evident right off the bat because we often start thinking of the bridal bouquet when wedding flowers come up. However, you probably want some beautiful arrangements for centerpieces and of course…you guessed it… the more guests the more centerpieces!
Rentals
In lieu of being redundant we’ll keep this one short. The number of people attending your wedding directly impact how many tables and chairs you need to pay for. It will also effect the size of a tent or dance floor if you need to rent those.
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Photography/Videography
Photographers and videographers normally offer several different package options that are influenced by whether or not you want a second shooter. The packages will also detail how long they will be at your wedding. While the length of time that you want your day to be documented will probably not be impacted by your guest list, the number of people you want to be doing that documentation could be. If you are having a small and intimate wedding you may only need one photographer and one videographer. This is both a personal preference and a recommendation that the photographer can make.
These big ticket items will be directly effected by how many guests you have at your wedding. Make sure that you and your fiancé sit down and make a guest list before you start asking for quotes from vendors. In the end this will make your life easier by allowing you to have an accurate budget from day one! Here is a fun flow chart to help you out.
Need help with your budget? Check out our list of services on the link here to check out the packages that we offer to make your wedding planning a breeze!
