Dream Wedding Budget Planning

When it comes to money matters, there’s always a chill in the air. Thinking about how to keep your budget from going overboard is a constant concern. Make sure a wedding is truly the beginning of a real life together, not the end. Don’t let the wedding debts quickly overwhelm you.

I always believe that weddings mark the end of a sweet romance novel and the start of a true life journey for the couple. Living together until old age isn’t easy. And if you’re starting your life together in debt, it can make things even harder and much more stressful. That’s why it’s crucial to prioritize budgeting for the wedding.

Today, I want to share some tips that my partner and I found useful when planning our wedding. Hopefully, they’ll be beneficial to couples who are in the planning phase.

Expenses for a Dream Wedding

You might have thought that traditionally, men are the ones who foot the bill and take responsibility for everything, while the bride just needs to show up looking beautiful like a princess. But in reality, that’s not the case anymore. This kind of thinking may have been suitable in the past when women weren’t working, but times have changed. Men and women now have equal rights to work. So, it’s time to let go of this outdated notion. Some men don’t have much money, so they have to borrow it, whether from relatives, friends, or personal loans with low-interest rates. It’s not something to be proud of when the person you love becomes in debt just because they want to live with you.

We must understand that a wedding is about two people, both financially and emotionally invested. Once you’re married, you share the same pocket more or less depending on your agreement and the nature of your relationship. To prevent overspending and regrets later on, it’s important to create a realistic budget plan for the wedding.

The following table is an example of the budget plan we used for our wedding. Your list may vary, but it can serve as a guideline to help you create a more accurate budget plan. I recommend agreeing on the concept first (read previous blog posts Concept and how to choose the venue)

If you want the Excel file, please leave a comment below with your email, and I’ll send it to you 😘

Bride’s Dowry

In Thai tradition, the groom is supposed to provide a dowry, usually in the form of gold, to the bride’s family as a gesture of gratitude for raising their daughter well. But why is it always the case? If we think about it, aren’t there fathers who raise their sons well too? Then why don’t they receive dowries?

As a woman myself, I understand the desire to have a beautiful wedding. But we also need to empathize with our partners. My husband is European, and in his culture, there’s no tradition of giving dowries. Personally, I don’t like the idea of treating it like a transaction. So, we talked it out and let my husband decide whether he wanted to give a dowry or not. It’s about mutual understanding and compromise.

This is a significant issue for both parties because it involves six people and societal status, especially for the bride’s side. If the bride understands the financial situation of the groom or disagrees with this tradition, she needs to express her concerns and persuade her elders on her side. If this issue isn’t resolved, it could lead to future conflicts.

Bride’s Attire

No matter how many weddings you attend, you’ll often hear grooms complain about the high cost of bridal attire, almost as if it’s one of the major expenses. I want to remind brides, especially, not to let the phrase “once in a lifetime” ruin your life before it even begins.

Every woman wants to be the most beautiful on her special day, and everyone can achieve that. But it’s not about the price of the dress, the brand of the store, the value of the jewelry, or even the cost of makeup and hairstyling. A simple, well-fitted white wedding dress that suits you perfectly can make you stand out and be memorable.

It’s a sad sight when you see a bride in a stunning, expensive dress while the groom wears the cheapest suit from the store, or worse, just happily wears his own. Hey, your groom also wants to look his best on this special day too. By the way, our groom’s attire stole the show 😀

Getting help or using services from friends or acquaintances isn’t a bad thing. I designed our wedding dress together with a friend who offered to make it at a reasonable price, and we were extremely pleased with the result. We ordered jewelry online at very affordable prices (did we get a good deal or not?), and for makeup and hairstyling, we used a talented friend who charged a modest fee but delivered fantastic results. I wanted to look beautiful but also wanted my partners to be able to remember me as well, the makeup can make you look like a different person.

So, when it comes to money matters, it’s crucial to discuss and plan together to avoid overspending and burdening either party.

Thank you once again for reading. I might have missed or delayed some parts because of my busy schedule, but I’ll make sure to cover everything. Please leave comments, suggestions, and feedback 😊