Sticking to Your Wedding Budget: 4 Key Tips

Once you've finalized your wedding budget you have to stick to it. In addition to keeping track of your expenses, keep an eye out for places to save and unexpected expenses you may incur. Follow these four budgeting tips to make sure you don't go over your wedding budget.

Step 1: Get a System

Put your accounting skills to the test by deciding on a budgeting system to track all the money coming in and out.

• The easiest way? Our Wedding Budgeter, which automatically tells you how much you should be spending on everything from music to mother-in-law gifts, and allows you to track all your payments and their due dates.
• Otherwise you can put all your info in an old-fashioned spreadsheet. Just make sure you record every payment you make and who you owe what.

Step 2: Explore Hidden Costs and Extras

• Avoid overtime: If the party's hopping, those extra 45 minutes may whiz by, but you'll probably pay dearly in overtime costs for everyone from the photographer and the caterer to the venue manager. If you suspect the wedding may go long, work overtime costs into your budget -- if you don't use it, it'll be a nice surprise chunk of cash.
• Factor in tips: From the sexton who cleans the church to the hotel steward who delivers your welcome bags, even conservative tipping can add hundreds to your wedding cost. Make sure to account for these costs in your initial budget.
• Remember trials aren't always free: A florist's demo may be gratis the first time, but if you make repeated changes, you risk being billed. Budget your trial hair style into your overall hair budget.
• Don't forget the little stuff: Things like stamps for the RSVP cards, ribbons for the favors, and marriage license fees seem so small that you can shrug them off, but like any costs, they add up. Going "just over budget" in a couple different categories with a vague plan of making it up somewhere else can push you past your limit.