Photo by Lace and Luce

Venue / Food & Catering - 40% of your total budget

Photography - 12-15% of your total budget

Entertainment - 10% of your total budget

Florals, Decor & Details - 15% of your total budget

Fashion (for you both), Hair & Makeup - 7-10% of your total budget

Stationery - 3% of your total budget

Favors & Gifts - 2% of your total budget

Transportation - 2% of your total budget

Rainy Day Funds + Creative Help - 3-9% of your total budget

Looking at the above, though, we want to caveat florals, decor and details, because that 15% of the budget is hardly marginal. These elements essentially make up the non-venue-related aesthetic of your day, they drive your vibe, and they influence another one of your major wedding investments: photography. If you’ll be bringing on a photographer who is known for their attention to detail, their ability to capture meaningful moments in time and make you feel like you’re right back there, their uncanny talent for making the little things stand out and get noticed, then you’ll absolutely want to ensure that you’re budgeting for ALL of these things, not just the flowers. All that being said, we adore flowers, we couldn’t imagine wedding days without them and the genius artists behind them, we just want to acknowledge their creative counterparts and how so easily they can be glossed over. They definitely shouldn’t be, though, because details and decor bring sparkle to your day - they’re unsung heroes.