When planning a wedding, there is no time to be lost. As soon as the rush of engagement excitement peaks, it’s time to get busy on the details of the big day. And the first item on the agenda is one that is often difficult to discuss: money. Who is funding the event? (See below for some advice.) How large or small a budget is available? Answers to these questions are fundamental to all that follows.
If you’re considering hiring a wedding planner, now is a good time to do so. They can help guide your choices with an expert’s insight. Most planners offer a complimentary initial consultation, so clear expectations are set early on.
It’s time to pick your Milwaukee favorites for the year!
Whether you’re working with a planner or going it on your own, you can now start breaking down how much of your overall budget to allot to each line item. Also, create an initial guest list so you can get a sense of how many loved ones you’ll be hosting. It’s helpful to draft a timeline for the event – having an idea of what time you’d like to start, how many hours will be spent at the venue and what will happen when allows you to be more specific with vendors about how long you will need their services.
You now have an outline of your wedding: an approximate number of guests, the shape of the day and how much money you plan to spend. The next step is to secure a venue.
This will likely be your biggest budget item (an estimated 30 to 35%, according to The Knot), and the cost can range from a couple thousand dollars to $10,000-plus in the Milwaukee area. Venues book up far in advance, so try to act expediently.
After you’ve selected your venue, you can proceed with other vendors in no particular order. That doesn’t mean you should kick back and relax, though – the sooner you lock in all of your decisions, the less stress you’ll have as the day approaches.
Who’s Paying
The custom in which the bride’s family is solely responsible for paying for the entirety of the wedding is long gone, says Emily Riordan of Events to a T. “It’s much more of a group effort [now],” she adds. Today, either both families and the bride and groom contribute to various aspects of the day, Riordan explains, or both sets of parents split the total cost 50/50. And just what kind of sum should they expect to be splitting? According to The Wedding Report, the average cost of a wedding in the Milwaukee area in 2023 was just shy of $30,000, while the average guest count hovered around 135.
