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Every couple has different stories regarding their wedding planning moments. Budget allocation is the crucial part in the wedding planning. Five couples with different profiles will share their experiences when it came to preparing the wedding budget. From an intimate celebration to a big feast, a traditional or a modern style, as well as from ballroom to outdoor, their stories are precious references for brides and grooms-to-be.
Noel & Dosir
Total Invitations: 300
Budget: Around IDR 125,000,000
Venue: Ndalem Ngabean, Yogyakarta
Concept: Destination wedding with Javanese ceremony
- How you did the budget allocation?
From the beginning, we have decided not to spend more than IDR 150 million with 300 invitations. We knew that not all invitees could come when it comes to a destination wedding since distance matters. In reality, only 70% of our invitees were able to come. - Mention the elements that had major influence in keeping you stay on budget.
1. Helps from friends. I was fortunate to have friends and colleagues who were willing to support our wedding. It kept our budget on track. For example, a friend gave a makeup service as a wedding gift, my mother's best friend offered a discount for my kebaya and another best friend of mine helped me to design our invitation which I, then, proceeded to the printing service.
2. Do it yourself. My husband and I designed our souvenir, including the packaging, which allowed us to minimize our budget spending. Not only that, but I also prepared the welcome bags by myself, and I had so much fun doing it!
3. Research. Through Bridestory, I found a new rising photography vendor whose portfolio stole my heart. Also, since this was a destination wedding, I looked for local vendors to save the transportation budget.
4. Prioritizing. For us, the most important was the guests. They had to enjoy every moment. Thus, the catering menu and portion was our priority. Other than that, the wedding planner is also essential because they helped me a lot in organizing my wedding from abroad. For me, these two elements were the most crucial. Other things could be compromised. - When there was an unexpected additional budget during the process, what was your decision?
We tried pretty hard to stick to the budget. If there were things which budget was more than expected, we cut other element's expenses. We preferred not to use our savings. For example, I canceled the photo booth and changed it into a photo corner where guests could take photos by themselves. - How did you and your partner synchronize your wedding concept in the beginning?
Our mindset was to hold a thoughtful celebration without making our bank account screaming. Our parents did contribute financially, but we would want to finance our wedding mainly. When we surveyed locations in Jakarta, none of them sparked joy to me. Then, during our visit to my father's house in Yogyakarta, I immediately thought, "Why don't we have a wedding here?" Not only because my father was originally from the region, but also because the wedding budget in Yogyakarta is more affordable than in Jakarta. And, we thought it would be fun for the guests to visit the city. Fortunately, our friends and family supported my idea, and they were very excited about both the invitation and having a holiday.
Read more about Noel and Dosir's wedding on this link.
Ayya & Andrew
Total Invitations: 50
Budget: Less than IDR 100,000,000
Venue: Bunga Rampai, Jakarta
Concept: Intimate Luncheon
- How did you come up with an intimate wedding concept?
Honestly, the idea came into my mind because I was seeing how my four siblings held their marriage lavishly with elaborate preparations. I felt that I would not be comfortable if my wedding held like that. At the same time, Andrew also wanted the same thing when he saw his sister's intimate wedding which only invited main relatives and close friends. After we had our intimate wedding, we never regret it. It was very convenient, and we could freely mingle with our guests. - Mention the elements that had major influence in keeping you stay on budget.
1. Rundown. After akad, the wedding continued with lunch with our main relatives. An hour later, our close friends arrived and joined the luncheon. We had to make two different lunchtime since the venue capacity was limited. After having lunch, we publicly said thank you to the guests, then continued with speeches from our best friends. The reception went casual, and not a chance we missed mingle moments with our guests.
2. Venue. I did research on social media and friend's recommendations. When surveying Bunga Rampai four months before D Day, we fell in love directly. The capacity fitted our needs very well. Its interior was already artistic, and it didn't need additional decorations. In the beginning, we were hesitant when we saw their price list was outside our budget. However, their marketing staff was helpful in assisting us in deciding the menu that fits our budget. We, then, felt sure to have a wedding here and stopped the venue hunting.
3. The number of invitations. Of course, the number of invitations influences the wedding budget. Our 50 invitations consisted only of our immediate families and best friends. The menu portion was doubled since some of our guests would bring their partners or children. - Was there disagreement from your families regarding your wish to have an intimate feast?
I had told my family about my wish to have a wedding that invites only immediate relatives and close friends since long before, even before I had a fiancee. Thus, when the time came to me to arrange my wedding, my family already understood and being so supportive.
Tina & Moko
Total Invitations: 150
Budget: Around IDR 250,000,000
Venue: Glasshouse at The Ritz- Carlton Pacific Place, Jakarta
Concept: Modern and minimalist
- How did you and your partner synchronize your wedding concept in the beginning?
From the beginning, we have agreed to have an intimate wedding with only close relatives and friend as the attendees. Then, we have planned to prepare the wedding mostly by ourselves to keep it on budget. - Mention the elements that had major influence in keeping you stay on budget.
1. Invitations and souvenir. We designed the invitation and delivered it to the printing service. We also prepared and packaged the souvenirs together.
2. Decoration. We intentionally went for a flowerless theme because we knew that flowers would increase the decoration rate. At the same time, this concept was in line with the minimalist theme that we have planned.
3. Good connection with vendors. It happened that Moko has been in the wedding industry quite a while. Hence, some vendors, such as photographer, makeup artists, and other elements, were his acquaintances. - When there was an unexpected additional budget during the process, what was your decision?
Honestly, we did spend a little more than what we have planned. This happened when there was a particular aesthetic factor we wanted to pursue, or there was a special request from our parents in terms of food.
Read more about Tina and Moko's wedding on this link.
Mishella & Oscar
Total invitation: 150
Budget: Around IDR 100,000,000
Venue: A private residence in Jakarta
Concept: Casual backyard party
- How did you and your partner synchronize your wedding concept in the beginning?
Our mindset about wedding is that it should not be luxurious and should not spend too much money. We were a lot more interested in a simple and intimate wedding where we can freely mingle with the guests. We didn't want the guests to only be spectators, but we also looked forward them to involve in our happiness celebration. - Mention the elements that had major influence in keeping you stay on budget.
1. Concept/theme. It began with choosing which elements are important and which one is not necessary. For example, for the music, we chose a DJ instead of a band with a playlist matched to our concept. Then, the rundown was also different from most weddings. For example, we deliberately skipped the wedding cake, thus there was no cut-the-cake session.
2. Number of invitations. With only 150 invitees, we have expected that there would be 350 guests.
3. Not comparing with other weddings. Every couple is not similar and has different either wish or taste. Other common wedding concept might probably not match with our characters. Therefore, we have to focus to realize our own dream wedding. - When there was an unexpected additional budget during the process, what was your decision?
We did face an additional budget due to additional guests requested by our parents. In order to solve it, we did a cross-subsidy. We cut down other element to keep the budget on track. - How did you communicate to your parent about your uncommon wedding concept?
We explained the idea of an intimate wedding. They eventually understood. The point is to build a good communication with the family.
Read more about Mishella and Oscar's wedding on this link.
Anka & Esha
Total invitations: 400
Budget: Around IDR 165,000,000
Venue: Remaja Kuring, South Tangerang
Concept: Outdoor contemporary
- How did you and your partner synchronize your wedding concept in the beginning?
Since the beginning, we wished for a simple wedding that is filled with inner circle friends. From that mindset, we listed down vendors and calculated them. - How was your budget allocation?
We have set that we have to stick at IDR 150 million. However, during the process, we spent IDR 167 million due to additional invitations requested by our parents. I'm the only child in my family, and my husband is the first child. Thus our parents wanted our wedding to be very special. Since family matters, we didn't feel hesitant to spend more budget as long as it would not too much. From 400 invitees, we had expected that there would be almost 1,000 guests, so we ordered catering for 1,200 portions. - Mention the factors that had major influence in keeping you stay on budget.
1. Remember the initial objective. The primary objective of marriage is not to make other people happy, but to have a sacred moment. Therefore, we have to remember our own purpose to marry.
2. Don't waste money. We always remember that marriage begins with a wedding, but the union that starts the journey of life actually happens after the wedding. Preparing a wedding could take months, but it only lasts for some hours. Therefore, we should not waste too much money on the wedding.
3. Self-funding. We put effort to be stick to the budget because we didn't ask financial support from our parents. I preferred to save fundings for life after marriage, instead of spending it too much only for the wedding.
4. Agreed and consistent. Every detail should be communicated and agreed by my partner. Also, we were committed to things we have decided.
After reading these real couples' stories, now it is your turn to start budget planning for your dream wedding. Don't know where to begin? Find the guide on this link.
