Wedding Planning Begins

After accepting my fiance's proposal on May 20, 2006, thoughts about my dream wedding started flashing through my mind. Along with my preferences, of course, budget has to be the major consideration. I dream of a wedding that's practical and simple yet the elegance, beauty, and solemnity will never be sacrificed.

In the process of wedding preps, my fiance and I had disagreements on some things but just to appease me, he gave in to my requests.

As a start, I devised my own excel template where I can list down the things needed and the corresponding budget for each item on my list. There had been several templates available in the wedding magazine I bought but I still find it incomplete so the one I did is better for my use. (Note: You can also make your own template or ledger that works for you.)

Here's how I have listed the things I need for my wedding:

1. Church
2. Reception
3. Photo & Video
4. Bride's Gown and Shoes
5. Bride's Accessories
6. Groom's Barong and Shoes
7. Flowers
8. Caterer
9. Wedding Invitation
10.Wedding Souvenir (I opted not to have this)
11.Make up artist
10.Check In Hotel
11.Honeymoon Destination
12.Wedding Favors
13.Others

I have assigned budget for each item so I already have an idea on the cost that I will scout come the actual sourcing of suppliers. A buffer budget must also be allocated to compensate for any increase in budget of certain item in the list.

My wedding preparation is one year so I had the luxury of time sourcing out for the right suppliers. I learned that it is better to make catering reservation early to avail of the 2007 rate. Caterers usually increase their rate every year so take the opportunity of getting the potential savings by booking early.