Remember to set aside 💰💰 for these expenses!

Before planning my #wedding, I made a spreadsheet setting out my #budget for all the major expenses like photography, videography, MUA, gown, suits, rings, flowers, decor, food, and venue 💸💸

But as wedding planning moves along, I’m starting to realise that there are quite a few things I didn’t account for and while some of these expenses are small, they do add up! So if we are thinking about #mindfulspending for your wedding, don’t forget to budget for these expenses 📝

1️⃣ Nails for AD & PWS 💅💅- french tips are usually a common style for weddings and you usually have to pay a little bit extra if you want more than just a single colour. You should probably set aside around $100 for it. If you’re looking for an affordable place with nail art, some people have recommended Fifty;freed Beauty Bar - Cuppage Plaza. Otherwise there are some home-based nail techs like k.lab artistry that you can try. I gave k.lab artistry a try a few months ago and my nails lasted super long without chipping 💯

2️⃣ Accessories & Shoes 👠👞 - I guess this can either be very cheap or very expensive, depending on your preference. You could get fine jewellery or costume jewellery, and you could get shein shoes or branded / custom shoes. For accessories, some brides use the si dian jin as their accessories, but I guess it would depend on the neckline of your wedding gown. For ladies, do take into account that you may want to buy certain undergarments like BOOMBA and shapewear! These make a difference so you might want to consider buying them early to bring to your final fitting.

3️⃣ Wedding Angpau🧧🧧- This is SO important especially in Singapore to appreciate your friends that have helped out at your wedding OR at the tea ceremony if you are including your younger relatives. This is quite a large expense (especially if you have a lot of helpers and you want to DIY decor / other things at your wedding) so you should take it into account when doing your overall budget. I made a list of all the roles I needed help with to get a sensing of how much to budget. Don’t forget that you need to get the angpau packets too! If you want to customise them, you can try #taobao!

4️⃣ Food for Helpers / Vendors 🍕🍛 - If you are having a wedding rehearsal, it’s always nice to cater food for your helpers even if its not necessary. For vendors, they will likely require food, especially if they are working through lunch / dinner. So be sure to assign someone to order and get the food to them!

5️⃣ Props - whether for your #preweddingshoot or your #actualday you will probably need some kind of props - a bubble machine 🫧, picnic mat, a (red / transparent) umbrella ☂️, oranges for kid to pass to the groom 🍊, confetti 🎊 , flower petals 🥀, basket 🧺 , cushion for the rings… and the list goes on! Take some time to visualise your shoot / wedding and go through the schedule to see what you might need!

6️⃣ Beauty Treatments 💆‍♀️- I think brides can get away with not doing anything to our hair beforehand because the MUA will help style your hair, but grooms would definitely need some sort of haircut / styling beforehand 💇‍♂️+ sometimes MUAs suggest putting highlights in your hair to make the braids stand out! So hair colouring / styling is definitely something to budget for since it is NOT cheap. Tho maybe if you head to #jb to do it, you can save a little bit. Leading up to your big day, you may also want to get some facials in to make sure you are GLOWING, so even though this may not be essential, I’d think it’s probably easier to justify spending on facials in the months leading up to your wedding.

7️⃣ Parent’s outfits 👗👔 - I’ve realised that it is not uncommon to pay for your parents’ attires for the wedding + MUAs for mothers. Maybe they can afford to get it on their own, but I guess it’s a nice gesture to cover the costs for them if you’re able to! Plus if your dad / mum is walking you down the aisle then you might want to er…quality control (?) to make sure your photos look nice 😉 There are some rental places around in SG, though I’ve heard another good place to go is BANGKOK to tailor something!

OK that’s all for now! HOPE THIS HELPS! Did I miss anything? Let me know!

#weddingplanning #bridetobe #weddingtips