How to Create Your Wedding Budget in 5 Steps

Before we dive into wedding budgets, allow us to first congratulate you on your engagement! This time should be savored and enjoyed with family and friends. From our team at The Outpost Center to you and your fiancé, we are thrilled for you to take this next step in your journey together. 

As you begin to walk through the early stages of planning your celebration, we thought we would offer our tried and true advice about wedding budgets. Although finances may not be the most exciting topic to cover (color palettes, menu options, music, and flowers will always feel more thrilling!), uncovering your wedding budget is the piece that allows you, your fiancé, and your families to explore every other element. Some may say it’s one of the most important wedding details, and we have to agree! 

Today, we’re diving into wedding budgets, but we’re doing so with ease. Below, you’ll find our top five tips for creating your wedding budget and why you should honor it once it’s decided. Make sure to keep reading!  

Have a Meeting

When you’re starting to determine your wedding budget, the very first step you should take is to plan a day to have a meeting with everyone who will be financially involved in your wedding day. During this meeting, we encourage everyone in attendance to be open and honest about the amount they hope to spend. 

If multiple people are contributing, it’s helpful to decide with them if they would like to invest in a specific piece (i.e.: your venue and catering; flowers; music; photographer; wedding planner) or if their contribution can be allocated to any area. If they would like to be involved in a specific piece, you will want to continue to keep them in the loop about the professionals you’re considering. 

The key to this meeting is to truly listen to everything that’s said. When everyone is feeling positive, it helps the group to stay on the same page and excited about the rest of the planning ahead.   

Determine Your Guest Count

Whether you explore your guest count during the meeting we mentioned above or note the friends and family you would like to invite at a later time, determining your guest count will drive many of the decisions you will make throughout your wedding planning process. Before we go any further, we should note you do not need to write a finalized list of the specific guests you plan to invite. A general number is perfectly fine and reasonable for this step!

The number of guests who will join you on your wedding day will lead you to look at venues that can accommodate your count. Plus, the number of guests who may attend will determine how much you can expect to spend on catering. The list goes on! 

As a general rule, plan to allocate about 40-60% of your wedding budget toward your venue and menu. 

Explore Your Inspiration

Once you have a rough idea of how much you would like to spend and how many guests you would like to invite, wedding planning will likely feel a bit more like you imagined. It’s time to explore your inspiration!

The best way to uncover the things you like, love, and even dislike is to spend time exploring Instagram and Pinterest. Both are visual tools that allow you to save photos to your collections (Instagram) and boards (Pinterest) that you can revisit to see the themes that emerge through the items you collect. You will likely see things like specific flowers, indoor versus outdoor ceremonies, wedding styles (our couples are drawn toward garden-inspired and rustic celebrations), and more. 

Discovering where your inspiration lies will help you to contact the wedding professionals who will match your style and understand your unique personalities. Plus, it will help you while you’re completing the next step!  

Rank by Importance

It may not be in your best interest (or reality!) to splurge on every area of your wedding. So, plan to talk through ideas with your fiancé and those who are helping to pay for your wedding about the specifics that are most important to you. 

We have found it’s helpful for couples to rank what’s important to them from most to least important. Through doing this, you can decide on your top 3-5 most important items together and allocate your budget accordingly. Many of our couple’s lists look something like this:

• Photographer

• Venue + Catering/Menu

• Music/Entertainment

• Wedding Dress/Attire

• Flowers

Decide + Honor Your Budget

Once you’ve reached this point, you, your fiancé, and your family have likely decided on a budget the group is confident and comfortable spending. As an added tip, you don’t necessarily need to determine one specific number. Instead, your group may find it helpful to have a range in mind. 

No matter what you decide, one thing is key: once your budget is decided, honor it. Spending more than you intended and encountering debt is not worth it. Remember, your relationships and the future you’re building together are what’s most important!

What tips and tricks have you found most helpful while determining your wedding budget? Chime in below to continue the conversation!  

GETTING MARRIED AT THE OUTPOST CENTER

Deciding on a wedding venue is the most important booking you’ll make for your big day. We recognize that is a bold statement, but it’s true! Your wedding venue booking establishes your date, which sets the tone for the remainder of your wedding planning. It’s a big decision that can feel overwhelming and stressful. However, it can also be extremely exciting and exhilarating. Once you’ve made this huge decision, you can get to all of the other really fun planning!

There are a few important things to keep in mind when booking your venue- here is our quick list of things to consider/ask during your venue tour:

• Do you host events all year long?

• What are you options for indoor vs. outdoor celebrations?

• Do you have on-site parking?

• What vendors are we required to use?

• Do we need insurance?

• What is your capacity?

• How long do we have use of the space?

• Is a rehearsal included (if so, when)?

• Who is responsible for set-up and clean-up?

• What is the deposit?

• When is the balance due?

• Do you have a venue coordinator?

• Do we need a wedding coordinator or planner?

• Do you have a space that we can ready in?

• What is included with the rental fee? Do we need to provide our own tables & chairs?

Knowing these answers will help you determine if it’s a viable option for your wedding- including if you can afford the space and if it will work for your guest list.

When comparing venues, it’s also important to factor in what is important to you about the wedding day. No two weddings are the same, so creating a list of priorities is critical for making the decision that makes the most sense for you as a couple.

Personally, we pride ourselves on the flexibility we offer. Not only can you host your ceremony and reception on-site (if you wish), but you can bring in all of your own vendors. This allows you to craft the day based on your unique vision, without the restrictions many other locations impose. Being able to host events in Minnesota year-round is also a bonus!

We’d love to provide you and your sweetheart a tour of the space! Contact us today to schedule a time!

Questions to Ask on Your Venue Tour

Making site visits is one of the most exciting moments of the wedding planning process! But it can also be overwhelming. What do you ask? How much do you budget? Is it big enough? Does it have the ambiance you imagined? Can you bring your own vendors or do you have to use the list provided? It can be a challenge to keep up. Luckily, we're here to help you get the most out of your venue tour! Here is a list of questions to ask to get your tour off on the best foot possible! 

• What does the venue fee include?
• What is the capacity?
• How many events do you do per day?
• When can we have access to the venue?
• When do we have to leave?
• If we want an extra hour for our reception (standard is usually fou), can we book that the night of or does it need to be booked in advance? Is there an additional fee? What is it? 
• Who handles set-up and breakdown of the event?
• Do you provide catering or do I provide my own?
• Do I need a wedding coordinator or planner?
• Who handles the cake cutting? 
• Do we have access to the venue for a rehearsal? Is there a fee?
• What happens if it rains? 
• Am I allowed to choose all of my own vendors or is there a required list to choose from?
• Where do we get ready?
• Do you offer accommodations or have recommendations?
• What else do I need to know? 

We would love to have you visit The Outpost Center! Email or call us [(952) 475-8095] to set-up your appointment today!

MINNESOTA WEDDING VENUE| GETTING MARRIED AT THE OUTPOST CENTER

So you have questions about getting married at The Outpost Center- well we've got answers! You've already found your dream partner... we want to help you pull off your dream wedding! We know there are a lot of factors that go into selecting the perfect wedding venue. If you've been dreaming of wide open spaces, rustic charm and a location that is the perfect size for large and small events- we're here to tell you that you've found your match!

First, let's go through the fun stuff!

Wedding Ceremony Sites

We offer a choice of two outdoor wedding ceremony sites: Choose the crisp, manicured green space ceremony site with traditional, white garden chairs OR select our rustic, natural ceremony site held in a mowed field with wooden ceremony arbor, surrounded by natural tall grasses and wildflowers just beyond the timber shed.

After your ceremony, enjoy moving freely about the outdoor space. Enjoy your social hour in the outdoor kitchen patio area. Your guests will enjoy the picturesque farm scenery as they are entertained while playing lawn games and visiting at the fire pit.

Wedding Reception Site

The Outpost Center building exudes "rustic elegance" in our reception space that has a charming, warm, barn atmosphere with seating up to 299. We offer a neutral color scheme with rustic, reclaimed barn wood accents! It's the perfect backdrop for you to create a casual or elegant setting. We are unique in offering this farm/barn venue for weddings, receptions and other celebrations YEAR ROUND as we are equipped with both A/C for the summer and heat for our MN winters! The interior of the building has three restrooms, a bridal ready lounge in the loft space, a room for the groomsmen and a kitchen for your caterer. 

Amenities 

Your rental includes tables, white garden chairs and wooden spool tables on casters for social hour, lawn games and 3 bundles of firewood for enjoyment at our fire pit.

Terms & conditions

• Enjoy the beautiful barn building and upper grounds for your special day beginning at 9am.
• We ask that on Friday and Saturday the celebration be wrapped up and guests be departed by 11pm; tear down complete and vendors exiting by midnight.
• Sunday schedule is 9am-10pm with vendors gone by 11pm. (If enjoying outdoor music, the amplification needs to cease by 8pm).
• A 50% non-refundable deposit and $500 damage deposit due at signing of contract to secure date. The remaining 50% balance is due 180 days prior to the event. (If date chosen is already within 180 days, payment is due in full at contact signing).
• Special Event Insurance Policy needs to be purchased within ONE week of signing our wedding contract. 
• Alcohol: Beer and wine only, served by 1 of 3 approved vendors.
• Food: You can choose from a vendor list that is given at our tour or select your own caterer.

Ready to book your tour?! Head on over to our contact page- we'd love to meet you!

We want to build a healthy marriage that lasts a lifetime. We are blessed to host you as you begin this journey. We hope you will also join us for our wonderful Marriage Ministry program.