Guest count
Every added guest touches food, beverages, rentals, stationery and service. Trimming the list is the one decision that can lower several categories at once.
THE LILY IN JUNE BUDGET GUIDE
Put the big bucks where they matter.
A wedding budget is not a test of what you can afford. It is a plan for creating the experience you value—without asking every category to be the star.
START WITH THREE LEVERS
What actually moves the number?
The container
A backyard can be wonderfully personal, but tents, power, restrooms and rentals may make it less economical than it appears. Compare venues by what is included, not the rental fee alone.
Your chosen feeling
An immersive room, exceptional hospitality and editorial documentation each require different specialists. Decide what guests should remember before assigning dollars.
A HEALTHY FIRST DRAFT
Think in buckets, not vendor-by-vendor.
These are flexible planning bands, not rules. Your three priorities should pull money toward them; everything else can stay beautifully sufficient.
Venue, food, beverage & rentals40–55%
Design, florals & paper12–25%
Photography & film8–15%
Planning & management8–15%
Music, transportation & details8–15%
Unassigned cushion5–10%
BEFORE YOU FALL IN LOVE WITH A PRICE
Ask what the number includes.
Food proposals: service staff, rentals, tax, gratuity and kitchen needs can meaningfully change a per-person menu price.
Venue proposals: furniture, setup time, security, power, rain plans and required vendors determine the true cost.
Floral proposals: labor, mechanics, delivery, installation and strike are part of the design—not an afterthought.
Your cushion: keep it unassigned until the last quarter of planning. It is freedom, not leftover money.
BOOTS-ON-THE-GROUND PRICING
We trust the work, not the headline.
National wedding reports can be useful signals, but we have seen them publish conflicting numbers and flatten very different celebrations into one average. They are not our source of truth.
Lily in June builds realistic budgets from the work itself: actual proposals, final invoices, venue minimums, service charges, rental requirements, seasonal shifts and ongoing conversations with trusted professionals across Houston, Austin and Dallas. We have planned the events, made the calls and watched the numbers change in real time. Published studies are a secondary sense check; experience is the benchmark.
YOUR NEXT USEFUL STEP