Budgeting: First Communion budget: outfit, party and gifts

What does a First Communion budget cover?

First Holy Communion is an important sacrament in the Catholic Church, usually received around the age of seven or eight. The day centres on a church service, and many families follow it with a meal or party for relatives and friends. Traditionally, girls wear a white dress and sometimes a veil, and boys wear a suit or smart clothes.

The service itself usually costs little or nothing, though some parishes suggest a small donation or a fee for preparation classes and materials. Most of the cost comes from the celebration around it. A First Communion budget helps you decide what kind of day you want and keeps it in proportion, especially if you have more than one child who'll celebrate in the coming years.

The main costs are:

• The outfit: dress or suit, shoes and accessories
• The celebration: food, drink and possibly a venue
• The extras: photos, cake, decorations, invitations and a small gift

How much does a First Communion cost?

Here's a sample budget for a family lunch with about 30 guests, in round numbers that work in any currency:

A celebration at home removes the venue cost, and a smaller guest list cuts the food bill. Some families spend a few hundred on the whole day, while others hold a larger party at a restaurant or hall and spend more. There's no right amount, only what suits your family.

How do you save on the outfit?

The outfit is often worn once, which makes it one of the easiest places to save.

Look at second-hand

Many communion dresses and suits are sold in excellent condition after a single wear. Local selling groups, charity shops and online marketplaces often have them at a fraction of the new price.

Borrow or hand down

Cousins, friends and older siblings may have outfits to pass on. Some parishes or schools run swaps for this reason.

Choose a suit that can be worn again

For boys, a smart jacket and trousers can be worn to weddings and other events afterwards, so the cost goes further.

Buy accessories last

Veils, gloves, bags and ties add up. Decide which ones matter to your child and skip the rest. Kids' clothes budget covers keeping children's clothing costs down in general.

How do you plan the celebration?

Decide on home, hall or restaurant

A lunch at home is the cheapest option. A parish hall costs a little more but gives you space. A restaurant is easiest but usually the most expensive per guest.

Keep the guest list to close family and friends

Godparents, grandparents and close family are the core. Each extra guest adds food and drink costs.

Cook or share the food

Many families cook a simple meal or ask relatives to bring a dish. How to host a dinner on a budget has ideas for feeding a crowd without overspending.

Keep the cake and decorations low-key

A homemade or supermarket cake decorated at home can look lovely. White and gold decorations, flowers and photos of your child are often all you need.

How much do guests give for a First Communion?

Gifts are often money, a religious keepsake or a small present. Close family tend to give more, and friends give a smaller amount or a card. If you're a guest, there's no fixed rule. How much to spend on a birthday gift covers a sensible way to decide based on how close you are. Parents often put cash gifts into savings for their child.

How do you save up for the day?

The date is usually known months ahead. If you plan to spend 1,200 and start six months before, that's 200 a month. Starting a year ahead halves it. If you have younger children, planning for their communions too, a year or two apart, helps you spread the cost.

Remember that the day is about your child and the sacrament, not the size of the party. Children tend to remember the people who came, the special outfit and feeling proud, far more than the venue or decorations. A modest celebration that leaves no debt behind is a good outcome, and it keeps money free for the other milestones that follow in the years ahead.

How can Wealtie help you plan?

Set up a budget for the day and log each purchase in its own expense categories, like outfit, food and photos. You'll see how much is left as you buy things, and keep a record you can look back on when the next child's communion comes around.