Having a Budget Wedding Part 2 - Priorities

All images curtesy of theknot.com.


Actually, I lied at the end of the last budget wedding post. There's one more thing before we get to the guest list.

So, now that you are beginning to see what your dream wedding would look like, it's time to come back down to reality. You have a budget. You want to stick to your budget. And trust me, on your first anniversary, you will be much more thankful for refusing to go into massive debt for the wedding, then you will be dissapointed that you didn't have a stretch hummer limo! But how do you make your dreams come true without sacrificing your budget and vis versa?!?!?! That is were the priorities come in!

With weddings, just like in life, priorities are key! If you don't know where your priorities are, then you may spend $1000 on the first beautiful dress that you see, and find out later that having nice, catered food is more important to you than the dress! Opps! Trust me, figuring out your priorities will save you big time, and make sure that your money goes to what is most important to you.

There are a few ways to do this. One is to list all the differnt elements you consider to be associated with the wedding, (i.e. flowers, food, alcohol, dress, tux, wedding cake, etc) and then you and your fiance rank them in order of importance. Another way is for you and your fiance to both make a "Top 3" list. This list would (rather obviously) be your top 3 priorities. For instance, having a a bag piper may be one of yours, and your fiance may be insistant on getting married outside.

This expercise is going to set the tone for everything to come, and make decisions much easier. For instance, if having catered high end asian food to celebrate one person's heritage is important to one participate, then it may be a requirement to keep the guest list to a minimum. If you have a large circle of friends and a large extended family, and having all of them at the wedding is important to you, then you may need to think about alternative types of receptions such as a brunch or dessert reception.

One of the important things when planning a wedding is that both people participate as much as possible. Usually one person takes the lead in planning, which is fine. But make sure that the other person's thoughts are heard as well. Just because one person may be a guy doesn't mean they don't know anything about flowers, and just because one person is a girl doesn't mean that she has dreamed of this since she was five. Planning a wedding is the first big thing that many couples do as a team. So, start your marriage off well with lots of communication, respect, and understanding.

Next up: The Guest List