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Every wedding has one. Whether you want to admit it or not. She's there, questioning every decision you make, putting the guilt trip on you, keeping it real. Yep, she's the wedding BUDGET. Budget need not be a bad word though. Frugal brides are the hottest new trend in wedding planning. Why? There are probably several reasons. Some brides and grooms may feel they want to focus on the relationship and don't want an overemphasis on material matters. Others don't want to start a marriage by creating wedding debt. I learned very quickly that it's not called a wedding INDUSTRY without reason. Brides-to-be are targeted with lots of "must haves" and media glitz and glamour. Without a budget guiding you, you will be in very deep before you know it, and sadly it can happen before you can say, "I do". There are lots of resources that will help you once you have a budget in mind. We used The Knot Complete Guide to Weddings in the Real World
. (FOB bought three, one for each daughter and one for me!) It had a budget itemization that worked well for us. We created a spreadsheet to use and as purchases and commitments to vendors were made, we added them in. Our daughters discovered that if they really felt one area, say the reception, was more important to them than another, such as photography, they could adjust the budget and choose their vendors accordingly. In other words, THEY controlled the spending instead of the other way around. How'd they do? Well, they both thanked us afterwards for giving them the wedding of their dreams, and it costs less than we had anticipated. Analysts predict spending on weddings in 2010 will average between $20,000 to $22,000. Does that surprise you? As was my dream for my daughters, I hope I can show you some ways to save money and still have the wedding you desire. This timely coupon just arrived for readers of The Green Hanger Shop! Jenny, from The Wedding Lens wants to share a special offer with you! As she puts it, "For the budget-strapped couple, one idea is to hire a professional photographer for only the ceremony and bridal party pictures. By using The Wedding Lens , you can collect all of the candid shots of the reception, cake cutting, and toasts from your guests without having to pay for the photographer's extra hours. Out of the dozens of friends taking pictures, you're sure to find a few good ones!" Visit their website and use coupon code: TENOFFJAN2010 to get 10% off this amazing service! I will keep an eye out for more deals for you to consider. Just remember who's in charge, though, and hopefully, that's you!
Get This - Survey Results - GlowDay.com
19 comments:
And that would be why I eloped! We were too young and broke to afford anything so we ran off, but we did bring our parents along.
Welcome to SITS!
Your post is so helpful and informative!
Welcome to the SITS community!
Our wedding and reception was beautiful and fun but not because of all the money we spent. I can't imagine spending 20,000-wow!
Thanks for stopping by my blog! Yes, we definitely had a budget. I think we did the whole thing for under $10,000 (it was 4 years ago, hard to remember that far back LOL). People were amazed. Resources like The Knot and just networking and asking around helped a TON to find vendors that were very reasonably priced but did a great job.
Welcome to SITS!!! We kind of had a planned elopement. We were very blessed to have the wedding of our dreams. My brother-in-law is having a very quick wedding now and you just see how ridiculously expensive it all is.
A wedding budget is KEY! When I got engaged it was the first thing I sat down to do..my parents gave us a certain amount and I was going to make it work. Like you said pick the area that is most important to you. Mine was reception so everything else i was able to compromise with. In the end it was a spectacular day! Good post!
Great information! I did my best to do everything cost effective without giving up my "dream wedding". Thanks so a crafty mom we successfully pulled it off. :)
I was married 17 years ago with a budget smaller than small. If I could do it over again (which I plan to when we renew our vows) it will be fab & frugal!
Coming by from SITS! Welcome!
Even though I have been married for 13 years I still love looking at wedding things and how they are promoted. There is a great add to my "Town and Country" this month with the Wedding issue. It is so beautiful!
Totally agree. The wedding budget should be the first step in the planning process. A good realistic budget is essential!
Visiting from SITS :) Not married myself, but I remember the budget discussions when my sister got married...
Thanks for coming by my blog on my SITS day and commenting, I really appreciate all the comment love! Love the blog!
Hi! Thanks for visiting us! You have a very pretty blog! I didn't know that about Oprah...that really annoys me. we're following you now...wanna follow us? Have a great weekend. just curious...what's the green hanger?
Cara
Hi judy, Thank you for your comment. We all have to stand tall, no matter what has happened. Every time we turn around we find another turn of events. It is always somthing. Love your post. we had a budget that we made work. Thanks again...
Hi, just stopping by from sits. Today I will be making our wedding invites. The prototype is beautiful, I'll post pictures later on my blog. Every little helps to stay out of debt right?
x
What a great informative post! And I loved the title...intrigued me.
But I think brides need to keep in perspective their wedding trying not to forget why they are getting married in the first place. It is so easy to get caught up in the hype and go into debt. ANd going into marriage with ANOTHER debt can be a huge stressor and I don't think anyone wants to start out with a stressor.
And I think 20 grand is WAY TO MUCH for a wedding. Unless you have the money to burn. But if you don't then that is too much!
Realistically, we would have NEVER been able to afford a real "wedding" or what either of us would have wanted, so we just eloped.
Had our parents been willing to foot the bill, it would have been a different story.
Happy SITS!
Thanks for stopping by my site!
My daughter got married August 2008. It was lovely. The waterfront venue was used for the ceremony and reception at a very reasonable cost. It was a small affair- about 100 people- the budget went further than it might for a larger event. Total was about $6000.00 for everything -venue, flowers, cake, gowns, tux, favors, photos, DJ, minister... I made the bridal party and Groom's Mom's jewelry. It was the only way they were getting real pearls and gemstones!
It turned out beautifully and had all the panache of a much more expensive wedding without the second mortgage!
~dawn @ www.dhdesigns.4t.com
Good point, Dawn. If possible, limiting guests is another way to add more details. For some though, limiting the guest list is very difficult without alienating good friends and family. Definitely, take advantage of the talents offered by family and friends, such as your jewelry!
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