Advice for an anxious/stressed bride to be on a budget.

Hi Sarah!

A tropical wedding in September might be kind of a stretch depending on where you live and what the weather could be like at that time. I'm from Michigan and usually it's getting chilly by mid September so a tropical themed outdoor wedding wouldn't make much sense to me personally.

Destination weddings are for sure a way to have a truly tropical wedding but keep in mind they are not necessarily cheaper. You will need a place to stay, place to have the wedding, airfare and ground transportation. How many guests would you invite to your DW? A big reception at home sounds nice but the reality of that is you are basically throwing two weddings at that point so it's not really a money saver.

Perhaps you could have a small DW (25-50 guests) and then a small congratulatory celebration at your home with cake and apps? How much are you looking to spend on these two events overall? What destination are you looking at for the DW?

I think you should definitely decide your budget and make a guest list on that, so if you have a small budget then your guest list will have to be small. If you want a budget wedding it may not look and be exactly how you envision but that's ok there's many DIY things that look amazing and at the end of the day youre celebrating your union.

You're well over a year away, I think you can save up a 1/3 as it likely won't be due until the day of anyway. Not sure where you live because that would determine a lot of factors but if destination speaks to you look into it. You could even go somewhere like Florida where it's have a tropical feel and plants in September.
Also I suggest looking into botanical gardens, where I live (in New England) we have a handful who have hosted tropical weddings on New Year's day! It also means the venue would have a very natural feel and not really need decorations.

Hey Sarah! Congratulations on your wedding!

I would always recommend that couples plan a wedding well within their budget so that you are not disappointed. Have you figured out exactly how much you both will be able to save in the coming months? It's important to know your budget before you start planning and stick to it.

Have you thought about perhaps having a celebratory one-year anniversary party if you feel like your dream reception is beyond your budget? This way you could have an intimate ceremony and reception with close family and friends in 2020 and then celebrate with a larger group for your anniversary.

Why have you decided on a tropical theme? 🌴

I am really struggling with a budget as well. I am 100% set on my date because it was my grandparents anniversary. They raised me and I think it's such an honor to share their day. However, costs are adding up a lot quicker than we thought! We are trying to keep our wedding small but we don't want to hurt anyone's feelings. It's a tough situation.

One thing I've learned over the last year of planning, is that sometimes it's the little things that really start to add up! If you're able to find a venue, location, and vendors within a budget you're comfortable with, then DIY projects will be a lifesaver! Little things like decor I decided to be more lenient on since to me, it's not the highest priority for the wedding. Maybe just make a list of your priorities and see what's most important to you, and go from there? Best of luck!

I would do a getaway wedding. Minimizes the people coming and you can also enjoy it as your honeymoon afterwards if you're trying to save money. Getaway weddings are usually packaged which makes things so much easier and budget friendly.

Hey there and good morning, Believe me I understand the struggle, my Fiance and I are the only ones pretty much paying for our wedding and we started the end of 2017. I am happy that we did start that early because we was able to get our date which is popular (10/19/19) and get first dibs and deals on everything that we wanted. I highly recommend that you start early! We are also having a Destination Wedding which started small and more intimate. We was only going to have around 25 people including the wedding party and have dinner at one of the well known restaurants there in Gatlinburg. My Mother had a fit about not having a reception so everything got turned around. Now we are doing a Destination Wedding with a guest count of 62-65 people, Save The Date(s), Formal Wedding Invitations, buffet, Wedding Cake, DJ, Dance floor, lightening, favor and more. Can you say What!!! LOL. So I am happy that we started early! Right now we just trying to decide still if we are going to do an Open Bar that will turn into a Cash Bar after a certain amount we pay; its up in the air because we still have to purchase thank you cards, thank you gifts, etc and we are 84 days away. Let me know if you have any questions or you may have suggestions let me know either way.

CONGRATS AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!

What is your budget?

DW aren't always cheaper unfortunately. I'm slightly confused on the first line. When you say you have a year to save 1/3 of your budget do you mean thats all you can save and you have switched your budget to that? or do you mean you have to figure out how to come up with 1/3 of the budget because the other 2/3's are being paid by someone else? Sorry just trying to get all information.

That beinfg said I would go for your original plan and tailor it more towards your new budget. You'd be surprised what you can actually save. My FH and I each pay $700 a month towards wedding to pay off the final pieces of the wedding. I never thought I had 700 a month to spare but cutting small things here and there really adds up.