Budget vs Reality vs Dream

Think of it like this: if money weren't an issue at all, which type of wedding would you want most? Looks like you have about a year and a half before your date, which is a good amount of time to research (key in keeping costs down), and save. We purposely had a longer engagement so we could save more money for the things we wanted.

Once we knew what kind of wedding we wanted, we decided on our top priorities. This is different for everyone, and there is no right answer. For us, our top 3 priorities were: great food, great music and all the people we love being there. So, that's where we put most of our money. Others might have beautiful decor or lovely real flowers as priorities, so they would put the bulk of their money on those things.

Like I said before, research is key to finding deals, bargains, etc. Start with your list of guests. We started with our wish list (as if money was no object), and then took it from there. Did we want that many people? Will our venue accommodate our wants/needs/desires? The guest list often determines or plays a part in choosing your venue, your menu, the reception, etc., so I would start there.

Good luck, and happy planning!!

Just remember that this is a ONCE IN A LIFETIME day. There are things in life to be frugal with, and then there are those very important days, like wedding, graduation, etc. that deserve to get a little extra from the budget IMO. I say if you’ve got it, this is the ONE TIME in life where it’s okay to just let go and spend it!

I was actually talking to my friend about this since she's engaged! i went through the same thing when i planned my wedding. i told her it's all a balance. you need to figure out what is important to you and then ask yourself questions like am i gonna be happy with that? am i comfortable spending this amount to get that? etc

i was very intimidated by the cost of everything and it definitely is a ton of money but at the end of the day i just pinpointed what i wanted most and what i was comfortable with spending and in the end i just worked with that.

Take a step back from the options and figure out what experiences you do and don’t want for a wedding as a couple. We found it helpful to use a list online of all things wedding and physically circle our priorities (eg. Good food, extended family, party atmosphere, time alone together, rain contingency plan, location of venue, etc). Once you pick your priorities it may become a lot more clear which of your options will and won’t meet them, and not just from a price perspective. Then you can optimize the type of wedding around your budget (bc you could spend a lot or a little on any of your options depending on how you do it!).

I would recommend committing to the budget you and your fiancé are most comfortable with and then doing some research on the big ticket items like venue and caterer to see if your budget is realistic. It is perfectly fine to not want to break the bank on one day. My dream wedding vision changed a lot after I reconciled my budget with reality. It will still be just as special if I spend 15k instead of 30k.