HELP! Over budget dream wedding? Or Budget not what I want wedding?

No matter where or when you'll wedding will be amazing and memorable for the mere reason that you're marring the man of your dreams...I understand that the venue makes it better but I don't suggest going way off your budget...This will put a lot of stress on you and your FH therefore on your relationship...Just stick with you budget and you'll see that you'll find a great place...Lil by lil you'll make the wedding of your dreams and once you find that place you'll realized it was a better choice that other expensive one... just my opinion...

Welcome to WW, Marlina! If you love the venue, can you see if they can work with your budget in some way? Perhaps you can do a Friday or Sunday wedding if they have lower minimums. I'm having a Sunday brunch wedding for about $****, so it's doable. But if they are out of your price range no matter what, then just keep looking, there are many affordable but beautiful venues out there.

And I hope you'll stick around the forums and update your avatar to something unique so we can remember you and help you more in the future! The default avatars can get lost in the crowd or ignored. Here's how to do that and more: https://www.weddingwire.com/wedding-forums/new-to-the-weddingwire-forums-please-read-before-you-post/b433c40c1a62b96a.html

Keep looking I fell inlove with first place to and that alone was my budget...so i kept looking and found something in my budget and I dont have to DIY everything....good luck

Thanks Ladies!... I just figured since it was my first and only that I should do what I want. But yes I'm sure I will find something if I keep looking. He's definately the man of my dreams so as long as he shows up I will be ok LOL. I will definately update with photos and stuff. Thanks for your advice ladies. I never thought wedding planning would be so hard. Now I understand the Bridezillas!

I agree with the other ladies. First, talk to the venue and see if there is anyway they can cut thier price if you move it to a Friday or Sunday wedding or if you can cut out some of the guest list or other services. In the meantime, keep looking at other venues, just like a marraige, a wedding is about compromise and I'm sure you can find something you'll both be happy with in your budget, good luck!

"I just figured since it was my first and only that I should do what I want."

Be very careful of this statement. While you may feel it to be true, you are entering into marriage. I'm not sure how long you've been with FH, but compromises and sacrifices need to be made on both parts.

If that budget is realistic to your situation, that's why he's suggesting it. I'd rather build a future, a home, etc then spend it all on our wedding. We've got a tight budget and DIYd alot of things and they are coming together beautifully. All in 7 months! You have a year. Make it work but don't strain your relationshiip

Plan a wedding that won't make you happy only for one day. Don't forget that after the wedding life doesn't stop. The decision is really up to you and your FH. Just don't lose sight of what's really important.

I appreciate all the advice really. Him and I always compromise. He loved it as well. And he would do anything to make me happy. Not saying I cant compromise. I have had friends say "Do what you want its YOUR day" and others are like "no way go cheap!" so thats why I wanted to get advice from lovely strangers like you all! LOL and it does really help. I don't want to get lost in my "WANTS" just because they are beautiful so I need reassurment that other things can be done to jump start my motivation again. I have 3 kids and we want to buy a house so Jennifer you make a lot of sense. Amy can you give me any tips on what you did to lessen any wedding costs?

Thanks Pan. I did not think of it that way : )

Jennifer what are some of the things your are DIY'ing? I'm very crafty : )

Money is the number one thing couples argue over. Don't start your marriage out scraping to pay the bills. You also don't know what could happen between now and then. One of you could lose your job, get injured, etc.

Set the budget that you can afford and find places that suit it. My dream wedding surely costs more than $6000, but I'm still happy with everything I'm doing and am totally in love with my wedding.

People think in extremes, which is really not the smartest way to go through life. You don't have to go cheap, but the fact that it's your wedding doesn't mean you have to go broke either. It also doesn't mean that a fabulous wedding has to cost a ton of money.

If the venue alone is over your total wedding budget, keep looking. You will be under stress for a year and you will spend every minute thinking about how to pull it off. In other words, you will be incredibly miserable.

But welcome to WW :-)

LOL I do NOT want to be miserable for a year! thank you!

It is not worth the budget stress! Keep looking, and you will certainly find a venue that is perfect for you.

Marlina, we found a beautiful venue (Old historic courthouse) that allows BYO for $500 donation. So we were able to save a ton of money on food/liquor

Here's some of our DIYs. My wedding is 24 days! So I can post pics when it's all together....

All the girls on here do such a great job, browse around. Pull inspiration. Go to pinterest and etsy and recreate some of that awesomeness...we did!!!

https://www.weddingwire.com/wedding-forums/diy-wedding/bf4c42e495efd946.html

I kinda thought so ;-)

You're still a year away and you started planning right on time. Where are you and what kind of a venue are you looking for? As soon as you change your avatar, start a post: "Venue help in town X, state Y". Tell us the approximate budget, what you're looking for and how many guests you have.

I'm just saying when you change your avatar because people usually pay more attention to threads with a recognizable avatar :-)

And no worries, we've seen absolutely fabulous weddings on all sorts of budgets.

Unless the venue can come down significantly on price, I think it's best to keep looking. You have lots of time to find a venue that will still fit your weding style and also be more budget friendly. Keep in mind that reception venues typically make up 40-66% of wedding costs. So even if you were to cut costs everywhere else, you'd probably be looking at $17-$18k, at the very least, for the whole wedding. Yes, your wedding is supposed to be a beautiful day. But think carefully about whether you want to strain your finances to that extent. Like Shannah said, finances really are one of the leading stressors in relationships.

Good luck planning! I'm sure you'll find a beautiful venue option.

Fantastic feedback here, I bet you can see that you've come to the right place @Marlina!

Welcome to our WeddingWire Community, and congratulations on your engagement!!

Keep looking...

We aren't paying for most of our wedding, but the costs add up in a way that is SHOCKING, and we'll easily be 11,000 over what we intended to spend (thankfully, mostly not our money). Please use the WW budget tool and think about all the little things that you overlook, not to mention the honeymoon.

Examples of things easy to forget about: invitations and reply cards, hotel for night of the wedding, both your wedding rings, gifts for the parents and all the wedding party, favors, hair and makeup...I mean, the list goes on and on.

Also, remember that you shouldn't plan based on dreams. you need to plan based on reality, and it's easy for other people to say go all out it's your day blah blah blah, because they don't have to pay for it. They also don't have to worry about having an emergency fund for after the wedding. That's really something I think a lot of people forget about. Sure you have $$$ so you can pay for everything for the wedding of your dreams, but if you spend all of that and have no savings left what are you going to do if one of you loses your job, or a car breaks down, or you need a new furnace or something? Just remember that your wedding doesn't have to be a dream, because it's not the best and last day of your life. It's not worth being broke for.