My Wedding

Welcome Natalie! First big decisions: 1) budget, 2) estimated guest list, 3) venue.


If you have a very small budget it’s totally ok to have a non-meal time wedding (like 2 pm) followed by simple cake & punch reception. If you get married at a church or temple, renting the hall for a reception won’t be expensive. Or for a very small guest list you can get married at a courthouse and treat guests to a brunch or dinner at a restaurant.

Budget dictates all. My vision and my money were two different things. Yes I’d love a cool venue but I can’t afford the $200+ per person. My fiancé and I talked and figured out what was important to us. We wanted a party where everyone could come have a good time eat and drink and celebrate. Once I figured out venue-I bought a dress. Next was photographer and dj as they book early sometimes. I still haven’t figured out table decor,flowers, etc. but I don’t plan on spending loads of money. Some people like themes, some like specific colors. It’s all part of planning.

Welcome to the WeddingWire community, Natalie

A great place to start your planning is the WeddingWire Checklist!

You simply tell the tool a little bit about your wedding and it will create customizable tasks for every stage of your planning journey. It displays tasks in chronological order leading up to your big day, so it’s a great blueprint for what order to handle the different parts of planning. Check it out, I think you will find it really helpful

One of the first steps of planning a wedding is deciding on a budget. Here are some articles from the WeddingWire ideas section with more information -

Wedding Budget Breakdown 101: How to Divide & Conquer

Setting Up Your Wedding Budget

In addition to information on wedding budgets, the WeddingWire ideas section is packed with helpful articles full of tips, inspiration, ideas, and etiquette to guide you through your planning