Out of control budget!

There's no point in deciding on a budget, if you're not going to pay any attention to it. The whole point of establishing a budget is to make a mutual decision on what you want to spend.

You may not have kids or debt, but unless the next 60 to 80 years of your life are fully funded, you still need to respect your budget.

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Ouch. But, thank you. I need a kick in the ass right now! haha

Ultimately it is up to you, but making sure you aren't getting crazy out of hand (whatever crazy out of hand may mean to you as far as budget). If it worth it to you and your FS to get into debt for the wedding, that is something only you two can answer.

Did you two set an absolute limit to your budget? What other big items do you need for your big day? If you have venue, photographer, food/drinks, and music paid for you shouldn't really need a whole lot more I would think.

I'm concerned that you put budget in quotes. I mean, you can have as big of a wedding as you want (I have totally been to a quarter million dollar wedding) but you should walk into it with a budget.

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We're not going to get into debt. We've saved and have 11 months to earn and save more. It's just scary to see the savings account go down, down, down. We didn't set a firm limit yet and already paid for several things. I think we need to create a new budget for the remaining items (decor, flowers, favors) and maybe nix the photo booth!

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Yeah, budget in quotes because we said we'd like to spend about XX but it's not looking realistic. Maybe it's not as crazy as I think but for me it feels like a lot. They say the average wedding in the U.S. is $26K, right? But LA is a little pricier, so...

I personally couldn’t imagine just planning a wedding with no budget in sight. That could just be a recipe for disaster.

You may have everything paid for now, but why empty your savings, or spend all your money on one day? Why not save it for future purchases, kids (if you choose to have them), travel, or an emergency?

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The average cost of a wedding in my area, is $19-32k for 100 guests. That doesn’t mean I need to spend that, nor are we. It’s not a competition, or anything where I need to impress people. It’s my wedding, thus we’re planning it for how we want it, while staying under budget.

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We had a gist of a budget - a random number we thought we'd be comfortable with but we're already at that and still have more to go. I'm gonna reign it in and create a firm budget for all remaining items! (We're not having kids, do travel a lot, and own a home, but the money for emergencies is now going down.) This is all very helpful. thank you

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That's good to know. In L.A., I read the average is $37,000. I'm NOT going over that. But, I now have to get creative with spending less on my remaining items-- including my dress. Maybe I'll rent it!

I don't really have a budget. I'm just a cheap person. I've gotten deals on everything. And our parents are paying the venue and church and some of the food and for the photography.

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You're so lucky! We're paying for this on our own. I'm gonna go deal hunting for my dress for sure!

Etsy has some really great dresses for cheap a lot of different shops and a lot with great reviews. Ill be ordering mine from a shop on there. It will be less than $400

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Etsy has wedding dresses?! OMG. I'm gonna check it out now. thanks.

My FH and I set a budget.....if we go a little over, oh well. This doesn’t mean that we are putting ourselves in debt over one day however. We have both decided that, while yes it would be nice to come in under, we are only having this experience one time. We are both mid to late 30’s......We’ve waited this long. We’re doing this thing right.

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This seems like a really good idea. Regardless of your financial position, it's so easy to fall into the trap of spending without clearly thinking about what you're doing. We're in So Cal as well, so I completely understand wedding-budget-creep and it's real.... Early on we looked at the calculators that said the average price of a So Cal wedding was $30,000 and didn't believe it. We started with a budget of $20,000. Really quickly it became clear that wasn't going to cover everything daughter/FSIL were hoping for. We did a better job researching and developed a much more accurate budget, and daughter's FFIL volunteered to help with some expenses. We're currently at about $28,000 -- which should cover everything on the current list, hosting 100 guests well, on a Saturday night (with an off-season discount). There are a couple of things on daughter's "wish list," that don't fit the budget. If she and FSIL decide those are high enough priorities, they'll have to fund them. So, we made reasoned adjustments as needed, but also set a cap we're comfortable with. Good luck!

View Quoted Comment They do! This is the one im getting. Good luck i hope you find something!😊

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Thank you. We're gonna sit down and do a real budget for the rest of the items and stick to it. In the meantime, we're already cutting down on going out, eating out, etc. I'm gonna be Frugal AF from here on out!

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I love that dress. I would wear it. I'm also going for vintage-y lace, Boho chic.

View Quoted Comment Https://junebugweddings.com/wedding-blog/11-best-etsy-wedding-dress-shops-for-handmade-gowns/

They have a lot of boho. the link is to an article for the top shops they have. The one ill be going though is on there, its calked vickymermaidbridal