Wedding Vision vs Reality

Why the rush? If you feel like you are too pressed for time to do what you want, then don't have the wedding 5 months from now.

Oh sorry forgot to explain, my sister who lives out of the country and only visits every 3 to 4 years will be in town, and it's really important to me that she's there.

If you don't want to feel disappointed, I would definitely push the date back. Talk about it with your FS and see if it's something that works for you. FH and I chose our engagement timeline because it worked for us and our budget. If it works for you guys to wait, do it!

I had a similar issue where my budget and my reality didn't meet up. I still wish I could have my dream wedding but I don't have the money for that so I have focused on making the best choices I can in my budget.

Why can't you get chairs you like? Would chair covers help? Can you change venues?

It seems like you're already settled on a venue and it might be too late to back out of it now (ps - just kidding, it never is too late. I backed out of my first venue but kissed $800 goodbye in the process).

My advice would be to focus HARD CORE on the decorations. Chair covers, fabric on the walls, stings of lights, etc. My new venue has a big plain tan wall that we will marry in front of - not exactly what dreams are made of. The DJ is draping it with 30 feet of fabric and adding string lights behind it.

Thanks Amanda!!

We got a really great deal on our venue so I thought the carpet wouldn't bother me.

If you don't mind sharing, do you have any pictures of your venue? Maybe there are ways to work with what's there and still give you your vision? or at least not sacrifice it entirely.

"I feel like I'm giving up my vision with every decision we make." But you also said that you got a really great deal on your venue. So you made the decision to save money knowing that it wasn't your vision.

In the beginning, I was just trying to save as much money as possible. I didn't really have a vision except to keep my budget small. Found a venue with GREAT pricing but I would have sacrificed not only having the look of a rental hall with minimal to no decorations, but I was creating a huge gap between ceremony and reception. So we decided to change the venue entirely, find a beautiful outdoor venue that didn't have a gap and allowed cocktail hour (and also so that we also could keep decorations to a minimum or have none at all). It changed the whole game plan of our vision (of being cheap) and our budget... but am I happier with our decision to change? Abso-freaking-lutely.

Also, I don't think anyone will notice the color of the carpet as much as you will. Chair color you can fix easily with covers.

We didn't love the chairs our venue offered, so we are renting gold chiavari chairs. It's an extra cost for sure, but definitely worth it for us.

I felt the same way about my venue and then I went to two weddings and realized that I don't remember the flooring, nor did I pay much attention to the chairs. You can always get draped chair covers. Most of the night, people are looking at you, so make sure you take the time to put things you want into the wedding and not give up because it will show all over your face. Good food, good music and a happy couple are all you need! Oh and the BaR!

I personally refused to plan a wedding that was settling and I wouldn't be happy with. I would be much happier eloping than having a wedding I hated.

Currently experiencing that now. But we just found a venue that was way cheaper than the places that I originally intended to book and went from there. Was I disappointed at first? Sure I was , but when I realized how much money we were saving (that could really be spent elsewhere)...that disappointment went away. I just switched gears on how I can jazz up our current venue.

So I think you have a couple of options here...either try to find a venue that suits your vision... which may result in either forfeiting any deposit you may have made with your current venue and/or pushing your date back, or finding ways deck out your current venue.

I hated the chairs and carpet at my venue. I would have loved to find the perfect place but it just didn't exist for us. We could have upgraded the chairs for an extra $2,000 but that just seemed like a lot for chairs. In the end nobody even paid attention to chairs or the carpet, including me! The space looked beautiful and all I cared about in the moment was having a good time with my husband, friends and family.

I don't remember what the carpeting or chairs looked like at any wedding I've been to. There's nothing you can do about the carpet but you can do chair covers if you like. This is terrible but I can't remember the carpet at my venue & I've been there 3 times already lol

@erin wood your tables look beautiful

@Mrs. Haug- Thank you. It wasn't everything I had ever dreamed of but I was so happy to be surrounded by all the love. I honestly didn't care about the details once the day came.

Thanks everyone!! It helps to get to get honest feedback. I think I'll rent chairs, add more lights, and ignore the carpets. I think my budget/vision weren't lining up. Thanks for letting me vent!

I think that as long as know what's important to you and to focus on those aspects as a priority, you'll be happy in the end. Sometimes it's about the feel and ambiance and sometimes it's about ugly chairs. Work around what you can but let yourself enjoy it and overlook some of the little things that at the end of the best day ever just really wont matter. And let your vision evolve into what works for your day.

Sometimes time and budget will trump your vision and force you into reality.