tip of the week: staying on budget

I was recently interviewed for Bride & Groom, a new Canadian bridal magazine. The fact that I was being interviewed was exciting in and of itself, but it also got me thinking that it was right about time I started sharing some helpful tips on this blog.

And so this first Tip Of The Week was born. Today’s subject? The most important one of all: How to get married and not break the bank while going at it.

It has to be said, planning a wedding has a pretty bad rep. It’s known for its breakdowns, family feuds, bridezillas, and definitely its expensive-ness. But with careful planning, it doesn’t need to be any of these things. Here’s the How-To:

1- Decide how much you can actually spend: Before you throw yourself into dress-shopping and venue-booking, it’s important to know (in advance) how much of it you can actually afford. This means that you need to sit down with your sweetheart and actually talk mullah. And yes, if any of your parents/grandparents/step-parents are pitching in, they should be part of this conversation. Painful as it may be, don’t procrastinate this first step; it will avoid you a lot of pain down the road.

2- Book the big ticket items first: If you start shopping for table centerpieces and the perfect jewelry right away, your wedding planning is most likely to turn into a disaster. So stay focused! First, you need to know where the wedding will be held. By “where” I mean ceremony and reception. This will influence most of the bookings that will come after, so make sure you get it right. Once the venue(s) are secured, the remaining big ticket items are photo, video, and wedding planner (some couples prefer to book a wedding planner first, but that’s a whole other story…). These vendors usually book months, if not years, in advance, and securing them early in your planning process will ensure that you get to work with your favorite people.

3- Prioritize: Once you’ve booked the biggest items, the fun stuff can begin. And so, not surprisingly, this is also where catastrophe usually begins to loom. I always suggest that my couples take a good look at their budget and decide what it is that’s actually important to them. Love to eat but don’t care for flowers? Splurge on your menu and forget the 200$ centerpieces. Don’t care for food but want a great party? Throw a “cocktail dinatoire” instead of a traditional sit-down dinner and splurge on great ambiance decor. Which brings me to point number four…

4- Stay true to who you are: The best way to throw your budget out the window is to approach your wedding as if it was a magazine layout. Don’t forget: This is your wedding, not someone else’s. Figure out what is of utmost importance to you and your future spouse, and stick to it. Don’t let anyone talk you into having a wedding of epic proportions if all you want is a star-lit backyard barbecue. If you typically love to entertain your close ones with great food and wine, then it’s most likely that your wedding will be successful (and on budget) if you stick to the same game plan. If you are in love with a particular band or dj, go ahead and book them, and perhaps decide to go with a simpler invitation to balance out.

Whatever the case may be, unless you are lucky enough to be able to afford everything your heart desires, remember to always stay true to who you are as a couple. With enough perseverance and communication, your budget should stay true to you as well!

xoxo