Get Real...

Planning's Nuts & Bolts

Remember… This whole process has taken place over the last 11 months, so it’s easier now for me to piece it together coherently; but, the clarity did not always reveal itself in the moment, unfortunately.

And those first couple months were just that – that is, until we “got real.” We had to set a date… And a, drumroll please, budget. My fiance and I have always been extremely communicative about our money – and our vision for it. Thankfully, we’ve created a vision together for our future – which gives us both a goal to work towards, and a practical plan to achieve it. But the wedding day budget… Ahh… There’s a test.

Unfortunately, due to a variety of circumstances, my family cannot contribute to the wedding. Thankfully, we’ve been blessed in a way that we’re capable of working it out on our own – sort of. We’ve been the recipients of much generosity, and we don’t feel like it’s been just us. However, our situation demands a modest, reasonable, and firm budget.

Once we settled on our budget, we moved towards a date. The budget gave us a window to work within – again, that sense of vision. Are you with me?! The date was decided. And then the adventure began. I had a parameter I could work within! Yes… It was smaller than preferred – but, it has given me motivation for creativity that I have never known – and that’s a real gift.

For us, we stuck to theknot.com budgeter – it’s not perfect, but it’s worked great for us. Then we started making some decisions. I named my top five must-haves… And we built around them.

Ours are: Stationary (it’s the first impression, sets a standard for the event), Church, Reception Venue (country club – it sets the tone via the environment), the Dress, and the Reception Decor. These are the most important elements to US – and all the others we’d have to flex on.

Have you gotten real? It’s hard.. But it’s freeing. And what are your must-haves?

Take it a step further. What about life beyond the wedding day?