By far the hardest piece of planning our wedding has been the budget. Not being one to sit inside, I’m always looking for a good time & unfortunately most of those cost money. Chris & I have been using mint.com (YOU’RE WELCOME MINT) to manage our budget, and it feels a little like viewing your funds on a milk carton with the words MISSING scrawled below.

There’s this massive pressure to either throw lots of money into a wedding or do without. At the beginning of planning, the thought of us “doing without” was not even something I’d consider. This will be our one and only wedding (fingers crossed) and I want it to be memorable! However, it made me question at what point did “memorable” become $$$ when it comes to weddings?

Looking back in history there is an obvious point when weddings became an extravagant affair. Starting with Queen Victoria’s famous white dress in 1840, the traditions of elaborate weddings continued and were cemented with the slogan “A Diamond is Forever” in 1939. Always one to partake in a little luxury (like a true lady), I was more than willing to yell “TAKE MY MONEY” to just about anything wedding related, and they were more than willing to take it!

As time went on and the dollar signs grew, I started to sit back and really ask myself what did I really want? Centerpieces so grand they will never be forgotten? Enough flowers to fill the Taj Mahal? So many DIY touches that everyone hails me the Pinterest Queen and carries me away on their shoulders (okay, I actually do want that). Unsurprisingly, the answer to most of those questions & more were “naaaah.” What we want is to throw the best party of our lives, surrounded by the people we love, and everyone telling me how smart & beautiful I am. Is that too much to ask?! Actually….no. It’s easy to get if you want it. Key words: if you want it! A wedding is the celebration of love between two people. Not how little or much money they can put into it - whatever that amount may be. Just remember…. DO YOU.

As Chris & I said when we recently booked a trip to Mexico “Bye bye Photo Booth….HELLLLLO LIFE!”

PS) We also said “I hope we can afford this wedding we’re planning” so clearly the budgeting is going well.