Hello Lovely Brides!
My name is Danielle and today I’ll be guest blogging about how to plan your dream wedding without breaking the bank or going insane.
I got married this past April after a 19 month long engagement, which left plenty of time for wedding planning to turn into a full blown competition. The wedding industry is a magical place full of sparkles, lace and pretty things, but if you loose your focus from the love and joy of YOUR day and turn to the Pinterest perfect weddings, you will NOT enjoy it. But guess what ladies? Most of those “weddings” you see on Pinterest are FAKE! They’re carefully crafted, styled photo shoots funded by companies. WHO THE HECK CARES!?
My best wedding planning advice is this: keep your priorities in check! Make a list of 3-5 things that MUST happen at your wedding and focus on those things. Literally write it down and put it in your wedding planning binder or notebook. My “short list” was 1) my groom and I show up 2) our important people show up 3) the dessert shows up. Next, I made a plan to make those things happen. 1) I didn’t let myself go full bridezjlla and scare away my fiancé 2) I found a centrally located venue. I stressed over this one a lot and actually ended up switching venues midway through planning because it just made things easier 3) I chose a wonderful baker who we had gotten to know well – she sold desserts in the lobby of our apartment building and this homegirl can’t say no to brownies so we became fast friends – and I knew she wouldn’t let us down. For everything else I chose the least expensive, but good, option. That’s it y’all. That’s the magic formula.
Don’t believe me? My wedding was at a horse farm, not really even a venue, but it had plenty of room for everyone, it was easy to get to, and was close to family and good hotel options. I had paper napkins and used whatever tablecloths came with the tables. I married my loving man under a tree with all of our favorite people cheering us on. We danced all night, double fisted mini desserts, and jumped on a trampoline after all of our guests left.
I loved every damn thing about that day and it’s all because I stuck to my priorities. I didn’t compare. Did I get caught up in the competition from time to time? Oh hell yea girl! But I would look at my short list and ask myself “is this going to contribute to making the things on my short list happen?” If the answer was no, I made the most budget friendly decision and moved on.
Here’s a secret: no one will remember your center pieces, the napkin color, or the 35 DIY projects you did that turned your wedding party against you. What will they remember? The quality of the food and music, if you run out of booze, and if your venue was a pain in the butt to get to. If I have to hike a mountain in stilettos to get to your wedding, I honestly don’t care about anything except the closest place to sit down and who’s bringing me a drink. The only people who remember the little details are the people who stressed over them and even they (you) forget too, eventually.
Finally, and most importantly, remember that the marriage is more important than the wedding day. Your wedding day is about your love – your families coming together, marrying your favorite human, and your happily ever after – not about having more flowers than Mary Sunshine had at her wedding 6 months ago. Don’t do anything while planning for your wedding that will negatively impact your MARRIAGE. ie: spending the down payment on a new house on up lighting and drapery.
Enjoy it all babes. Bask in the glow of being a bride. Embrace every single aspect of it because there’s even wonderful things about the seemingly awful parts. Make time for you and your partner to reconnect during the process. And stay true to who you are as a couple.This is your day, your marriage, and your life. So stop looking at someone else’s 😘