Let us talk of money

The word that no bride wants to think about, let alone say: BUDGET. We've all got to think about it, some more than others. In our consumer culture, it's hard to think about, especially when planning "the most important day of your life" (or so some people call it...I would prefer not to). When you're watching "Platinum Weddings," where people are throwing around money like it's no tomorrow...when "Say Yes to the Dress" is on, and most of the brides' budgets are over $5,000 (for a dress! That they will wear once!)...yes, it's hard.

Then there's the other end of the spectrum. The amazing ladies who are streamlining everything ($2,000 anyone?) and making me feel like a spoiled, gluttonous brat. This is when I turn to the Scatterbrained Groom and ask him if he would still love me if I showed up wearing a burlap sack and a handful of weeds. (Of course he would...but would prefer that I didn't.)

Most of the experts say that the budget is the first thing a bride and groom should think about, as it dictates the number of guests you invite, your venue...everything!

The Scatterbrained Groom and I are lucky enough to have supportive families that are bearing the brunt of wedding costs. This also means that we are being incredibly careful with our budget, as we don't want to waste one single penny of their hard-earned money. So we have prioritized:

1. Food
2. Open bar (also my father's top priority, so it's way up there)
3. Photography (including a photo booth, which is quite possibly the thing I am most excited about)

So that's it. The big 3. Everything else is being built around these priorities. If we don't think it's worth it, we won't have it. If we can save money anywhere else, we will try our darndest to do so. We're doing well so far...I found my dress on sale, off-the-rack, needing next to no alterations. We're planning on ordering a simple cake from a chain grocery store. We managed to find a DJ offering mad discounts. We will most likely be limiting flowers to bouquets and doing simple candles as centerpieces. We're DIYing our invitations, day-of stationary (programs), and our guestbook...possibly other things too, as they come up. We probably won't hire a limo as our get-away car.

We're still pretty early in the planning stages, but so far we're well within budget according to my estimates. Let's hope we keep it up as this thing progresses.

How did you set your budget and prioritized expenses?