Have you ever heard “your engagement ring should cost 2-3 months of your fiance's salary.” I don't know about you, but I think that’s crazy! I guess that’s typical, though, since The Knot says the average cost of an engagement ring is well over $5,000. I’m going to go out on a limb and say for most of us, $5k on a ring is just nuts. With student loan debt, down payments to save up for, passion Continue Reading
How to Handle Wedding Expectations
If you're reading this, you're probably recently engaged. Congratulations! One thing people don't talk about enough is how to handle wedding expectations (and those of your family members!) For example, I was hoping to have a really low-key wedding: small ceremony, only a few people, small reception, and little to no stress. That’s just me: while I seem extroverted, I’m actually really Continue Reading
How to Save Money on Your Wedding Dress
Everyone says one of the most important things on your wedding day is your dress. There are even shows, like Say Yes to the Dress, that make a huge deal about your wedding dress, what it means to you, and even what it means to your family. While wedding dresses are important (you need clothes to get married in, after all), if you're on a budget, a wedding dress can be a huge expense. If a wedding Continue Reading
Our Wedding Budget Breakdown: How we did our wedding for under $10,000
It's been a few months since B and I got married, and I'm finally finished writing thank you notes and going through all the photos our awesome photographer shot. Now it's time for the fun part, the wedding budget breakdown! Want more tips on saving money on your wedding? Check out the latest: How to Save Money on Your Wedding Dress How to Save Money on Your Wedding Flowers How Continue Reading
7 Surprisingly Affordable Ways to Save Money on Wedding Flowers
Can we talk about how to save money on wedding flowers for a minute? Did you recently get engaged and are planning your wedding? Congratulations! Once you’ve finished celebrating, if you’re reading this blog, your next thought is probably, “How can I stay on budget?!” There’s no doubt getting married and having the “whole traditional thing” can be expensive. A venue or church/place of worship Continue Reading
5 Ways to Save Money on Your Wedding
When you're planning a wedding, it's so tempting to buy luxe invitations and have the traditional wedding dress experience. I get it. I do. But, for many people, they get to the wedding day itself and realize, while all that stuff is nice, its certainly not what makes your wedding truly special. I have to admit, I definitely got caught up in wedding fever when I was planning my wedding. Continue Reading
How to Save Money on Your Wedding: The Music
I love music - but didn’t have any of my own at my wedding. I spent months (okay, years) planning my wedding playlist. Seriously, I had a playlist on iTunes (and then Spotify) called “Wedding” where I collected all of my (and my now-husband’s) favorite songs. I was so excited for our wedding playlist I even shared it with my friends ahead of time! That probably jinxed it, because when it came Continue Reading
How to Save Money on Your Wedding: The Venue
Oh man, your wedding venue… just thinking about choosing a wedding venue makes me exhausted. If you’ve just gotten engaged or know someone who has - congratulations to you/them! Celebrate and enjoy the blissful feeling while you can, because sooner or later your budget is going to kick in and you are going to FLIP OUT. Okay, I’m being a little melodramatic here, but out of all the things that Continue Reading
How to Save Money on Your Wedding: Food and Drinks
When it comes to wedding food and drink, everyone has an opinion. You thought people’s opinion on your wedding dress was bad? Just bring up “food and drinks” and everyone from your mama to your old cranky uncle is going to have an opinion. And they’re not just giving you their opinions, everyone is basically judging you. From: “You’re offering a full course meal? That’s too expensive!” Continue Reading
Southwestern Wedding Flower Ideas
When it comes to planning my wedding, some things were very easy. It was pretty easy for B and I to agree on a reception place, because the basic requirements were: delicious food and enough seating for 50 people. Luckily, one of our favorite Mexican restaurants fit both these requirements, so we were set! While we haven't chosen a wedding cake baker yet, choosing your wedding cake is pretty Continue Reading