1) Start with the amount you have to spend…and then spend that amount.

2) Start with the amount you have to spend…and then spend more.

Usually, couples come to me saying that they have a specific budget for their wedding. Then, we talk about their wants and needs and how they relate to this budget. We have two ways to go from there. We can make decisions based on their budgeted amount and stick to that amount, regardless of what they truly like. Or, we can make decisions based on what they truly love. If the latter is the case, we will almost always go over budget. (Disclaimer: I always try to keep couples on-budget. That is my job!!)

So, how can we stick to our budget and have the wedding we truly want?

My very wise friend, Meighan, who was married five years ago, gave me some priceless advice when I was planning my own wedding. She said, “Choose ONE area to really wow your guests and let the rest go.” This is a great strategy for saving money because it makes you focus your funds. If you want to go overboard with flowers and lighting and decor, serve chicken or pasta instead of beef tenderloin. If you had to have Cake Girls, then maybe you cut out the champagne toast and midnight snack. If your location will blow everyone away on it’s own, maybe your decor is quite simple. Wedding planning, like marriage, is a give-and-take.

In the end, you don’t want to have regrets about how you spent whatever amount of money you had for your wedding, so be sure that each decision you make is well-researched and true to you as a couple. If you follow those two simple guidelines and heed my fabulous friend’s advice, you’ll be setting yourself up for a matrimony made in budget heaven.