Photography courtesy Mike Latschislaw.
Various wedding magazines, TV shows and Weddingbells’ most recent Reader Survey informed me that the average cost to get married these days is around $20,000. As much of a dream as it would be to have that sort of money to spend, the reality for many couples, David and I included, is that we simply can’t afford it. Which is fine—the most important thing to us is having our closest family and friends share in the day we celebrate our love and commitment to each other, regardless of the lavishness of the decorations, or the poofiness of my dress! Cutting down on costs has led to many outside-the-box thinking sessions and DIY projects—watch this space!—but we decided the most important thing to actually spend money on was photography. Read the rest of this entry »
I feel fortunate to have my fiancé give me free-reign to plan the wedding as I see fit. I love this about him but I also want to be budget conscious. For me, having a lavish affair would be OK if we had the money for it, but it is not nearly as important as having all of our loved ones with us to share the day. We still want the day to be about our union but cost is a huge consideration.We have fixed expenses from years of living together, student debt, and children.
Recently, I went to my first dress fitting. I’d been looking forward to it ever since I bought the dress—I’d got it on sale last fall, and had been advised to come early to be fitted before the summer rush. I knew I was going to have trouble finding anything in a Size 2, and having bought it off the rack in a Size 10, there were probably going to have to be some major alterations! So, with my maid of honour in tow, we headed over to get it sized down, in the hopes of no longer looking like I’d be attending a toga party on my wedding day. 
