You mean we have to PAY to get married?

source: http://milkyourmoney.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/budgeting1.jpg

Like so many brand new brides to be, I was excited at the prospect of being engaged. I actually purchased a small notepad while still in Disneyland to jot down ideas, songs and people I really wanted to be at the wedding. However, I soon started to think of the number one sticky subject in every relationship: money.

How are was Mr. Yankee and I going to pay for this? Who was going to be able to contribute? How much were they going to contribute? What strings, if any, were going to be attached to their most generous gift? Can you tell that I am a slight type A personality? So immediately upon returning home, I got to work. I figured out exactly how much Mr. Y and I could contribute every month and let that lead our way. I felt it was a fairly reasonable amount of money- until I started getting price quotes from venues.

In my last post, I shared what I loved best about being in Northern California. Now, I'll share what I hate most: the insane prices! Now I know here in California we enjoy things like beautiful weather, easy access to both snowy mountaintops and gorgeous beaches, but let me tell you- we pay for it! With my initial budget estimates, I was preparing myself for having a wedding here:

source: http://www.thegreenestdollar.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/13campsite-outhouse.gif

Now, I know it isn't where you get married or what you wear, but I draw the line at an outhouse!

So it was back to the drawing board. Obviously, I wasn't going to get my dream locale (more on that later) and I was going to have make some compromises. So I made a list of all the things that I might possibly want at my wedding. It was a dream list, if you will, and included things like having Michael Buble serenade our guests live. And then I put it away and came back a few days later and really stared at the list and crossed off things that I thought were silly (like a chocolate fountain. Although a wonderful idea, especially for a chocolate lover like me, at 400 for two hours plus set up fees it just didn't seem worth the money) and highlighted things that I was not willing to compromise on whatsoever. That list? Provided below:

• Outdoor ceremony space
• Ability to house ceremony/reception on the same premises
• Seated, plated dinner
• Ability to bring in our own alcohol, if necessary

Once I scaled back my wish list, I felt a little more even headed to continue on with the venue search. It was a long and arduous task, but in the end we found a great venue, with a wonderful catering director that fit within our very modest budget.

Any brides out there have to scale back their wedding wish list in order to accomodate their budget?