Step 7-Wedding Dress Fun

Completing the first six steps feels really good, does it not?  And now you've been engaged for at least a little while..has it truly sunk in yet? Still looking at your ring every five seconds to each time be taken back by the beauty of it...and to make sure it's still there?  I know I am! Well now, lets start digging into the things that can get a little more crazy and take a lot of time to think about and prep for...

7) Wedding dress shopping!

In my eyes, it's never to soon to start looking and at least getting an idea of what you want in your perfect wedding dress! But now that you're engaged, it's time to get serious. All of us girls know that the dress is one of the most important factors, so I'm going to break this down into a few parts to hopefully make this process a little easier for you!

           a) If you haven't already, set a price range for yourself before you do anything! Trust me! Once you start looking/trying on those beautiful dresses, it could become very easy to let yourself spend more then you were wanting!

           b) Whether you're completely ready to start shopping or not, at least go out and try on a dress so you know what size you are and can go from there! However, keep in mind the time it takes for alterations, but only if you feel those will have to be made. They can take up to a couple of weeks depending, especially if you're short like me!

           c) Decide how important the dress is to you and if you want to buy it brand new, used, or rent it.  Obviously everyone is different so everyone's going to have different preferences. If you want a dress brand new, go for it! However remember your budget and keep in mind what you are going to do with the dress after. If you are ok with buying a used dress or renting one, I think this is a great way to still get a beautiful  dress and save some money! Feel free to click on my wedding dress page to find some great places to buy new or used dresses, as well as rent!

           d) Once you decide to go out and start looking, make sure to always take someone with you! A lot of times others will notice things that you may not about the dress! If you're ready to buy, make sure you've tried on different styles, so that in the end your mind is made up! You'd hate to end up spending more later if you decided you want something different.

          e) For those who feel comfortable, try and negotiate the price...sometimes you can work out an even better deal!

Step 6- Budgeting

Well, now that you've done the basic things to get the ball rolling, it's time to attack the not so fun part....Budgeting! Budgeting can be one of the hardest parts of wedding planning and cause some of the most stress! Since this blog is titled Reasonably priced Lds weddings, I will look at ways that will fit just this as well as give suggestions on how to go about it.

6) Budgeting:

For everyone, finances are different and that's ok! One thing I like to try to remember is the true importance of that wedding day. In the end, you will be married to the one you love, so how big the party was, how many people came, or  how bad the decorations turned out wont really matter! We all want things to look nice and have a few things happen that mean a lot to us though. So here are a few suggestions on how to go about creating a budget with your fiance:

 

   a) Talk to both parents and decide if the traditional ways are going to be followed as far as who pays for what. If not, discuss how they would like to go about it. If things are going to be non-traditional, I would suggest getting a $ amount from both sides of the family so you know what you are going to be working with.

       b) Before you start spending the allotted amount, sit down with your fiancé and make a list of things that will be needed for the wedding, as well as some upfront expenditures you will have as a new married couple (car payment, house bill, school, phone bill, etc). This may help you budget out how you want to spend the money, and possibly help you try and save money to put towards those upfront bills that you will have to start paying as newlyweds!

      c) If you feel comfortable, I would now suggest that you and your fiancé share with each other your individual finances. One thing I have found super helpful here is also creating a projected idea of how much money you will have by the time you get married. Dont forget to factor in your current expenses, along with your paychecks. This is a great time to also create a monthly budget, seperate from wedding stuff, to help you save money.

    d)  Now I would suggest making 3 individual google docs/spreadsheets for all of this that you and your fiancé can both share and have to refer to.  One, for all the things you need to buy for the wedding as well as upfront costs and your projected alloted amount for each. The second, for all the things you do buy along with their cost so you can check and make sure you are staying within your budget. Third,  individual spreadsheets of your daily/monthly expenditures and gains to keep an idea of how much money you will have in the bank by the time you get married.