Ch-ch-ch-chaaanges

Ah, joy.  You know how I said I wasn't setting my heart on a date.  It's good that I didn't.  I finally got around to asking my last bridesmaid to be a bridesmaid the other day, and she reminded me that the weekend I was planning to have my wedding on might be Passover.  A quick check, and yup, it sure is!  I'd really hate for my friend to not be able to enjoy our delicious food (especially after I spent the first half of the phone call bragging about how delicious it was all going to be), so I'm probably going to reschedule.

Passover Seder is actually really fun to celebrate!

It's fine.  I still haven't set anything in stone (tick tock goes the clock!).  I'm still not sinking my heart completely on this date, as other family issues might have me changing it again, but now, I'm aiming for either April 9th or 10th, depending on whether I choose Saturday or Sunday.  I like Sunday because it's easier for several guests I can think off right off the bat.  But I know Saturday is more traditional, and I'd hate to interrupt family who go to church.

Setting the Date

Picking a date for your wedding should be one of the simpler tasks when planning.  You only have to consider the season, day of the week, and then pick a specific date at random from there.  You might go back and forth between one weekend and the next, but it's really about the same either way.  This was true for me, too, when I set my date for October 16, 2010.

But then, I lost my job, and the money I'd been setting aside for the wedding had to go towards taking care of our bills.  It became apparent not too long after that a wedding in 2010 wasn't really possible.  Thankfully, I hadn't sent out any invitations, or booked any vendors yet.  But it's still frustrating because I had finally really committed myself to something in the wedding planning.

A Broke Budget

According to costofwedding.com the average couple spends $19,581 on their wedding.  In Nashville, that average is even higher, with most couples spending between $19,864 and $33,106.  I sincerely hope I'm not the only person who looks at those figures and cringes.  Maybe it's because we're young, and entering the work force when the economy is down.  Or maybe it's because we know that money would be much better spent on a down payment for a house.  No matter the reason, this budget was definitely not an option for us. 

This still costs less than a real bouquet

Instead, we agreed very early on that we were going to spend as little money as possible.  Why don't we just elope?  Because I really do want to share this moment with my family and friends.  For me, I want to be able to look back and really remember something beautiful and romantic, and to share with our children down the road, so they can see this special moment too.