Procrastination Strikes!

I know that this will all come back to bite me in the butt, but I find myself procrastinating on several wedding planning type things.  It's not so bad in some places, but really bad in others.  Part of the problem is that we still don't have the money set aside for even our budget wedding.  It's hard to plan around what we don't have.  The other part of the problem comes from the fear that things might change from my original plans.

For example, I haven't properly contacted my venue to see how much it will cost and make our reservations.  It's a park, so I'm not too worried about the costs, nor am I really too scared that they won't have a single picnic pavilion available for rent on that day.  The reason I'm holding off on contacting them, though, is because I really wanted to give my mother a chance to see the venue first.  I don't doubt that Mom will love whatever I pick, but I'm wanting to make sure she doesn't think I'm crazy for asking guests to hike to get to our location.

Expenses So Far

bI've started realizing that a lot of the stuff that I'm getting for the wedding is going to be bought gradually, over time.  It's not going to be all at once.  This is MUCH easier on a tight budget, because it means you can pay for things as they come.  But at the same time, if you're trying to keep track of how much money you've spent, it's a bit of a hassle.  So today, I'm going to run through what I've already bought specifically for the wedding.  I'll also make mention of things I already have, so you can consider those costs if you're planning your own wedding.

My Engagement Ring

The biggest expense so far has been my dress.  It was $99.99, with no taxes (hurray for used items!).  However, I AM planning on altering the dress, and for that purpose, I've bought three yards of a simple, white ribbon from Wal-Mart.  At 33 cents a yard, that's $1.07.  I also picked up some fabric at $1.50 a yard to use for table overlays.  It's beautiful, and worth every penny, even if there was only 7 yards of it.  That was $11.37.

Wedding Dress Woes

Fancy dress shops, formal fittings, surrounded by family and friends.  Pah, who needs them.  Well...  I can't say that it wouldn't have been nice to have somebody there with me, to tell me what they thought.  But my mom is halfway across the country, and I didn't have a whole lot of notice before the Goodwill Bridal Gala, so I couldn't get my friends on board that fast.  Besides, it started at 6AM, way before anybody wanted to be awake.

Both of these numbers on my dress were higher.

And yes.  I did say 'Goodwill' there.  Meaning those charity thrift shops, selling secondhand clothing.  It was actually pretty fabulous, with a really nice set up and everything.  Lots of mirrors, staff on hand to help out whenever necessary, cake.  We all stormed in.  Shopping happened, and it happened hard.  Gowns, bridesmaid dresses, veils, decor...  It all vanished off the racks before I left.

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.