Wedding On a Budget; You're Not Alone!

The numbers are in and you'll be hearing it everywhere you go:

"The average cost of a wedding in 2008 is $28,700." (as reported by TheWeddingReport.com)

Now before you scream and pull out your hair in frustration, wondering how you will ever have your Dream Wedding with an average or below average budget, take heart. The REAL numbers tell a different story.

If you're like me, when you hear the word "average," you figure that means half the weddings cost more than $28,700 and half cost less. But that's not true!

In fact, 80% of the weddings in 2008 will cost LESS than $28,700.

Here's a breakdown of the REAL story behind the average 2008 wedding budget. You can read the whole article on The Great Wedding Network blog at http://marc-fuller.blogspot.com/2008/05/lies-damned-lies-and-statistics-average.html.

The truth is that most brides spend much less than $28,000 on their weddings. And it IS possible to have your Dream Wedding on a budget that's less than "average."

So don't let the statistics scare you. You CAN have your Dream Wedding on a budget that won't leave you broke or in debt.

I'm sharing the secrets to doing just that in my Dream Wedding newsletter. If you haven't signed up yet, join us at www.SimplyYourSpecialDay.com. More good stuff to come!

Advice From Past Brides

My first blog post. Yippee!

(Can you tell I’m excited?)

This is a GREAT way for you to ask me questions and leave comments about my Dream Wedding newsletter or anything wedding-related that’s on your mind.

Here’s a recent question that came in from a bride:

Question: I’d like to hear from past brides. What would they have done differently?

Answer: I surveyed my brides from the past year after their weddings. Here’s what some of them said about what they would have done differently if they had it to do all over again.

“I would have done the guest list FIRST. I procrastinated about it because I thought it would be such a pain—and it was—but it would have made everything so much easier.”

“I freaked out and realized at the end of the wedding that my photographer never took pictures of our grandmothers—and now we’ll never get that opportunity again. If we had a VERY specific list for him, maybe that could have been avoided.”

“I did wait until a little late to order my dress because I thought that if I did it too early I would wish I got something else…I really waited too long for a lot of the pieces. I guess really you never have too much time. It could have gone smoother if I had made decisions early on.”

“Maybe I would have done more if money was not a concern, but I would have eventually looked back and regretted wasted money on a photobooth, etc. I loved my wedding, but wished I could have been less rushed in the morning and calmer throughout the getting ready and picture part. By the time I calmed down the wedding was flying by.”

“8 months of planning was not enough…I felt rushed by most vendors to book now!”

“I was excited about Do It Yourself projects in the beginning; I made my invitations and centerpieces. I had so much time planning, but then I stressed because I waited until the last minute.”

So now, what are YOUR frustrations in planning your Dream Wedding? What answers are YOU looking for?

I will find the answers for you and post them here. So ask away!