Bride Blogger Amanda: The Nitty Gritty

We’ve been engaged for a little over 15 months; I feel like we’ve been running a marathon when it comes to planning the wedding and we can see the finish line. That’s both really exciting because our big day is coming up fast, but it’s also really intimidating when I think about all the little things to do before the day gets here! That’s where being organized and having a to-do list and a budget come in handy. It’s a great feeling of accomplishment when I can cross something off the list, whether it’s rehearsal dinner invites or a meeting with the DJ.


We’re also getting to the point where big things will need to be paid for soon, so having a budget with dates helps keep everyone contributing on track and informed. Budgets and money can be a touchy subject sometimes. In my experience, if your parents or anyone else is helping you pay for your wedding, it’s best to be completely upfront and clear on expectations early on so everyone knows exactly how much everything is going to cost and when the payments are due. These days, the tradition of the bride’s parents paying for everything is somewhat unrealistic. So if the bride’s family, groom’s family, and even the bride and groom, are shouldering the costs together, be clear about who is paying for what and make sure everyone is on board.

We’ve been able to pay for a number of things as we go, which helps, but if you are on a shorter time line you might not have that luxury so make sure to plan accordingly. If your wedding is going to cause you to go into a bunch of debt or put you in trouble financially, a reevaluation of your wedding plans might be in order. It is one day after all, and while it’s probably one of the most important days of your life, your marriage afterward is what’s important; make sure you’re starting out on the right foot!

This is also the point in time where RSVPs are coming in, and it’s really fun to see who will be coming to share in our special day! We’ve even gotten a few gifts, which was a nice surprise, so we’ll have to get busy with the thank-you cards as well. We don’t want too much time to pass between the time we receive the gift and the time we send out the thank you. As long as we keep ourselves on top of everything, we should be just fine.