budget

in terms of a budget, i'm going to do something i really do not want to do. i am going to make the wedding budget transparent for everyone to see (okay, the one or two people who will read this and the five that accidentally happen upon it for thirty seconds). you may ask why i don't want to make it transparent? for several reasons.

1. if i put it in writing, i will spend less. it is kind of like the whole idea of keeping a food journal when on a diet. people have a tendency to eat less if they have to write it down. i will be more cautious spending if i have to keep a record and you all will see what i spend.
2. my guy will be reading this on occasion and will pay careful attention to the budget listing. this means i cannot hide any expenses from him like glitter letters that spell our names.
3. some of the vendors i use may read this and they will see how much i want to or do not want to spend.

but the whole reason i am doing this is so that others who might find it useful, can see what a real wedding budget looks like. not one dreamt up by the wedding industry with percentages and totals. i find those example budgets they have created confusing and elusive. they give you just enough rope to hang yourself. plus they do not allow for the diy factor. plus, each one is different on what they include in the wedding budget (dress, rings, honeymoon, etc.). when some brides quote their budget, i can never tell what that actually includes. therefore, it means nothing to me.

i've always fancied myself a bargain hunter, diy, homemade, vintage, thrifty gal so i am in a sense challenging myself to do my very best. in a day in age when weddings are AVERAGING 20-25,000 dollars, i and my guy are attempting to throw a wedding of less than 10,000 dollars. depending on what you count towards a "wedding budget" ours will likely range from 6,000 - 10,000 and i am seriously hoping it will be closer to the 6 than the 10!

so here is what i propose to do. in the right hand column, under budget expenses i will list everything that we buy or spend money on. if it was free or hand-made out of materials already on hand, i will list it but not count the amount it would have cost. since we live overseas, i am not counting shipping in the total of purchase only because i think it will throw some off. besides, we may be shipping some things to family in the states so that we can save on shipping internal US shipping. in some instances i will post on my purchases and if i do this, i will link the expense to that post so you can see the goods.

i just want to shout out to the few that inspired me to talk candidly about budget. A $10,000 Wedding (click here for her original post on budget, people gave her lip about it in comments, but i believe), 2000 Dollar Wedding (who actually did it and did it brilliantly-way to go!), and A Practical Wedding who appears to be one of the only ladies keeping it real. when i'm feeling overwhelmed by the wedding industry and budget, i just check out her blog and it gives me the perspective i need.