Now that your engaged .....what's next ?

Congratulations on your engagement ! We know that your mind has been racing since your intended popped the question, and it's so hard to narrow down what's THE NEXT thing to do. Take a deep breath and know that the planning process is a journey, that will be filled with a mix of emotions and it's ok to take a few days off. Now let's get to the nitty gritty, of what's actually the next step. From experience we know that most brides select their gown or even a venue, but let's put a hard stop right there,  your first step is chatting with your intended, and your families about the wedding budget and who will contribute. We know, we know numbers right out the gate can sound stressful, but it's actually one of best things that your both can do. Did you know the average wedding budget is $34,000 ? 

That is a lot of cash, and most people have not planned for that number so a conversation has to be had because EVERY decision you make is relative to that number. It dictates the venue that you can accommodate, guest count, the dress, florals and all the details that follow. Let's do a quick break out on numbers that cross my desk daily....

Venue on a Saturday night $4500.00

Security $210.00 ( x 2 ) 

Cake $800.00 + 75.00 for delivery 

Full service caterer with bar tenders and linen $11,776.00 ( oh ! and that's a real number not a typo ) 

Entertainment : Strings $800.00

DJ $1650.00 

Total : $ 20,021.00

I think you get the point here .....you can see that we have not added quite a few necessary vendors and we have almost topped out. We hope that this drives home how important a budget is for you in the planing process, this one thing can help you avoid loosing time visiting vendors who are not within your allocation, and over spending early and coming up short on the back end. So grab a glass of your favorite champagne,  pick of your favorite cheese cake and invite your parents over to show off your ring a little more and chat it up about the budget. There are ton's of resources to calculate your budget, and if those who need a bit more guidance we would love to see you in the office to talk in greater detail about your moment.  Congrats again !