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With the average engagement lasting around 17 months, there's plenty of time to stock up on bridal books and salivate over sample bars and exotic flavorings in wedding cakes. The wedding industry is big business and it's up to you to balance your desires and must-haves, etc. while being mindful of your budget. Egads, the "B" word... You no doubt have already learned that money can be a real hot button issue~ both before the wedding (and certainly after). The internet and the amount of information it provides continues to amaze me. What a fantastic resource for researching products and services (watching ridiculous videos and playing scrabble with somebody from Australia, etc.) That said, make sure that while you're saving the date and delving into popular wedding trends, you're also learning to compromise and deciding together what is truly important for your wedding. Know yourselves. Know your budget. Stick to it (as best as you can, anyway).
The First Dance blog wrote the post What I hate about wedding budget advice. In the author 's opinion, most budgeting advice lacks the reason we NEED to find ways to shore up the budget (there's so much out there to be enticed by). She clarifies what she means by telling the story of how she and her fiance' put aside their preference for a “city” reception in order to make sure they met the comfort level of their "rural" guests. In the end, they saved loads of money and were able to apply the savings to other areas of their wedding. In this case, putting the comfort of their guests first, also turned out to be a great budgeting tip.
