Do's and don't

I thought about what I remembered from other weddings I've been to. I remember where everyone got married/had reception, I remember the colours for most of them, and I remember who I sat with during the reception. So for me, the most important things were nice venue and good pictures. My fiance wanted good food. So, that's where we wanted to spend our money.

I also am making centrepieces that can first be used down the aisle in the ceremony. And, they will be given out as the favours. Three uses for one thing! A lot of decor can be used for both ceremony and reception. You just need people (family, wedding party) who will be able to move the decor for you.

I stayed within my budget by tracking my budget super closely. WeddingWire has a great budget tracking tool, but anything you choose to use is fine as long as you're diligent at updating it. We can also help you think of expenses that many people forget to include, such at tips and postage.

I had an idea of what I wanted and didn't want for my wedding. I would say though that I may have ditched some of the extra decorations.

Like Carol I had a pretty good idea of what was important to me going into the wedding. For me it was: Good Food, an intimate venue with character and lovely wedding photos. My Fiance only cared about Open bar and great music.

Things like the cake and random decor we cut out.

I went into this process knowing what I wanted and didn't want, I didn't want to spend money on flowers or a cake, I knew that I wanted to spend the money for a great photographer, I wanted to have a Photobooth and and open Bar. I went with a venue that included everything and for a great price, they include the DJ, cake, and centerpieces, and the Limo. We are under budget, and if we decide to add anything on, I'm comfortable doing it. Spending 4000 to 5000 dollars on flowers were not worth it to me, when other things were.