Fabulous Wedding Secrets

Little girls dream of prince charming and fairy tale weddings and now it's about to come true. As you know, weddings cost real money, and lots of it. Before getting into debt, it's better to really figure out what's important to you. Having a more realistic wedding that you can afford is far better than beginning married life with a big debt! The smart bride can have her cake and eat it too, just by creating a realistic wedding financial plan and sticking to it.

With a little creative financing it's still possible to get married-- without sacrificing that fairytale wedding you've always dreamed of.

Very often celebrity weddings and extravagant weddings on television can influence brides to want to spend more. For some brides, competition to have a better wedding than everyone else, is one of the reasons bridal planning costs so much. Many consultants say that brides really hope that guests will walk into the reception and want it to be the best of the best. Sometimes it's too easy to get caught up in the materialistic favors, invitations, clothing, and all of the wedding "stuff", and forget the real essence of the wedding, which is the uniting of two souls.

Prioritizing Your Wedding Budget

Every couple has different ideas about which parts of the wedding are more important to them than others. This is your first opportunity to decide what is important to you, where you want to spend you money, and what you will remember most in years to come. Whatever your budget, there are ways to save money by prioritizing the things that are most important to you, and minimizing what is not.

Money is a touchy subject in our culture. We really don't like talking about our limitations with regards to money. If we can't afford something, it's difficult for us to say. There can be a lot of stress associated with the decision-making process of your wedding. Perhaps your parents are financing the whole affair and your father can't understand why things cost so much! Maybe your mother has her heart set on favors that you really can't afford.

Our advice : Set a firm budget and stick to it.

Brides can get the "wedding brain." What's that? Your entire focus becomes centered on the wedding - so focused that you forget things like the upcoming bills that will result from the choices you make about your wedding.

The "Wedding Brain," can envelop you in a fog. You might actually believe that you can afford to buy a dress that's significantly more expensive than your budget. In fact, you can even be talked into it. You might decide that you absolutely, positively, have to have a particular kind of champagne for your reception, even after you find out that it will cost you $150 a bottle, not $50. A florist may present you with a number of gorgeous options, and you suddenly must have the white orchids instead of the white roses you had in your budget.

Of course, this kind of thinking is like a freight train. Once it gets started, it sort of propels itself forward. You choose a different dress, and then you have to have the shoes that go with it. Suddenly, your flowers look too plain with your new dress. Before you know it, you have gone into hundreds or even thousands of dollars over budget.

Stick to your budget and priorities and it will pay off!

Again, the answer is in being yourself, grounding yourself, paying attention to what you're doing and why you're doing it. If you're trying to be something you're not, it's an extremely expensive proposition!

A Fabulous wedding is one that sets the foundation of your marriage in place.

* A Fabulous Wedding is one in which you and your groom are true to yourselves
* A Fabulous Wedding is a warm and happy time that unifies not only the bride and groom, but the families and friends.
* A Fabulous Wedding is an expression of joy, health and love
* A Fabulous Wedding takes place in your hearts and minds and not just at the wedding location.

Mitta Vicki Wise is an RN, Stress Management and Alternative Health Practitioner for over 15 years. She also is a Wedding coach for bride's stress management and to help brides be beautiful on the inside and the outside!

She is the co-author of the book: "The Secret to a Fabulous Wedding"