The traditional wedding! Often the dream of every little
girl, the traditional wedding fills one's imagination with
long flowing lace, yards of white satin, the fragrance of a
thousand white flowers tied with pink bows, and a wedding
cake with at least five tiers of iced heaven. And along with
such a vision comes a financial picture that staggers the
imagination of those who pay the bills. While the thought of
planning a wedding within the boundaries of a budget can
bring tears to a bride, knowing how to do some special
planning can dry those tears and bring a joyous delight.
The budget will always remain one of the most important
aspects of wedding planning. Working with the budget at this
point gives wonderful life-time experience to the bride, for
all lives are influenced by a budget and now is the time to
really get a handle on them. Where years ago the bride's
family always paid for the wedding, now-a-days this expense
is often shared by all concerned - the working bride, the
working groom - and all parents.
Regardless of who picks up the cost, budgeting allocates an
exact amount of money to each expense and there are no
financial surprises that can ruin the wedding itself. Books
expound upon the dozens of ways to create wedding budgets.
Read them all over. Each will offer you some wise pockets of
knowledge.
The rehearsal dinner allows for a tremendous celebration of
the event. All can gather together to share memories and
laughs and hopes and dreams. The bride and groom show their
loving appreciation to all who gathered to help them
celebrate. The dinner can be privately catered in one's
home or garden, or held in a number of places: from an
upscale restaurant to a potluck in the church basement. To
help keep the costs down, many couples only have the main
course catered and ask the guests to bring the desserts or
drinks. Having arrangements for someone else to do the
serving and cleanup removes a big burden and stress from
the families and wedding party.
When a wedding becomes a financial nightmare, then the true
meaning of the wedding gets watered down. Five years from
now the couple will probably not remember what the ice
sculpture looked like that cost thousands, or whether all
the extra flowers really added to the event. What they will
probably remember the most are the photographs that captured
their treasured moments so they could be relived down
through the years.
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