Smaller, more intimate weddings have become favored by
many brides for a good reason. Bride's today often
cannot keep up with the pace of better-than-our-friends
parties and the price tag that goes with it.
Recently, Indian steel Tycoon, Lakshmi Mittal, paid $60
million dollars for his daughter's 6-day Parisian
wedding extravaganza. It seems Mittal out-did just
about everyone.
As a bride, you don't need to succumb to the pressures
of friends and family that feed off the frenzy of
opulent weddings and over-the-top budgets. The
size of your wedding comes down to personal choice.
Do you really want the big gala, and if so, can you
afford it?
The first question to ask yourself: Is a big
wedding really my style or am I just doing it to please
family and impress friends?
Some brides really don't want to be the center of
attention at a big wedding, but they feel like others
want to help them with their plans or can't wait to
attend their big wedding. There is a lot of pressure not
to let anyone down. Brides have many outside
influences; brides hear stories from friends who had big
weddings; they watch movies with big
weddings; and they attend big weddings of friends and family.
After seeing so many big weddings, brides feel they are
doing something unconventional by keeping it quaint.
They may especially feel like they are doing something
weird if they leave
certain people off the guest list. Just because
you attended so-and-so's wedding, does not mean they are
required to fit him/her on your 25 person guest list. You will
be surprised how many understand when you let them know
that you are keeping your wedding under the radar.
Send a nice announcement to those you cannot include.
The truth is, quaint weddings are common but we don't
see these weddings because they are not
overexposed spectacles. Maybe you know a friend
flew off to Hawaii for a small 30 person affair.
You may not know too much about it but if you ask this
bride and groom if they had regrets, they will probably
respond with "none". I hear more regrets from
brides who throw too big of a party than they could
handle monetarily and emotionally. Brides who overextend
themselves have to relive every detail that was
missed in the process. Make sure you can handle
the pressures of a big wedding.
Maybe big weddings are your style, but you don't have
the dough to spare. If you definitely feel hat you
would regret not having a large wedding than sacrifices
will have to be made. Making sacrifices comes down
to good planning and a little soul searching. If
you have a "dream" image that you are trying to live up
to, you should dig deep and find what it was about that
image that you love so much. Perhaps it was the image of
looking your best in your dress. Or maybe it is the image of being
surrounded by friends and family.
If you can get specific about your dreams than you don't
need to keep throwing money across the board. If
you dream about the dress, allocate more budget for the
necessary funds to get your "dream" look. Spend a
little extra money on the nice salon trip, pay for a few
more trips to the gym, get a great manicure, and rent the expensive jewelry to wrap up the
look. If your dream is about sharing the moment
with 500 of your best friends and family, allocate more
money into the catering budget and rent a bigger hall.
Pick what is most important to you and keeping in mind
that you will have to spend less somewhere else (i.e.. a
smaller honeymoon?)
Make a budget and stick with your priorities! If
there is a cost overrun, make sure it only goes into
your "dream" category. Just remember that big weddings
are about the experience of planning and dreaming so
take the time to enjoy the moment.
So stick with what feels right and for heaven's sake
when it's all said and done quit comparing your wedding
to your favorite celebrity or your best friend!
Focus on your own dreams and move forward with
confidence!
KAK
