Budget, Budget, Budget!!!

• Posted on February 9, 2012 at 11:08 am

Ugh! The dreaded budget or as I like to call it “financial allocation”… either way it is money!

Deciding on a budget is as much of a headache for me as I’m sure it is for you! As a bride I want to indulge in all of my wedding desires but as a planner I also know the downfalls of not setting a realistic budget and sticking with it! Ken and I are also planning on purchasing a home and I am trying to avoid the pitfalls of buying a home and having a wedding to close together for fear of having to slice my wedding budget and cut back.

As of right now in our wedding planning process we are going through the “want”, “really want” and “can do without.” Our big issue right now is if we should indulge in an open bar or not. One venue we are looking at provides us the opportunity to pay upfront per head and that is it. You do not pay per drink, bartenders, etc. We would know our total amount so no surprises. Another venue we would pay per drink. The cons of the latter is we would not know the total cost until the end of the night. We are also toying with the idea of having a set amount and cut off the open bar when that amount is reached or having drink tickets/tokens and paying for a set amount of drinks. So many choices so little time!

Well, as you can see we are still trying to decide on a venue!

Where to Get Married?

• Posted on January 25, 2012 at 1:54 am

So my fiancé and I have already hit a wedding planning road block! Trying to figure out where to get married is definitely more of a challenge than I had originally anticipated.

We are fortunate in North Carolina to have so many beautiful options so close but it does make it a slight issue. Ken (that’s my fiance’s name), loves the beach and I love the mountains but there are some really great places right here in the Triangle as well. We have looked at Carolina Inn (we are huge UNC fans and Grads), The Grand Marquise (it is simply gorgeous inside), The Umstead Hotel (the outdoor weddings by the lake are truly beautiful) and Prestonwood Country Club (if I am going for a royal wedding that would be the perfect place).

I am really pushing for the mountains though. I really don’t think you can beat a view of the mountains on a clear day. An outdoor wedding there would be “purrfect”! I have a preference of locations as well. Banner Elk Winery on top of the mountain is completely breath taking and I like the fact that it is located in a sleepy mountain town. With that being said I really love going to Asheville and I think we would have a better chance of getting vendors at a reasonable rate because they won’t have to travel as far and there are more venue and vendor choices as well as more activities for our guests to do. We’ll see! I have to convince him first!

Guess What? I’m Engaged!

• Posted on January 25, 2012 at 1:50 am

Hello to my fellow Brides-To-Be!

First, I would like to admit that I am in new territory since I am officially not only a wedding planner but also a Bride-To-Be!

If you have seen the 2001 movie “The Wedding Planner” with Jennifer Lopez and Matthew McConaughey, you may be familiar with the line from the movie, “Those who can’t do, teach? Those who can’t wed, plan.” Well that was the way I had been viewing my life until my boyfriend (now fiancé) popped the question. So now I am officially on the other side of the “ring” (diamond of course!).

I thought this would be an interesting experience to see how my expertise as a wedding planner would shape my wedding planning experience. I am presuming that I should not come across any problems, complications, or horrendous situations since I have a good idea of what I want and I know professionally how to get it.

Well, we’ll see!

I am hoping that while I am planning my wedding I will gained a more enlightened view of the experiences my Brides-To-Be go through on a more intimate level.

I will keep you all posted of everything good, bad and glamorous. And as every wedding planner says…”Happy Planning”!