#rich bride

Maybe you can be more than one or the other... how about setting a realistic budget and living happily ever after?

On average couples spend $27,000 on their wedding and whether that sounds reasonable or preposterous, in my experience a budget needs to be made. You can draw it up on the back of a cocktail napkin, or draft a spreadsheet – just make one.

The basics are simple; you need to know how much money you have to spend.

Are your parents & relatives contributing, or are you on your own? If you have to borrow money to pay for your wedding, don’t take on more debt than you can pay it back in a year!

Have your benefactors list their top two priorities (what is most important). This is key because often arguments appear to be about money, when they are really about priorities. If you do reach a stalemate, revisit the priority list and if the matter is not in your top 2, save your energy.

Once you know what you have to spend and what’s important, grab that cocktail napkin and list the items you’ll need for the wedding (see below) include a column for estimated cost, actual cost, deposit and a final column for notes. Always keep a running tally to be sure you are on track and factor in a 5-10% cushion for items you may had over looked.

Embrace the budget because it not only keeps your spending in check, it is a great organizational tool that will help track what still needs to be done.

One more thing, you have a lifetime together, let's not spend it repaying the wedding debt racked up!

Next Post: I'm tackling politics!

*Here is an example of what portion of a couple’s budget is used on the following:

40% Reception (site, food & drink)

8% each Wedding Rings & Photography

6% Flowers

5% each Dress & Videography

4% Reception Music

3% Groom’s Formal Wear

2% each Hair & Makeup for bride & bridal party, Invitations & Stationary, Ceremony Music, Spiritual Ceremony Site, Wedding Cake, Transportation

1% Favours

*Breakdown courtesy of The Wedding Book – The Big Book for Your Big Day, by Mindy Weiss and Lisabeth Levine

and mourning the fact it doesn't have Smallville or Supernatural, but still looking for something to watch, because I'm bored or whatever, when I see this monstrosity:

Granted, it may be more horribly frightening than anything on Supernatural, but... Really, Netflix? You don't even have Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. Or Some Like It Hot. Or Tangled.  If you had those, I might consider forgiving you.

But no. You have friggin' "Rich Bride, Poor Bride" instead. 

I've never even heard of this show, so I look it up on Wikipedia and read the description and it's awful I just - dafuq is this?   on Women's Entertainment, if that tells you anything.

And, can I just mention that the little thumbnail or whatever it's called is a girl in trashy looking make-up and a tiara carrying a huge sack of money?

  Okay, it's Superman, that's pretty cool, I wanna watch this - 

  Oh wow, that snake is wound around that guy's arm, that's pretty spectacular, I wanna watch this too - 

OhmyGAWD guys this looks so great and awesome and the 'i' has a little diamond over it and huge bag of money let's watch this!