WED Wednesday: You just got engaged! YEAH!!! Now what?

Congratulations!  You are recently engaged and you cannot wait to go dress shopping and your mom cannot wait to go check out venues and your dad is freaking out about the budget.  What to do first?

As un-fun as it sounds, your dad is actually right.  You, your fiancé, all parents and any other paying members of the wedding party need to sit down and have a heart-to-heart discussion about the budget… AND compile a preliminary list of guests.  Because, guess what?  If you expect to have 200 guests, you are not having a reception at the Elysian Hotel in Chicago - too many people!  If you expect to have 100 people, the best option is not the Gold Coast Ballroom at The Drake Hotel – too few people!  If you have a budget of $20,000, then you are not getting married at JW Marriott Chicago - your budget will not cover the food & beverage minimum in the ballroom.  IT IS JUST NOT GOING TO HAPPEN, no matter how much you want it to!!!

So, take a deep breath and gather those wonderful people who are so excited that you are marrying your knight in shining armor and talk about the expectations of the wedding day, a true budget (plus 10% for extras) and a realistic guest count.

While not glamorous, in the end, you and your loved ones will not have to worry about squeezing in 20 more guests in to an already too full room or being under/over budget in a big way.  Good wedding planning ~ and a great life together ~ begins with a good foundation and honesty.