Budgets

As I begin working on a new wedding, the subject of budget comes into play so much. I know it is hard to really make that final decision of how much money you are going to spend, but to be able to make the decisions on your wedding vendors, you have to sit down with family and make that decision of "how much are we willing to spend on our wedding".
So as I progress with my new bride that subject has to be visited in the beginning so I can help her chose the right vendors that will fit into her budget.
There also has to be some amount of "reality check" in that you can't expect to have "champagne" with a "beer" budget. Everyone seems to spend time looking at the bridal magazines filled with all kinds of wonderful scenes for weddings and receptions. But what you need to remember, is that these pictures have no budget and they are creating scenes that make you want to look and have exactly what you see. What I do is help my brides look at those pictures and help them create a similar scene in the budget they can afford. It's great to see how creative you can be and and save money to stay within your budget. Those are the little secrets of wedding planning. It's all about compromise.
So as you are planning your wedding, what are you willing to compromise to create the wedding of your dreams??