The first thing I learned when I got engaged and started wedding planning was how differently people perceive money. When I began looking at wedding venues, the people in charge took a look at our budget and had reactions spanning from, "Well, with this much money you could have an absolutely lovely wedding, and we understand that this is expensive," all the way to, "Well, with your very limited budget I'm not sure what we can plan for you." I started feeling really bad about things -- is our budget huge? Tiny? Am I happy about this budget or guilty about spending the money on a party? And then I decided to think about things differently. My advice to people planning weddings? Pick your budget, stick to it, and be proud of it no matter what people tell you. If they say it's too small, tell them all that matters is that you're getting married. If people say it's too big, tell them you've saved up for a fun day and it's worth it to you. And be happy!
