Happy Earth Day! Today is the last day to enter our giveaway for 200 FREE Wedding Programs from MagnetStreet Weddings!

Enter here.

I’m getting married! Now what? Truly Engaged is a new blog series written by Rachel, our *newly engaged* staff writer. As she wades her way through the wedding planning process, she’ll be sharing some of the emotions, inspiration, and insight she uncovers along the way.

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Pretty soon after getting engaged (and actually, even before I was engaged, since I write for MagnetStreet Weddings), I found myself being slowly submerged in a beautiful sea of all things “wedding”: wedding blogs, glossy magazines, and TV shows like “Say Yes to the Dress” and “My Fair Wedding”.

Of course, I can’t forget the newest (and most addictive) species in the wedding sea: Pinterest! Don’t get me wrong: I love Pinterest and find it incredibly helpful for capturing inspiration and ideas. However, while pinning pretty pictures of custom cake toppers and sparkling Jimmy Choo wedding heels, I often forget to picture the actual price tag behind all these glittery items.

I’ve realized how easy it could be to go temporarily “budget blind” while planning a wedding. I knew that I needed to get a firm grasp on values–not only monetary values, but personal values, too. I knew I needed to clearly define what was most important to me and my fiance on my wedding day.

After sitting down with my fiance, we nailed down our top priorities. Now, just because an item is a top priority doesn’t mean we have to spend “X amount” of dollars on it. If I can snag a great deal on a top priority item, then wonderful! (I’m a bride who loves a bargain.) However, these items are important enough that we are willing to spend more money on—if need be.

That said, we do have money set aside for the top items, and any surplus will go toward the items farther down on the list. (After all, I’d hate to get distracted by a couture gown, only to realize I ran out of money to hire, or pay, my talented and reputable photographer—something that is much more valuable to me when I don’t have my “wedding budget blinders” on.)

Our Top Wedding Values : 

The Big Three (Must Have)

1. Venue: Booking a venue that matches our personalities, passions, and life as a couple. The overall vibe is very important to us, and that begins with the location and venue.

2. Officiant: Hiring an officiant that is open-minded, OK with interfaith weddings, and allows us to create a highly personalized ceremony. We come from different backgrounds and want to have a ceremony that is meaningful, unique, and honors our beliefs and backgrounds.

3. Photographer: Hiring a photographer that can produce beautiful, vibrant photography—especially candid shots that capture emotion. I don’t want to stress about whether the photos come out great or not–I want to enjoy my wedding day with the full confidence and comfort in my choice of photographer.

Inspired by: Romantic Mason Jar Wedding Stationery

The Middle Three (Prefer to Have)

1. Attire: We don’t need our wedding apparel to be couture or trendy, but we do value quality clothing that captures our creativity and culture.

2. Food: As Indo-Caribbeans, Tim’s family loves spicy, flavorful dishes. We hope to find a caterer that specializes in these dishes.

3. Stationery: As a writer for MagnetStreet, I’ve come to really value high quality, personalized stationery that I can infuse with my own creativity and personality.

The Final Two (Good to Have)

1. Music: I love music, and come from a musical family. Since I already know some good musicians for the ceremony and/or reception, I put this farther down on my list. But, if I didn’t know any, then I would’ve put this item higher up.

2. Decor: My fiance and I want vibrant colors and a cozy, yet eclectic ambiance. But, we’re willing to accomplish this through DIY and browsing thrift stores and wedding consignment shops. For us, the general mood/tone is more important than the types of materials used to achieve it.

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I’d love to hear from my fellow brides and grooms out there: What are your top priorities? Or what methods have you used to help prioritize your wedding budget?

Rachel for MagnetStreet Weddings

Hey everyone -  we’re putting “Color Monday” on hold til tomorrow- in light of telling you about our SUMMER BLOWOUT SALE that starts today!

Now is the perfect time to order your Save the Dates and Invitations from MagnetStreet Weddings! And your Reception Items too … In fact, with a deal this fab -  20% off everything – treat yourself to the entire suite!

Save the Dates … Wedding Invitations … Reception Items {Place & Table Cards, RSVP, Menu Cards} … Embellishments {Envelope Liners & Belly Bands} … Thank Yous … Shower Invitations … Bachelor Party Invitations … Bachelorette Party Invitations … Rehearsal Dinner Invitations … Programs …

Ready to personalize. Set. Go!

Today, through September 5th, 2011 … use promo code WBLOG822 for an entire 20% off!

Make any design your own by personalizing with your wedding colors, special wording, fonts and photos!

Your wedding. Your way.

I think we can all agree … we love to save money … but we hate watching the budget- no fun at all!

And, because wedding costs add up very quickly, many couples go way over their wedding budget. That said, it’s important to know your costs so you’re not taken by surprise and have to cut things later. Continue reading for 10 creative ways to help you save …

First, check out this post Who Pays for What for a traditional breakdown on who pays for what- it’s one of the first things on the “to do” list after getting engaged. Then, soon afterwards you’ll want to talk about what you really want in your wedding- the desires of your heart stuff. Then, do your research on what things and services actually cost while comparing prices and perhaps doing a little negotiating for those things. In fact, check out this post to see read how Nicole and Nick bartered many of their wedding costs {very creative + cool e-session photos}.

10 Ways to save on your wedding budget:

1. Save postage by sending RSVP Postcards.
2. Wedding dress: shop off the rack, clearance or sample sales. Go vintage and restore your mom’s/grandmother’s dress and her jewelry.
3. Veil: DIY.
4. Decorations: DIY. Clip coupons from local craft stores. Choose pre-decorated venues at holiday times. Rent or borrow rather than buy. Nature provides a lot of her own decorations.
5. Flowers: Arrange by color rather than flower type and choose in-season. Use single flowers rather than bouquets. Silk over fresh. Grow your own flowers from seeds.
6. Venues: Generally less expensive are university chapels or your home church, backyards, flower gardens, zoo, city or state parks, your home etc.
7. Reception: Buffet or hors d’oeuvre meal style rather than a sit-down. Host the reception on a Friday night or serve earlier rather than later. Cupcakes instead of cake. No alcohol or limited alcohol. Consider a venue that allows you to bring in your own food and drink.
8. Professionals: Although I am a proponent of using professionals, hiring or not hiring depends on your needs but alas, you set the limits on their time and services. Check with the local college or university for interns in photography, floral, music, etc.

MagnetStreet Weddings has created a Budget Guide to help you track and categorize expenses. Plus, cool interactive features help make the categorizing and tracking all the easier! Download our Budget Guide here.

Two other ways to save with MagnetStreet Weddings:

9. Subscribe to Bride Vibe- and receive exclusive discounts {and other cool stuff}

10. Check MagnetStreet’s coupon codes – for the latest and greatest deals and discounts

What is one way you saved big or are saving big on wedding costs?

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