All the hype

If a wedding is something that you really want then yes it's so worth it. You could maybe have a smaller wedding without all if the bells & whistles and it can still be enjoyable. But if a wedding is not something that's a big deal to you & your spouse then don't do it. Don't feel like you're obligated to have one.

^ I second this. If the wedding is something you want go for it! The planning can get stressful, but in the end it’ll be worth it. Even if you wanted to do something intimate that’s fine. Plus if you plan to have a maid of honor they’ll also be able to help you through the process. It’ll be a special day and you’ll enjoy it. Congratulations on your engagement!

View Quoted Comment Thank you 🙂 I may hire a wedding planner! I feel like I deserve my fairytale wedding ☺️

View Quoted Comment We are in the early stages so I’m sure we will do something in between! Thanks for the encouragement! 🙂

View Quoted Comment Absolutely! Every woman does! Be careful with the wedding planner, you don’t want to pay them tons of money because it can get a little expensive. Best of luck!

View Quoted Comment We are still in the early stages so I’m sure we will figure it all out! 🙂

I am on the same path planning my own wedding, I just got engaged last week. I would say keep it small and just remember the main part that matters is that you are with the person that makes you the happiest.
1. Have fun!!

2. Don't be afraid to ask for help and get people involved (I have my maid of honor,
3. Frist find a venue for a decent price. - find the venue was the first thing on my list. I was able to get an entire mansion for only 3,000$. I only toured 2 locations and after the 2nd one I just said JUST DO IT! and it saved the hassle of having to tour more places.-also my future husband really helped with the decision4. Follow wedding Wire schedule but not everything- Some things on here I can do and other I can't. ITS OKAY. Just be realistic and do the things that you and your planning team have time for. DONT STRESS.

View Quoted Comment That’s awesome! Congrats! I have over a year to plan things out and the wedding is at my house in my backyard so I’m focusing on the tent and catering right now! Slow and steady wins the race! Good luck!

View Quoted Comment I LOVE IT!!!! You go girl that sounds right you are so on the right path!!! Good luck to you and congratulations on your engagement!!

In the same boat! Before getting engaged I always wanted to elope, but now I want the big day with all the frills. If it’s in your budget I highly recommend getting a planner, it immediately made the whole process much more fun and less stressful for myself and my fiancé. Being over 40 my friends and family are busy with work and kids and life so it’s nice to have someone to go to that will take care of all the research and details so I don’t have to.

View Quoted Comment I feel like a planner is definitely worth it too because I work as a teacher and coach and of course there are some things I can do over time but the timing of my wedding is right in the middle of my volleyball season so I definitely don’t have time to be stressing over things. I am doing my research now. As a teacher, planning and having a backup plan is what helps alleviate anxiety 😂 my fiancé is asking why I’m planning and getting all worked up when I have over a year to worry 🤦🏼‍♀️

I think as we get older, our priorities shift. We recognize the value of money and where else it could “responsibly” be used in our adult lives. For instance, sometimes I think “dang, I could buy a luxury SUV with the money we are spending on a party” or “this could be a huge down payment on a house”, etc. When you are a bride in her 20s, those things oftentimes aren’t priorities yet, so spending a lot of money on a wedding isn’t as stressful. Ultimately, though, you should follow your heart. You’ve waited 40 years to get married, and deserve the wedding of your dreams. If a wedding is something you really want, go for it! It’s a once in a lifetime event , and you don’t want to look back with regrets!

View Quoted Comment That is so true! I think if I pace myself, and find out where I can cut some unnecessary cost I think it will still be the wedding of my dreams. Thanks for your advice!

I can only imagine the emotions that go in to play with planning a wedding. Maybe if you found a wedding venue in your price range, it may help ease your mind? Our wedding venue is one of the few in Santa Rosa Beach that is very affordable. Feel free to reach out to see if I can help you. Thank you,

Christine

Hibiscus Coffee & Guesthouse Event Manager

View Quoted Comment Thank you. The wedding will be on my farm but just want to make sure I stay within reason budget wise!

Congratulations! That is something only you and fiancé can decide. Everyone has their own priorities. Some see it as a regular day and others see it as a big celebration. How you interpret that is something only you can decide. Just because you are older than the average doesn’t mean you can’t have the wedding of your dreams. There is no age cut off on love and happiness.



Sit down with fiancé to decide what your priorities are and cut out anything you don’t care about. Give the wedding industry the finger that says you can’t have a wedding and that if you do, it has a follow a specific formula they dictate in order to be valid, which is complete BS. There are lots of posts here on being budget conscious and definitely feel free to ask anything.

View Quoted Comment Thank you! We are just going to pace ourselves and go all out! We have time to save and put towards it! I deserve my fairytale wedding

Hey! I had a backyard wedding with a tent and a caterer as well. We had 75 guests. Me and my now husband chose all budget options and didn’t participate in some of the traditions that also helped to cut down on costs (no bridal party, no MOH or best man, a sheet cake instead of 3 tiered cake, affordable dress from davids bridal instead of fancy boutique).


I am a teacher as well but I don’t coach a sport. My husband and I planned the whole thing together and didn’t use a wedding planner. If you use the summer (assuming your work schedule isn’t as packed as during the school year) to get other vendors like photographer, florist, entertainment, bathroom trailers... then all the hard work is done. But I understand wanting to get a wedding planner if you think your work schedule will be too demanding. They are quite expensive though. Maybe consider a “day of coordinator” instead?

View Quoted Comment You’re right! I can do this. I have time. We were just doing the math… 4 kegs, 60 bottles of wine and a few hundo in variety beers and seltzer’s. But then how do we keep them cool? Lol all these little details I go back and forth. I think this summer I’ll try to lock down the tent and perhaps caterer. My bridal party and I can try and do flowers on our own, over time. We were thinking cutting out the rehearsal dinner🤔 I’m thinking Buffet style and have a few people bring finger foods. So much to think about lol 😆

View Quoted Comment We bought ice from our caterer. My husband wanted to do the ice on our own to save money but it didn’t make sense to be lugging ice the morning of our wedding so we just purchased it from the caterer!