“Where Do I Start?” – Half Moon Bay – California

“We are getting married! ”  Ok, you’ve now made the announcement to family and friends. There’s excitement in the air and the ideas and years of stored dreams begin flowing between you. You may even find yourselves getting immediately into the finer details for your “big day”. Then you wonder, “Where do we start?” Let us suggest a few “first steps”. First, establish a budget. This isn’t always the easiest subject to talk about between couples and families, but it is a critical piece of information before you can move forward. It’s very important to have an established budget before you start planning and stick to it. If parents are going to be involved, now is the time to ask them what they are willing and able to contribute financially. Also, decide if and how much each of you can contribute to the wedding costs. Now that you have your budget,  ask yourselves whether you want to focus your spending on the ceremony or the reception or whether both are equally important to you and any other different options available to you that you can think up. Fortunately, there is no set  approach to how you should have your wedding ceremony, reception, or how you use vendors  for your ceremony or reception. Finally, create a worksheet ; list the categories for the ceremony and reception and prioritize them before you begin visiting locations or obtain pricing from vendors. Keep in mind that if you are planning on a luncheon or dinner reception most of your costs are for food and beverages. Through it all, don’t forget this is supposed to be an enjoyable, special time in your lives, so listen to and respect  each other’s ideas. And have fun!