Your Unique Priorities

It's hard not to want every single thing in each wedding magazine you see. And you can imagine that as a wedding designer I see (and come up with) lots of captivating ideas. But every bride has a budget, and therefore every bride has to create a list of priorities.

What's most important to you? The flowers? The dress? The food? Having a great party? And no, you can't pick (D) all of the above. You have to make some decisions about which items you really want to emphasize, and which items you're willing to sacrifice on. After you decide that, tweak your budget accordingly - knowing that you may have to eliminate an element altogether to gain some cash for your heart's desire. Sounds simple. It is. Sounds Difficult. It's that too. But remember this little rule, its better to do the one thing that you love very well, than to do everything poorly.

At my own wedding, my splurge was the aisle flowers. They commanded a stunning 70% of my overall floral budget. But they were worth every penny. When I chose them I knew it meant sacrificing on floral table centerpieces, but it was worth it. My advice, choose one or two items to splurge on. Have to have hand made invitations? Have it done! Want to splurge on a well-known band. Go for it! Just know that no matter what your budget, you will probably have to sacrifice on other elements.

NEXT: Small touches with big style...