...and if you didn’t read that title in the tune of “I’m So Fancy,” please go back and read it again.

Great, glad we got that out of the way. Second, congratulations! Being newly engaged is SO exciting. Pinterest goes from some random boards we pinned to when we were procrastinating in college to a lifeline to the hottest wedding trends-- it’s an exciting time, for sure.

You’ve probably gotten a fresh manicure, snapchatted all of your friends the new bling, and spent hours emailing your favorite wedding pros asking for their pricing. And now…. what, exactly?

Make. A. Budget. Boo.

I know, I’m upset too. But we can’t help you unless we know what we’re working with? If you’re in the south, wedding budgets are a bit wonky to try and figure out. Most typically what ends up happening, is that the bride’s parents agree to pay a set amount, the groom’s parents offer to chip in with a few key components (typically, but not always, the alcohol and band or DJ), and then the couple decides if they too, need to make a contribution to make up the difference of what they want to accomplish.

What we have ALSO seen happen however, is that grandparents, aunts, uncles, and godparents have also been known to pitch in on specific items that were going to be on the cutting room floor i.e. transportation, a photo booth, etc.-- so those are all important conversations to have sooner rather than later, so you know what money is coming from where.

Talk to your fiance.

Okay, hopefully this goes without saying and technically it should be #1, but we’re assuming that your fiance is going to say “whatever you want, dear”, and if you don’t know how much money you’re working with anyway, that information isn’t particularly helpful.

What IS helpful, is knowing what things are important to your groom on the wedding day. Because ladies, it’s his day too! Has he been planning this day since he was 5? Probably not. But this is 2020, and I am tired of hearing brides say that what their partner wants doesn’t matter, yall! That is no way to start a life together.

So sit down, pour some wine, and talk about it. It doesn’t have to be a conversation about color palettes and flowers-- moreso, ‘do you want a band or a dj?’; ‘destination wedding or local?’; ‘big wedding or small?’

Yall these seem like common sense items that you’ve probably talked about at one time or another, but trust me when I say that it matters. You simply don’t have room to get frustrated 5 months from now, when he doesn’t seem to know or care about any of the details of the wedding, when you never invited him into the conversation! So invite him in-- and then listen to what he has to say.

Rank your priorities.