Just Got Engaged!

James and I are beyond thrilled to announce we are engaged!! On June 18, 2014, James asked me to spend the rest of my life with him on campus at Samford University. So, here we are 19 days later and put down our first wedding payment! It is finally sinking in that we are getting married. I hope to use this blog to share my ideas to brides who are on a tight budget (because believe me, I AM!) and show you that you can have a nice wedding without taking out a loan or spending a fortune. It takes a lot of work and research finding the right people for the jobs needed, but I believe it will be worth it in the end! We want our story and happy ending to help other brides because I love, love, LOVE reading blogs on how girls saved money in their weddings. And by the way, we will be getting married June 27, 2015, so we have plenty of time to plan and prepare and find the best deals.

So, my first tip is to give yourself plenty of time for your engagement. I'm not saying everyone needs to give themselves a year, but I would recommend at least 6 months so you can try to get all your ducks in order and not feel as rushed. Trust me, I get stressed even though I have a little over 11 months to go, so don't put more pressure on yourself by getting married so fast that you can't enjoy your engagement and planning your special day! You only get to do this once, so don't make yourself miserably stressed out. There will be people who will upset you and get you down, but that is going to happen no matter what. Just stick to what you and your fiance want and have each others backs so you don't feel pressured to do what everyone else says. It is nice to get advice from recently married couples and parents who have just paid for a wedding, but it is okay to just shake your head and just thank them for their advice. Trust me, most of the time they just want to help, not to boss you around.

Happy planning!