In less than a month from now, I myself will be saying this words to my future half. I cannot believe that I am actually a June bride nor that we will be getting married at the Wedding Church of Cana in Israel! How's that sounds? Honestly, this idea didn't immediately sink in to me when he proposed it on Valentine's day (oh my, isn't that sweet?). Who wouldn't say YES to that, while we don't have even the slightest doubt that it is about time for us to be one!How complicated we are:
A Peruvian groom residing in Japan have a Filipina bride presently based in Canada. The wedding will take place in a church where Jesus Christ made His first miracle and I consider our wedding is also His miracle! Planning a wedding in the Holy Land while we are half the world apart, seriously it is not that easy. We could have considered hiring a professional wedding planner!
In spite of the short period for preparations and less money that we have, the universe conspires in helping us to achieve what we want. I think Paulo Coelho is very right!
Anyhow, what I've realized is that no matter how simple you want your wedding to be, it's gonna be expensive! Here are some things that might help you out to plan for your own wedding, I read this from a newspaper column (Carrie Russell) and it really make sense.
Talk about it
Who's gonna pay what? If you are a mixed couple from two different cultures, it is a must to discuss your respective wedding traditions. You know?, where west meets east...this might be the baseline of your wedding plan.
Set your priorities
Try to have a list of your guests, sponsors and the possible venues, consider holding your wedding off-season when halls for the reception are less expensive, choose flowers available for the season (you may also consider contacting florists that are outside of urban areas, they can be more cost-effective) and there's ton of cheap exotic places for honeymoon, put some adventures from the start of your married life!
Save, save, save
Refrain from non-essential spending and both of you should set aside a part of your monthly salary into an out of reach account. And no matter how small it is, it will be something that will be of help for the big day!
Shop around
Do some research to get the best deals in town! You can find tons of suppliers online, where you can get what you need without spending too much money. Most of the time, it is really cheaper and more convenient to buy stuffs online!
I did snoop around the mall for some days, trying to find our wedding ring. It requires time and it is not easy for us to decide unanimously which is the one. Surfing in the web, we found more designs to choose from according to our budget. We we're able to shop virtually together, choose one and ordered it in real time! Turns out to be cheaper and we've got our purchased rings in less than a week.
Use cash gifts to pay down debt
Put cash towards any remaining wedding expenses and save the rest. It might be tempting to use those cash gift for post wedding shopping spree, think it over and over before you do that!
At the end of it all, it will be best to start your married life - debt free!
And the love story continues...
