The Countdown is on!

The wedding planning (and wedding blog) has begun. I am a 21 year old student/full time employee in SC. My FH B, and I are jumping into this wedding planning stuff head first without a clue about what we are doing.

Today, we are 1 year and 20 days from our wedding date, april 24th, 2011. That was not the original date however. I wanted to get married August 6th, 2011 but due to budget concerns and housing changes we chose a different date. I am prepared to tackle the whole wedding expense by myself (though I hope I won't have to) so we are on a tight budget of $4,000.

I have decided to cut costs and have our wedding on a Sunday afternoon at the venue of my choice as opposed to a Saturday wedding and either spending a ton of money for the reception I want, or holding it at a place I am not fond of. That one change alone has saved me $3,000. We are getting married at the M.itchell Hou.se and Garde.ns here in our hometown. I am absolutely in love with it's old southern charm. Fortunately it offers a budget package that includes everything from the rental of the house and gardens, the food, and the wedding cake. It is so well decorated outside that Im hoping I will not have to pay much for additional decorations.

I am also toying with the thought of making mine and my bridesmaides bouquets as well as the boutonnieres for the groomsmen. I would not have even thought to tackle this feat, however back in high school I was forced to work in the floral department of the grocery store I was employed at during Valentines season. I was not fond of it, however I did learn a few valuable things and that along with the how-to videos I should be able to tackle it.

The other thing I am considering is buying a wedding dress second hand. My mother has agreed to pay for this, however I would rather see that money go towards something else.

So here starts my journey towards a budget-friendly, memorable wedding.