holiday

So, I've been on holiday. Hence all the quiet around here in the past few days.

After the making of the spreadsheet and the mild sweats and tremors that it induced (the figures weren't high for 'wedding land' but they were bloody high by my book) we decided to have another crack at a guest list and got it down by 20 people thanks to the imposition of a few sensible rules (I have a huge family. The rules are very necessary if it isn't to be 75 per cent my relatives).

I also had a night of utter panic when I thought the venue cost had increased by a grand. Seriously, utter panic: thinking of cancelling the lot and losing the deposit sort of utter panic. Sod it, let's just go to the pub and the register office utter panic. Needless to say, it was completely unfounded utter panic.

I also mentioned dresses again. I've let my liking of non-white dresses be known before. But it didn't really wash with bf. "Just for one day, can't you look like a bride?" Fairenuff.

spreadsheet wizardry

So as step one of my 'actually doing stuff' movement, I've made a spreadsheet.

I know that sentence is probably the worst opener to a blog post, ever.

But it's serious: if we're going to keep the cost down to something approaching a 'budget' (though how you can ever use that word in conjunction with a wedding is madness. 'Budget' options are still insanely expensive when viewed through the lens of normal life) then we have to do this.

Every year, we have a big Christmas party for all our friends. And every year, we grossly underestimate the amount we spend. But we tell ourselves: it's just once a year, it will be miserable January soon and we'll be eating lentils all month anyway. So sod it, it's only money, get that bottle of rum.

It's always a damned good party. But it always costs more than we think it will.

So I want to try and at least know what's going to come up: what we might be spending our money on. So far, I have the following categories:

Dress
Shoes
Alterations
BF's suit
BF's shoes
Venue+food
Cars/transport
Ceremony
DJ
Booze
Cake
Invitations, RSVP, Information Card, Addressing and Postage
Flowers
Miscellaneous

It's that last one that scares me. Miscellaneous. I have a feeling this could spiral because there are things I haven't thought of.

So what have I missed off? And what might be a reasonable budget for those things not included?

moneymoneymoney

Well, my bank account is A WHOLE GRAND lighter as I have only gone and paid the bloomin' deposit for the venue. Which I guess means this is actually happening, as god knows, I would like to see that money again.

I can only assume this is the first of many painful days for our poor bank account. Also possibly the only financial transaction related to this wedding that will not cause some small degree of disagreement (see: two days ago, when I told bf I'd found a cheap florist. Turns out he thought a bouquet would cost about £10. I suggested he buy me flowers more often.)