white + dress = wedding dress?

{via anthropologie}

{via lilly pulitzer at saks fifth avenue}

{via saks fifth avenue}

{via j.crew}

{via trina turk}

{via trina turk}

everybody divvies up their wedding budgets differently. some people could care less about flowers, so they put that money towards an 8-piece band. others may splurge on a photographer & videographer, but hold back on the hors d'oeuvres and open bar. it's really important that you and your partner are on board with what matters most to each of you on the big day.

while the wedding dress was definitely an important element for me, i simply couldn't fathom spending thousands of dollars. i did a lot of searching and was finally able to find a melissa sweet bridesmaid dress that had been reproduced in ivory (originally in black). the fact that it was a bridesmaid dress helped bring the cost under the 4 figure mark, which was a dream for me.

if you're looking for a little help in breaking down your budget, i suggest this incredibly handy worksheet by real simple. these guys really do help make life a little simpler.