Money Matters
Money Matters
Budget-Smart Wedding Planning
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We talk with professional wedding planner Blakeley Santos about how to plan a wedding with clear priorities and a real budget so you don’t start marriage under financial pressure. We share what couples overspend on first, how to cut costs without hurting the guest experience, and what to book fast when the timeline is tight.
• January engagement rush and how wedding seasons work in Louisiana
• Common early mistakes like booking vendors before doing price research
• Handling family pressure and keeping the focus on the marriage
• Budget reality checks when inspiration photos don’t match the number
• Typical budget weight on venue plus catering and bar
• Floral sticker shock and how to quote the dream then scale back
• Smart savings like candles, repurposing ceremony florals, and DIY bundles
• Top priorities for 6 to 12 month weddings like venue, catering, band, photographer
• What a planner provides through packages, vendor connections, and a live budget spreadsheet
• Money conversations couples should have early, including who is paying
• Ways to save through season choices and even a Sunday wedding
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Welcome to Money Matters, the podcast that focuses on how to use the money you have, make the money you need and save the money you want – brought to you by Neighbors Federal Credit Union.
The information, opinions, and recommendations presented in this Podcast are for general information only and any reliance on the information provided in this Podcast is done at your own risk. This Podcast should not be considered professional advice.
Engaged Now What’s The Budget
SPEAKER_01Welcome to Money Matters, the podcast that focuses on how to use the money you have, make the money you need, and save the money you want. Now, here is your host, Miss Kim Chapman.
SPEAKER_00Welcome to another episode of Money Matters. You know, the holidays are the perfect time when couples like to get engaged. And so now that it's the new year, you might be asking yourself, how in the world am I going to pay for this wedding? Is it going to be small? And what does small really mean? It's such a subjective word. Small could be 10 bridesmaids for one person and a hundred for another, right? So today we want to talk about how can you skillfully plan your wedding without starting your marriage with financial distress? And so joining me today is a professional wedding planner, Miss Blakely Santos. Hi. Thank you so much for joining us. Thank you for having me. So do you really see a big uptick in January because of all of the typical engagements that happen around the end of the year, the holidays?
SPEAKER_02For sure. Um definitely right after Christmas, I see an influx of emails, of new inquiries. We just got engaged for sure. January and even February is like really very busy for new bookings, for sure.
SPEAKER_00Oh, yeah, definitely Valentine's Day. So it's always that that season. Yeah. And I know June is June like really the big season for people having weddings.
SPEAKER_02Actually, in Louisiana, I feel like our busiest time, it starts in like October, November, and then it goes through June's probably like the end of it. And then July and August, September are usually dead in September. That's like we always say that's the wedding vendor in Louisiana at least, like our off season. Because I guess it's so hot. People don't want to get married in Louisiana in the summer. Um, so June, I really I maybe have one or two. And then after that, summer's pretty much wide open. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Oh, that's interesting. I mean, it makes perfect sense because in Louisiana, I mean, we do definitely have some beautiful sceneries and people want to have outdoor weddings, but it's generally 200 degrees.
SPEAKER_02So I would say like uh March and April, probably like the busy, busy.
Vendor Hype And Early Money Mistakes
SPEAKER_00So look, from your experience, what's the first financial mistake couples make after they get engaged?
SPEAKER_02Oh gosh. Um, well, by the time they come to me, um, they're either looking for um like a full service planner, so they need they just don't have any idea where to start. So say that someone came to me like that. Um, a lot of times they think, you know, oh, I need to go ahead and splurge and um book my favorite photographer or uh band or whatever. But I always um like to pull the reins back a little bit and put into perspective, you know, pick your top two biggest categories for your wedding that you like really want to splurge on. And then everywhere else we're gonna cut back and, you know, just scale back a little bit. If photography and like music band is most important to you, then let's splurge there. But a lot of times I feel like girls are just quick to they don't really do their research and they just know, oh, I've seen that band or that photographer all over social media. That's who I want. And they really haven't looked around at other ones to see how pricing compares. Um, you could get the same almost better quality sometimes for maybe a little less. And you know, every penny counts when you're budgeting. So I always tell them, take your time when researching vendors, don't be so quick to just book, you know, right away.
SPEAKER_00And and leading off of that, you know, taking your time, but how early or how far in advance should the couple start planning?
SPEAKER_02Oh, I mean, I book a year and a half out. So like right now I'm getting inquiries for spring 2027. Um, which sounds crazy, but that really is in the wedding world about right, a year and a half. Like a year or less is pretty tight as far as finding if there's specific vendors you want. Um they book quickly. So I would say about a year to year and a half is average for planning.
SPEAKER_00So here's a
Family Pressure And Budget Reality
SPEAKER_00good one. What advice do you give to couples to keep them grounded, to not give into the social norms or family peer pressure to have the wedding of the century? Are you a mom?
unknownYes.
SPEAKER_00Do you have little girls? I have three girls. Three girls. So and I have a daughter too. She's 21. And I know family can put a lot of pressure in terms of moms and dads wanting to have plan the wedding for them and make it bigger than maybe even what the couple themselves want. So, what advice do you give them to try kind of block out that noise?
SPEAKER_02Um, I just try and remind them. I'm I feel like um I'm really good at de-stressing my clients. Like I pride myself in that, you know, you want your wedding planner to be not adding to your stress, but like helping calm you. So I always feel like I'm a good buffer between the bride and her mom or parents in that regard. So I try and just remind her if I see she's getting stressed about money or like her mom might be a little overbearing, like her mom wants this, or her mom's very persistent on I well, I want this, you know, whatever. I try to talk to her on the side and just say, you know, just remember it's your day. All that matters is that you guys are getting married and all this other stuff is just extra. It's not, you know, of course you want a beautiful wedding and all the stuff that you've dreamed of, but in the grand scheme of things, those things are just, you know, small pieces of the whole puzzle.
SPEAKER_00Do you find when couples come to you that they have a real realistic budget, or are they really trying to do a dream wedding and not really realizing how expensive that might be?
SPEAKER_02Um, yes, I think they're not prepared nine times out of ten. Um they'll say what their budget is, and a lot of times it's less than what it's going to be. Um, you know, they'll tell me what their budget is, but then they show me their inspiration, and it's like they don't match up, right?
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Flowers alone will cost a lot of the percentage of your budget. Um, so I feel like a lot of times I got to bring them back down to reality and say, okay, that is a great budget. We can make it work with that, but it's just gonna be on a smaller scale than what you're showing me. We can still, you know, portray that whole vision and vibe and everything, but it might just be on a little smaller scale.
SPEAKER_00Okay.
Where Wedding Money Really Goes
SPEAKER_00So in the in the budgeting world, right, there's a little pie chart that we like to use that says, you know, 50% should go towards your expenses, 20% should go toward, you know, savings, and then another 20%, for example, towards your debts. In the wedding world, is there such a pie chart that says this much should go toward the venue, this much should go toward the photographer? Is there a standard that they should really look at?
SPEAKER_02Um, yes, I would say majority of the time, um, venue cost and catering. Catering is a really big cost. Maybe like I would say those two together, 30 to 40% of the budget is gonna go to that food and bar. Um, depending where your venue is, some venues are all inclusive, so they'll include the food and bar, um, which is nice because you don't have to bring, you know, find your own vendors for that stuff. And then there's other venues that you just rent the space. That's it. So you just rent the physical space and then you bring all your vendors in. Sometimes that can be better um because you can pick and choose who you want. Um, but then also when it includes everything, that's just really nice logistically. Um, so yeah, I would say venue and catering is probably the biggest part of the budget. And then next would probably be um if you're wanting a band, band's a pretty big one. Um, and florals. Uh I find that a lot of Louisiana brides recently like florals is very important to them right now. Um just flowers everywhere, flowers and candles everywhere, so which is great.
SPEAKER_00I love that, but um, that's just flowers are about kind of like the the venue being big, even the flowers, and even when you think about flowers, because flowers you may have at a church, you may have a reception hall, or there are maybe two or three big areas where couples overspend or go over budget without even realizing it. Because I can imagine flowers individually probably don't cost a lot, but by the time you add up a flower here, a flower there, a flower here, it can really put you over budget and you and you wouldn't realize.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. I try to remind them for flowers. Um, usually I'll if it's like a full service planning bride, I'll go with them to all those appointments. So usually at like the floral appointment, um, I always tell them, let's quote the dream scenario. Like if you had flowers everywhere you envisioned at the venue. Um, and then when we get that quote back and you have the sticker shock, um, that we'll cut back and say, okay, I probably really don't need them on that big wall or, you know, whatever. So I try to um get them to quote the whole thing so they can see this is what it really costs to do that. Um, and I always say spend your money at the reception because the ceremony is so quick. I mean, it could be a 20-minute ceremony. If it's in a church, it'll be longer, an hour, but that's just such a guests are in and out, and then they don't see that the rest of the night. So I always say spend your money at the reception on like the stage and the dance floor area, the main part of the um venue where everyone's gonna be all night. Because that's where all your first dance pictures are gonna be, your pictures all night long. So I try and um tell them, you know, you don't need as much at the like ceremony spot. And I I try to um tell them to repurpose. So like we could a lot of times the florists will charge you like a transfer fee, and right after the ceremony, they'll transfer those flowers to reception for you. So that's a way to get the most bang for your
Cut Costs Without Killing The Vibe
SPEAKER_02buck.
SPEAKER_00So, what might be some other areas that they could cut down on cost without really sacrificing the guest experience or the overall experience?
SPEAKER_02You don't need as many flowers as you think. A lot of times candles um are just as pretty and can set the tone. So um there's a candle company here, uh Truly Hot Candles. Shout out to them. I use them a lot. Um, so a lot of times when brides maybe don't have the budget for like a full-on floral installation of all these different areas and stuff, Truly Hot is a great option because they can put candles everywhere on not just on tables, but like at door entrances and things like that. And it really helps to lighten the space, make it very romantic, and it can still set the tone. And then you can bring in florals with like, I mean, you could always, always recommend like Costco, but you know, you can get stuff in bundles and then take that apart and make little like um centerpieces underneath the candles. So there's always ways, and I'm very much a penny pincher, so in my normal life. So I always try and give them tips like that. You know, if you still want to have this look, but maybe we don't have the funds to do it with like an actual forest or whatever, this is a way you can do it yourself.
SPEAKER_00I think that's an excellent quality to have in terms of a wedding planner, instead of somebody that's gonna say, hey, just give me your black card and I'll take care of it. Right. But you mentioned earlier they do come in with this elaborate plan and maybe their budget doesn't necessarily match that. So when, you know, they've gotten over the sticker shock and they're like, oh my God, everything costs more than what I imagined. How do you help them kind of prioritize what's gonna be most important?
SPEAKER_02Well, like I said, I I like to get them to tell me their top two to three um vendors that are like most important to them. Some brides, um, the food and the drinks are like very important. Some brides, just the music and the atmosphere is very important. So I usually sit down with them, we pick our top three, and then we'll allocate, okay, this this much of your budget could go to this, this, and this. And then the rest we are gonna cut back. So, like if florals isn't as important, we're really gonna scale back on everything. We don't need a big installation on the glass wall or behind the cake. You know, we can make the cake table pretty with bridesmaid bouquets around it or a couple little votive candles. So I really try and um make them pick their their top ones. And then everything else, we really just scale back so that we can make sure we're staying within where they want to be without going over.
SPEAKER_00Now, I agree with you.
Fast Timeline Booking Priorities
SPEAKER_00It's early 2026. If somebody's planning a wedding and it's not till 2027, it seems like they have plenty of time to plan, to make adjustments, have a little breathing room. But we know that's not for every couple. There are some that got engaged in December or maybe February, and they're on the six-month ticking bomb, right? So, what should they be prioritizing now if they have a wedding coming up in six to twelve months?
SPEAKER_02Um, like who should they be booking right away?
SPEAKER_00Yes, like what should be their top priorities if their wedding is quick less than 12 months from now?
SPEAKER_02Definitely venue should be first pick. Um, and again, I try to remind them with a shorter time frame, you're probably gonna have to be um more open to maybe venues you didn't necessarily want because things book out so quickly. Um, so you might have to settle with a venue that maybe doesn't have everything you wanted, but which a lot of times, if they are a short engagement, they know that already. So they're pretty easygoing and open. So I would say venue for sure. Um, if it doesn't include catering, that would be next. Catering company who does the food and bar. Um and then really the next ones would just depend on what's their priority. If they really care about photo, then I would say photographer. Um me, planner. I'm usually already there though, but I always say planner should be definitely towards the top if you need help planning, if you don't need just a day up coordinator. And then maybe um music, if you definitely if you want a band, bands book quick in Louisiana. So um I would say venue, catering, and then probably band and photographer top four.
SPEAKER_00So let's talk a minute about the benefits of having a financial planner because of course, yes, it comes with an expense, but then what are they getting for it? What you know, what is that trade-off that they're getting versus, okay, I'm gonna save the money and this could be the biggest headache of my
What A Planner Actually Does
SPEAKER_00life.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, so a lot of times, so I do um I have three different packages. So you can do um just event management, which is coordinating the day. Um, you can do the middle package, which is I help with design of the whole event, and then the full service package is um planning the whole thing. So that's usually brides who a lot of time I see the full service brides are either in school, like um master's programs or trying to be a doctor or whatever, or they just have no idea, like maybe they're the first child or the first daughter to get married, and they have no idea mom doesn't want to deal with it. Um, they just want to throw it to somebody and say, this is what I want, make it happen. So for that aspect on the budget side, um I make a huge spreadsheet of every vendor, every category for wedding planning. I keep track of um deposits paid, remaining balances owed, due dates, um, the overall budget. Um, and this is just a way it's a live document, so she can go on it whenever she wants to and see like where we're at. And I kind of like date everything so we can see, okay, as of this date, this is how much we are in. Um, and it, I mean, we are editing that nonstop daily. Um, and it's just a way for them to really see everything in front of their face versus just a lot of times um when it's a full service client, they might they have like the funds to just swipe a card and not pay attention or swipe mom's card. Um, or give me the give me the card and say, you just go ahead, pay all those deposits, which is fine. I love doing that. But it's good to see it in front of your face, like, okay, this is where we're really at. Because I mean, you think of all the big vendors, but you don't think about things like transportation and your wedding gown, uh, hair and makeup, and then all the like little things that you have to buy as it gets closer. And so I I include all that in there too, just to really show, like, okay, maybe we need to scale back a little bit, or maybe we need to chill out on like all the little small things we're buying, you know.
SPEAKER_00So for somebody that's listening to this podcast that says, Oh, my wedding's gonna be really, really small. I don't know if I would need a wedding planner or my budget's really, really small. What would you say to them? Why should they still reach out to a wedding planner?
SPEAKER_02Um, everyone who has used me has said afterwards, like, I can't imagine not having one. And I actually didn't have one for my wedding. So that's how I got started. I did not have one and it was a logistical nightmare. And I couldn't really enjoy, you know, of it was fun, but not to the extent that I could have enjoyed it if I had someone who like was professional and knew all the ins and outs and knew all the vendors. Um, you don't know anything until you actually get engaged and you start researching on Google. Um, and I always tell brides, I would rather recommend somebody that I've worked with and like I know they're gonna deliver good work, they're gonna show up, they're gonna do good, versus you just Google searching somebody. And a lot of times that's what they say. Like they feel like they're paying for the um professionalism in that regard, like and the connections, you know, that they would not know or have otherwise if they didn't have somebody, you know, le running the show. And then just for the day of, too. A lot of girls will just hire us for day of, which I hate calling it day of because it's not day of. You're not just seeing me for the first time that day. We're involved very much so about six months out into wedding day. But um, just to have somebody that day to run the show, oversee vendors setting up, um, any fires that might come up, you know, they can be at home getting ready with their girls and not having Aunt Sue at the venue trying to oversee all that and setting up
Money Talks Couples Need First
SPEAKER_02and stuff.
SPEAKER_00So, what kind of money conversations should newly engaged couples have before they even reach out to you?
SPEAKER_02I would say I it it really depends um also if the couple is upfronting a lot of this money or if the parents are. I feel like that determines their black card involved. Right. It that determines the conversations being had. Um, if they're paying for it, like I have a couple right now, they're paying for majority of it together. So, and it's been great. Like the groom has been at like every appointment with us, which is new for me. I'm not used to like seeing the groom all the time, which but he's great, like very involved in stuff. And I think like that, kind of right from the start, having those hard conversations, like, okay, this is what we truly can afford so that we're not putting ourselves in a bind and really sticking to that. And then that's what when I come in and can help, you know, okay, this is where you could probably spend a little more, and this is probably areas where you don't need to uh splurge so much.
SPEAKER_00So, in your opinion, what does a financially healthy wedding look like?
SPEAKER_02Like the number? Oh gosh. Um I would say average what I see for like a good pretty wedding is right now in Louisiana is probably 50,000.
SPEAKER_00Um my God.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. Like if if you're doing the big church, um, a pretty Louisiana venue, you know, you're having good food, good bar, uh, a band. If you have a DJ, probably less, probably closer like 35 to 40. Um, but prices have really gone up so much since COVID. I know that everybody says since COVID, but really, um, I've seen it everybody, you know, prices everywhere are increasing, so then that makes the vendors have to increase their prices, which stinks, but it it really is. And I've seen like the same weddings that I'm doing now uh five years ago, twenty thousand dollars more. It's crazy. But I would say like a really pretty nice wedding about probably forty to fifty, maybe. Yeah. In Baton Rouge. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00So of course I have to ask, you know, it sounds like having a wedding planner can make life a whole lot easier no matter which one of those packages. But does it prevent that condition called Bride Bridezilla?
SPEAKER_02Yes, I I think so. I think we help to um bring her back down to reality sometimes and depress her. And um, I will have to say, I really don't have any bride I like I've maybe had a couple little, you know, outbursts here and there, but I've never really had any bride zealas. I really think that having a planner helps them to like every time I have my like call with them when they book, they're like, oh my God, I already feel so much better. Like just knowing you have a professional that can handle that kind of stuff, um, I think really helps to de-stress them and not be so like feel so chaotic and like where do I start? And just pulled in a million different directions. And you, you know, it's very that's very stressful if you don't have someone guiding you along the way.
SPEAKER_00Is there any one area of the wedding planning where you find couples are not on the same page often?
SPEAKER_02Hmm, flowers.
SPEAKER_00Flowers.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. The girl wants all the flowers and the pretty things, and the guys are like. Uh I want the I just want a really good bar.
SPEAKER_00Get a tree over here and we're good.
SPEAKER_02Oh yeah. Like I want a really the guys love a good bar and food. Like that's usually or like the um late night snacks. Like a lot of times we'll do like late night beignets and coffee or whatever or sliders or whatever. Guys love that kind of stuff, I feel like. Or like they care about their groom's cake or um, but like decor and design, that's usually where they just cannot comprehend like why would we spend this? Whereas the girls are like, that's all I care about.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I I want it all, I want it all, I want it all. Earlier we talked about it's surprising to me that of course June for you know Louisiana is just not the best time of the year.
Season And Weekday Savings
SPEAKER_00Is there any time of the year that financially is more is is just a little bit more cost prohibitive than other times?
SPEAKER_02Probably that sweet spot, like I was saying, um February to April, because it's not so if you're doing outdoor um December and January is pretty cold here. So you have to take into account heaters, a tent in case of rain, like what we're dealing with this weekend, um, potential rain, snowstorm, like all that.
SPEAKER_00They didn't see that coming. Right.
SPEAKER_02That's extra rentals costs that you have to do. Um the springtime, it's like of course it's hot stu still here, but it's not measurable. So outdoor weddings are more feasible. You don't have to do the extra heaters and tents and all that stuff. Um so I would say, yeah, like um February to April, probably the easier, not to say like the prices are cheaper. The prices are gonna be the same no matter what month. But um if you're trying to save on like rentals and stuff, I'd probably say that time of year. And then also the day of the week you get married on. A lot of brides don't know this, but if you do like a Sunday, which I know that's not ideal, but some brides, um, that's usually a lot cheaper to do it on a Sunday, like a Sunday day or nighttime wedding.
SPEAKER_00I've actually been invited to not many, but a couple of weddings on a Sunday. So I, you know, that does not be like a good one.
SPEAKER_02That's another way another way to save, yeah, for sure.
SPEAKER_00So any final pieces of advice you'd give to our congratulatory brand new couples that are listening to this?
SPEAKER_02Um, I would say um enjoy being engaged for like a week, maybe. I'm just kidding. Really, though. Oh no, enjoy right. Enjoy like being engaged for a little bit. And then um, I think if planner or coordinator is something you're open to, reach out to them right away. Cause I feel like having that person to like help guide you through bookings, uh, vendor recommendations, like you don't know where to start. I think that's always the best place to start is with a planner or coordinator. If you can't afford a full service planner, you just even just having a coordinator, they're still gonna help with recommendations and stuff like that. Um, and then just enjoy the process. It's a, I mean, it's a once in a lifetime, hopefully, uh year, year and a half that you will never get back. Um, and then obviously on wedding day too, I always like send a cute little text that morning, like, you know, no more stressing today. That's our job. Um, soaking every moment because it it's like all that stress, and then the day comes and it flies by so fast. Um, and like all your hard work is like it's just in an eight-hour day, it's just crazy how quickly it goes by. So really just enjoy the process. And of course, money is important um and budgeting and just stay within your means. You know, everybody wants the big show right now and the Instagram worthy social media stuff, so um, which is great. Like that's all pretty and stuff, but like I always say at the end of the day, you know, you're getting married and that's really what matters, and everything else is just extra.
Real Wedding Stories And On-Time Starts
SPEAKER_00Do you have a favorite memory of a wedding that you planned? Oh gosh.
SPEAKER_02Um like good. You can share good and bad. Um God, there's so many like good ones. Um I think just over a gen generic, like overall for me, it's what's good is just getting to see our hard work um on the day of. Like the day of is always bittersweet for me because it's like I've been talking to them constantly for a year and a half, and then that day comes and um everything comes to life in front of your face. It's crazy. And then like at the end, I always say our ending is so like quick because they just exit, and you're like, all right, bye. I won't ever see you again. Um, no, but I would say I don't have one favorite, but probably just the actual wedding day is like just so fulfilling for me. Well, it sounds like that might have been a little horror story you wanted to share too. I found girls in the bathrooms on the floor eating a bread roll because they drank a little too much champagne. Oh my goodness. Yeah, we couldn't find the bride for like 30 minutes. We we were like gonna do a the money dance or something, and the band's like, Where is she? You know, we don't want to announce it until we know where she is. Couldn't find her, couldn't find her. I'm like, let me go check the bathroom. Sure enough, she's in the stall on the ground, eating a platter of bread rolls. Because she's been starving. She's been starving, probably hasn't eaten all day, and then stuffing her face with champagne. So that was like hilarious. We were like, I of course had to snap a couple pictures, but we were we were dying laughing at that one. That was probably a a really funny one. But other than that, no real horror stories, thankfully.
SPEAKER_00And I have to ask, because I think probably the biggest pet peeve for guess is making sure the wedding starts on time. So can a wedding planner make sure that wedding starts at six if it's supposed to start then?
SPEAKER_02Oh, yeah, for sure. So I am in charge of the ceremony if it's not at a church. So if it's at a church, they usually have a church coordinator who likes to run that show. So I'll still be there, but she runs that, but they're usually on time. But if it's, you know, we're in charge of the ceremony, um, usually like 10 minutes before the ceremony is like on the dot, I'm lining everybody up. And then we're in constant contact with like the ceremony musicians. So, you know, one of us, I'm usually with the bridal party lining them up, and then I have my assistant with the musicians, and we have our little walkie-talkies. So I'll say, okay, give them three-minute warning or whatever. And then, like, usually right on the dot, six o'clock, we're starting. If you're late, you're late. Sorry. This is standing in the back. You stand it in the back. I'm sorry.
SPEAKER_00This has been fun. I can I can really literally picture that bride sitting on the floor eating because she's been starving. But skin was just right, no bride is eating before the wedding.
Contact Info And Blueprint Takeaways
SPEAKER_00Well, this has been great. If somebody wants to actually contact you to learn more about wedding planning, give them your information, contact numbers, social media, everything.
SPEAKER_02So the best way is you can fill out an inquiry form on our website, which is www.bell b-e-l-l-e amore, a m-o-r-weddings br dot com. Very long. Um, and just scroll all the way to the bottom and um, I think it says inquire here or something, and you can fill out your date, your venue. Um, and then I have all my packages listed on there with little descriptions so you can see what's involved in each. And then you just inquire on that, and then I'll shoot you a quick email back and we kind of go back and forth. We can hop on a call to um give you a better idea of what's involved. Um, and then you can also, if you want to see um our work, you can go to my Instagram. It's Bellamore Events B R. Um, and we have, you know, all of our pictures on there to show the different kind of design that we do, and then we have videos and stuff like that.
SPEAKER_00Well, Blakely, thank you so much. Congratulations again to all of our new couples. I know that you found a lot of good information here. And hey, congratulations.
SPEAKER_01It's time for blueprint building blocks. Small changes that lead to big financial wins. Let's stack up for success.
SPEAKER_00Set the budget first. Before you book anything, decide on how much you can afford without relying on future income bonuses or even credit cards. Of course, prioritize what matters the most. Pick your top three wedding priorities. Everything else is going to be optional or not mandatory. And then, of course, plan together, not separately. Wedding planning is your first major financial decision as a couple. Make sure every choice reflects your shared goals. And congratulations.
SPEAKER_01That's a wrap on today's Blueprint Building Blocks. Stay on track with your financial journey. Subscribe to the Money Matters Podcast, and visit neighborsfcu.org slash financial wellness for more tools to help you build a strong financial future.
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