The wedding industry. Ugh. If you've dealt with it in any regard, you understand exactly why I said "ugh." Everyone just wants your money. They convince you that your wedding will be incomplete if your bridesmaids don't have monogrammed robes and your place settings are individually calligraphed. Weddings are becoming Hallmark events just like Valentines Day is a Hallmark holiday. It's a day or event that people can take love and make money off of it.

When I first started the search for a wedding photographer, I got so frustrated. The first response back about 80% of the time was "here are my packages, let me know when you'd like to pay a down deposit" and it was frustrating because the only thing this photographer knows about me is that my name is Megan and I'm planning a wedding. It was disheartening because for me, my wedding is personal and intimate and a really special day (as it should be and is for most people). And instead of creating a relationship with me, learning about my fiancé and me, etc. the first response was a desire for a business transaction. Needless to say, we found our photographer and she's easily more of a friend than a vendor.

But the photographer is just ONE wedding decision out of a million that you have to make before your big day. Etsy is overflowing with all of the perfectly wrapped bridal proposal boxes and monogrammed PJ sets that you just HAVE to have for your wedding to be a hit. Pinterest is TEEMING with extravagant venues and place settings and you immediately start to think your budget restricts you from having the BEST day. If you don't have the things the world is telling you that you need for your wedding day to be perfect, then your wedding day won't be perfect. The same thing happens on Valentine's Day — if you don't receive red roses then you aren't loved. What is wrong with us?

When was a marriage ever perfected and at it's best based off of the floral centerpieces? Literally, just read that sentence again and see how silly that sounds. See! That's what the wedding industry does to you though. You get so focused on the cake topper that you forget what the cake is even for. So stop giving in. I beg of you. Imagine your wedding day without a speck of decor, flowers, candles, etc. and tell me exactly what still makes it the happiest day of your life. And then focus on that. Don't let the wedding industry ruin your wedding (and your bank account).