Calling Off a Wedding

To be honest, I don't know how this will go. I will also state that I do have my reasons and if I have not made them known to you, you don't need to know the details. So, please do not ask me what happened. All you need to know is that Andrew and I are not getting married. We are staying together, but we are no longer engaged. So, I thought it would only be customary to finish off the bridal section of my blog by detailing the many reasons for calling off an engagement and the proper etiquette to go about it.
As we know, the divorce rate in our country is 50%. This rate is increased for couples who live together before marriage. This also increases the younger you are when you get married. So, for whatever reason you decide to call off your engagement, you are more than likely doing the right thing. Marriage is not something to be entered into lightly. It is not a promise to be made and broken, which is what society has made it. It is a promise to love someone with all your heart for all eternity. If for any reason you have intense doubts about getting married, and this is basically anything beyond cold feet or wedding jitters, call it off. I'm serious! Yes, it will hurt your family, your fiance, your friends may hate you, your fiances friends will more than likely hate you, and it will hurt you too. If it doesn't hurt when you break it off, you have no soul. But, think about it. Those doubts will come back to haunt you and the more you repress them, the more they will build up until all you have is an unsalvageable marriage. I know it's unromantic to call off a wedding when really you should be the perfect bride or groom and have stars in your eyes through it all, but really...do not get married if you have doubts. It will save you tons of heartache and lawyers and alimony in the end.
So, etiquette. This is the hardest part, girls. But if you follow these easy steps you will do just fine.
1. Take the ring off your finger.
2.Return it to the rightful owner. If he bought it, give it back to him. If you bought something for him, ask him nicely to give it back. If it is from your family, give it back to the family.
3. By doing this you will save yourself many a brawl and court battle. It has happened.
Give yourself and your fiance time to talk about the situation. Talk about where you will be going from there. If you will still be dating, tell them so. If you are breaking up, tell them so. Don't leave anything up to interpretation. If you do, that could lead to even more heartbreak in the longrun.
Call your parents and break the news. Then you may call your bridesmaids and groomsmen.
If you have received gifts, send them back. You are not getting married anymore and you don't deserve them. Sorry about being brash.
If you have put out any news announcements, have the newspaper put out a cancellation announcement.
If you have sent out invitations, call your guests and notify them of the cancellation.
If you are severing ties with your fiance, do it in a civil manner. Don't finger point and fight. They are hurting as much as you, if not, more. Be nice, break things off clean. Take the fond memories you have.
It may be for the best that you attend counseling after the cancellation. You may think you don't need it, but having someone unbiased to talk to about your fears, your hopes, and your moving on. Just remember to take it a day at a time. It does get easier.

My Budget Plan

• Every bride has a budget. If she doesn't, then she is asking for a kick in the pants fast, because if you don't stick to the budget, you might find yourself in a world, and I mean a WORLD of debt. Andrew and I are paying for our own wedding, basically. My father is issuing me a $10,000 budget to work with for our wedding. Most couples have atleast $20,000 to work with, but I believe that the more you try to impress someone with your wedding, the more you

a. fret over whether or not they are going to like it
b. worry too much about the details of the wedding and not your marriage
c. have serious issues with what it takes to make you happy.
Yeah, some girls are big into the 3-5 course sit down meals with the full cake and flowing wine and champagne, but that's just not me. So, I, Morgan Overcash, along with the help of Andrew, my closest friends and family, are going to pull a fun, wonderful, lovely wedding together on a shoe-string budget. Impossible? I think not!

Budget $10,000

1. Ceremony

• Officiant's Fee $100
• Time Capsule & Pens $20
• Site Fee $2000
• RUNNING TOTAL $2120

1. Wedding Attire

• Gown Alterations(wearing mom's dress) $350
• Makeup & Hair $50
• Nails $50
• Reception Dress $100
• RUNNING TOTAL $2670

1. Stationery(I'm doing it all myself)

• Save the Date Postcards $75
• Invitations & RSVPS $150
• Programs $50
• Thank You Notes $75
• Postage $200
• RUNNING TOTAL $3220

1. Cocktail Hour & Reception

• Cocktails $750
• Hors d'oeuvres $300
• Main Meal $1000
• Candy Bar $250
• RUNNING TOTAL $5520

1. Cakes

• Wedding Cupcakes $200
• Groom's Cake $75
• Cake Top, Knife, and Glasses $50
• RUNNING TOTAL $5845

1. Flowers

• Wedding Flowers $200
• Recpetion Flowers $150
• RUNNING TOTAL $6195

1. Rental Items

• Tent(s) $600
• Dance Floor $500
• Lights $100
• Tables & Chairs Provided by LCRC
• Tablecloths $200
• RUNNING TOTAL $7595

1. Music

• Ceremony Musicians from WU $240
• DJ for Cocktail Hour and Reception $600
• RUNNING TOTAL $8435

1. Miscellaneous

• Unexpected Expenses $500
• GRAND TOTAL $8935

There it is. I was able to budget a little over $1000 under budget. How I am going to actually pull it off? Well, you'll just have to wait and see.

Okah, so, a Little About Myself

Hi, everybody! Um, let me tell you a little about myself...but I am just guessing you already know me since you are accessing my blog. I am new to this. Not just the blogging thing but the living on my own thing. So, I am going to commence with running a beginner's blog: a how-to blog for those of us who have left or been kicked out fo the nest. Just so you know, I chose to leave. Not because my parents were driving me nuts or the rivalry between my sister and I grew so intense that we decided the house was not big enough for the both of us; nothing like that. But I'm independent. Being the first child, I learned how to become self-reliant at a young age, learned how to cook, how to clean, how to budget out my allowance. I decided to embark into this dark, cold world on my own after I met a great guy named Andrew Magness, who proposed to me this past December. We are planning on getting married August 7, 2010. That's the other thing I will be doing: documenting my experience as being a fiancee and a new wife. I am also a BIG do-it-yourselfer, and I will be throwing up recipes, crafting ideas, wedding tips, and little tidbits for you crafty people. Nice to meet you or if I know you thanks for checking out my blog. It's going to be fun!