Wedding Planning: Start Now to Avoid Regrets

The holiday season has passed - with celebrations of family and friends, for many couples the exciting news is that they got engaged. Wedding planning begins!

With the endless stream of happy emotions, there's also the reality of now making hundreds of decisions in planning the wedding.

Did you know what party favour to choose? Is the groom conveniently not answering your text questions about what colour to choose?

Do you want a wedding like William & Kate, but you're not sure how you're going to afford it?

For many brides, the endless decisions aren't always made with common sense. How to rationalize spending when emotion is the guiding factor?

And how to avoid regrets for one of the most important days of your life?According to a recent survey by eBay Canada, one third of newly-married couples regret the money spent on their wedding and one in four couples wish they had spent less.

Among Canadians, Albertan couples are more likely to regret overspending than any other part of the country while Atlantic Canadians are more likely to purchase items from another bride to use in their wedding.

So how to keep to the budget without losing the dream? Wedding counsellor Kimberley Moffit offers suggestions to couples to enjoy their day without putting themselves in the poor house:

- Do you really need white doves? Focus on budget, timeline and resources: keep the dream alive but keep realistic expectations

- It's all about you two - remember the wedding day is about you two, and try to avoid fulfilling others' expectations and desires

- Keep an open mind - consider alternatives for finding bridal party items such as websites or vintage shops to help reduce costs - not everything has to be new

- Think to the future - the wedding day is one day - your marriage is the future, so don't freak out over the little things

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