Introduction

Hi! Thanks for checking out Really Sweet Weddings [edit 12/30/09: formerly True to You Weddings].

There are tons of wedding blogs on the internet, so I guess I'll tell you what I hope to do here and why I think that is going to make this blog special.

Like most wedding bloggers, I love weddings - love, love, love them. And like a few wedding bloggers, I love hearing the wedding stories of couples who really make the day their own and don't feel, excuse the awful pun, married to tradition.

Don't get me wrong, tradition is fantastic if it truly means something to you. I have nothing against it. But no one should feel obligated to give up the wedding of her (or his) dreams because of societal pressure to carry a ribbon-wrapped bouquet of calla lilies when she'd prefer a fistfull of clover, or to wear a tux when he'd like to rock black jeans and cowboy boots.

I know that there are already a couple of fantastic sites out there that focus on nontraditional couples. My husband and I were actually featured on one of them, and we thought it was really, really cool.

I'd like to think that this site is a little different from even those great sites, though. See, although those sites feature lots of weddings from couples who had tight budgets, that isn't the primary focus. And weddings under $2,000.00 still seem to be in the minority. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that; it isn't my intention to judge how other people spend their money.

But brides and grooms on microbudgets have to deal with a whole set of unique problems. Aside from the very practical concerns of feeding guests and finding affordable venues, they often have to deal with the prejudices of others. It's alarming how many people feel comfortable making assumptions about a bride or groom's values, income level, and education level based on what they know of the couple's wedding budget. For that matter, it's alarming how many people think that anything but a person's values has any relevance at all. It takes an extremely strong bride or groom to plan a wedding with small budget and self-esteem still intact when the big day arrives.

My husband and I could have gone the traditional route and saved and saved for an expensive engagement ring and an expensive wedding. The simple fact, though, is that we didn't want to. We wanted to start our lives together; we didn't want to put off offering each other the legal protections of marriage so that we could have an expensive party.

Some couples work hard at thankless jobs and never make enough to justify spending it on a party. Does that mean they shouldn't get married, shouldn't pool their resources, aren't entitled to a wonderful day of sincere promises in front of loved ones? Absolutely not.

I hope this site inspires and encourages those planning weddings on the tiniest of budgets. It is possible to have a fabulous wedding for under $2,000.00.

If you've had an extremely inexpensive wedding, I'd love to hear your story and possibly profile it on Really Sweet Weddings [edit 12/30/09: formerly True to You Weddings]. You can go to my profile page and use the email link to send me your story and some of your wedding photos (please make sure you have your photographer's permission). Include your budget, if you feel comfortable, along with any information about how you trimmed costs. Also include the things that made your day feel so special you, and any helpful vendor links or information.

Thanks, and I hope to hear from you!