This is bridalcharm's Blue Wedding!

OK, too much Incredibles with my toddler while planning this wedding...

Previously I blogged about money and how the expense was getting out of control. Problem is conflicting mentalities towards money between my fiance and I. Neither of us live super extravagant lives. We are VERY simple (he bakes his own bread!) That said, my fiance has never let money stop him from getting what he wants. He will work harder, more often or do whatever it takes. On the other hand, I often forgo what I want and only get what I need.

Spending tons of money on a wedding was bugging me because that's not true to who I am.

Best advice so far came from ladydamm who said to figure out 2-3 things that are most important. I now know what those are - a dress that reflects who I am not how pretty I can look, a photographer to capture the moment and most importantly a romantic night with my new husband. All of which can be done on the cheap.

I live an extremely simple life. Most of my friend confess they could not survive on the meager salary I make (I choose to work part time & spend more time with my toddler).

My fiancé is paying for our wedding. He has never let money stop him from doing what he wants to do despite not being in the most financially rewarding careers - he's a paramedic and they get paid squat where we live.

Here's my dilemma - I'm used to forgoing things I WANT because I can't afford it and focusing on the things I NEED. Clearly I want and need my wedding day to be special but do I NEED to spend so much money? It's so easy to let the cost get out of control.

My biggest issues are the cost of the dress and photographer. Both very important aspects of the wedding but I could save TONS of money on a photographer by pushing my wedding date up by one day. But then there is still the fact that the dress I love costs $1525 (which I admit is cheap for a wedding dress). I'm stuck with the thought - do I NEED it? No, but I really, REALLY want it.

Am I the only one that stresses about this? Does anyone have any suggestions?

I've looked at thousands of dresses online and now tried on a few dozen at a couple local bridal shops. One thing was certain - I knew the silhouette I wanted by about the third dress. But the little girl inside of me was nagging that it wasn't the dress I grew up picturing myself wearing on my wedding day.

Then it happened. I found it. A dress that incorporates the little girl's dream and the silhouette I wanted - not an easy task - the little girl wanted an empire waste and I was loving the drop waist.

Now the question is, do I continue to shop around to see if maybe there is a better dress out there or do I quit now? I still have a couple weeks before I to order my dress.

So as a couple we decided to elope. We've both been married before but still want to get married but really want the day to be just us. So what's an appropriate budget for an elopement? What's an appropriate amount to spend on a dress?

Originally we agreed on a $2,000 budget. That idea was thrown out the window when I confessed I wanted my dream dress (something I forwent at my previous wedding due to budget restraints). My fiance's response was simple, "As long as you love the dress I will figure out a way to pay for it." He encouraged me to go to the bridal shops and find the perfect dress.

I warned him, I told him that a really cheap dress was $500 and most dresses are $1,000 and up. But to my amazement when I said that I found my perfect dress at a price of $1,525 he cracked a few jokes about heart attacks, selling organs to pay for it but in the end held true to what he said originally "As long as you love the dress I will figure out a way to pay for it."

But I'm torn between practicality and my perfect day. Our elopement package is $1,000 and my dress is now more expensive than the entire weekend at the Inn we are getting married at. Am I insane? Or is this typical?

So after hours and hours of sorting through websites trying to find a dress that suits my personality and the style of our wedding (which is more difficult than one would think) I dropped into a local bridal shop.

I quickly showed what has become my favourite dress out of the thousands I looked at online and we started the hunt for similar dresses in the store and a few others for good measure.

We selected about a dozen dresses. Narrowed it down to two dresses and I have since vetoed one of them.

But I'm torn, do I really want to spend $1,000 on a dress I only will wear once? Is the dress too formal for our beach elopement? Could there not be a more financially responsible dress out there?

Back to the online sites I went. But then I found almost the identical dress I showed the bridal store consultant upon arrival by the same designer who created the dress I am currently contemplating for my big day.

Now to find out whether the store has that dress. One thing for sure is that Maggie Sorreto is an amazing designer!