If Money Was No Object, Would You Actually Have More Wedding Freedom?
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez have recently tied the knot, and it got me thinking about something I find fascinating about celebrity weddings, when money isn’t really a limiting factor and millions of people are watching, does that actually make wedding planning easier or does having everything at your disposal somehow create even more pressure?
With all the talk lately following Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding plans, I do think celebrity weddings are fascinating because they can seemingly have anything they want and after experiencing my own wedding and the budget limitations we faced, I think the thought of being a wealthy celebrity with no limitations, feels like it would be a dream. You could indulge any whim you had without issue, however it also poses the question, is it actually a nightmare in disguise.
The ultimate wedding freedom?
Imagine having virtually no budget restrictions. You could choose almost any venue. Any destination. Any designer. Any flowers. Any entertainment. Any food.
Want to get married somewhere completely outrageous? Go for it. Want to fly your guests halfway around the world? No problem. Want a wedding that looks like something straight from a film set? The options are pretty much endless. And yet would having unlimited choice actually make the decision-making easier?
But maybe being a celebrity surrounded by other celebrities with the same freedom, adds another layer of complication, as you can all have what you want, without any limits. And then people become wild, they start suggesting crazy out there ideas, rather than things that truly reflect the wedding and couple, which is truly what all weddings are about. So I think there’s something interesting about having too many options. So I’m thinking that actually sometimes having a budget, a venue or a few practical limitations actually helps you make decisions.
But what about the pressure?
There’s another side to being a global celebrity. Imagine knowing that millions of people might have an opinion about your wedding. Your dress. Your venue. Your guest list. Your flowers. Your first dance. Even the cake.
Suddenly, every decision becomes something that could be judged, discussed or compared online.
And actually, you don’t have to be Cristiano Ronaldo to understand that feeling. Wedding planning can come with pressure from all sorts of places. Family might have expectations. Friends might have opinions. Social media shows you what everyone else is doing. Pinterest gives you approximately 47,000 ideas before breakfast. And somewhere along the way, you can lose sight of the most important question: What do WE actually want?
Your wedding doesn’t have to impress everyone
This is something I really want couples to remember. Your wedding doesn’t have to make sense to everyone else. You don’t need to choose something because it’s traditional. You don’t need to invite someone because they invited you. You don’t need a huge wedding because everyone you know seems to be having one. You don’t need the latest wedding trend. And you certainly don’t need to recreate something you’ve seen on Instagram just because it looked beautiful on someone else’s wedding day.
So, what would you do if money wasn’t the issue?
This is actually a really useful question to ask yourself.
If budget genuinely wasn’t a consideration, what would you choose?
Would you:
- Get married somewhere completely different?
- Have a tiny wedding?
- Invite everyone you know?
- Have a huge party?
- Spend more on food?
- Book your dream photographer?
- Have incredible entertainment?
- Spend more on the details?
- Or actually… keep things really simple?
Your answer can tell you quite a lot about what you genuinely value. And even if your actual budget doesn’t stretch to everything on your imaginary wish list, it can help you work out where your priorities really are.
What actually matters to you?
Instead of starting with Pinterest, trends or what everyone else is doing, try starting here: What do we want our wedding to feel like? Then ask: What do we want our guests to remember? And: What would we genuinely be disappointed not to have? Those answers are much more useful than simply asking “What’s popular at the moment?”
My biggest piece of advice
Whether you’re Cristiano Ronaldo with seemingly unlimited choices, or you’re planning your wedding around a very carefully considered budget, I think the same principle applies: Plan the wedding you actually want to attend.
Not the wedding your family expects. Not the wedding Pinterest tells you to have. Not the wedding that will impress your friends. Not the wedding you think you’re supposed to have.
Yours. Because the best weddings aren’t necessarily the biggest, most expensive or most Instagrammable.
They’re the ones where you look around and think: “This is so us.”
Over to you…
If money wasn’t an issue, what would you spend it on for your wedding?
And more importantly… Would you actually change anything?
Planning a wedding and don’t know where to start? Book a call in with me to see how I can help bring calm to the chaos.