Date: April 21, 2025
Author: Natalie Rhodes

We’re engaged. I should be excited, and I am—but lately, it feels like I’m the only one who is.

I set a strict budget for our wedding: $20k, and not a dollar over. I’ve done my research, and honestly, that’s on the cheaper end these days. Based on everything I’ve planned so far, we’re only around $10.7k in projected costs. And we’re saving until next September, so we have time to make it work.

But all my fiancé can focus on is the money. Not the celebration, not the love, not the people coming together—just the expense. I get it. I’m worried about money too. But I’m actively planning within our limits, being careful, intentional. And he still seems like he wants to shut the whole thing down.

It’s hard not to feel like I’m dragging him into something he doesn’t even want to be part of. Like I’m dreaming alone. And that… hurts more than I expected.