Thanks everyone! I've spoken with my fiancee and she agrees that we should stick with our original budget if possible and the additional money is best invested in our future.
Smart lady! Good luck with your planning.
One more thing to add: Make sure you get what you pay for! In our case we paid extra for Prime Rib. What we got was shaved roast beef! Received over a $3,500 credit from the caterer.
Paid extra for iced tea. Servers didn't offer it at all the tables. Bread was pitiful. Caterer did not bring salt and pepper shakers for tables. Champagne was suppose to "offered and served" at each table- instead all glasses poured and sat on one table with the D.J. announcing "Go get your glass of champagne"! Really!!!!!
I was both shocked and furious as it was my only daughters wedding and would much rather have had the Prime Rib and all the other details. Their excuse? They had 10 weddings they were catering that night. I guess we were low man on the totem pole.
Guests had a great time and I was told only I knew about the snafus. Yet I paid for those extra things that were not done. Hence the credit.
Caterer was a well know upscale caterer. I would never recommend them and wrote a scathing review.