A new show asks the question, would you rather have a dream wedding or a dream home?

In the Netflix original series "Marriage or Mortgage," wedding planner Sarah Miller competes with real estate agent Nichole Holmes to help guide a couple's decision to get married or buy a home.

Miller, a passionate wedding advocate, wants couples to splurge on their big day as a once-in-a-lifetime celebration of love, while Holmes wants couples to spend that money by investing in a home where they'll start their lives together. The nonscripted show, which features real-life couples, was shot at the end of 2019 and the beginning of 2020.

"I think it's just real life," says Miller. "Figuring out budget and figuring out what people can afford and figuring out that this can be a fun process. It doesn't have to be something that's so stressful. These people come to us with a certain amount of money, and something that they've saved up for -- whether you're buying a house or choosing a wedding."

*'Ready to Celebrate'

No doubt, weddings are expensive. Even in the pandemic, the average wedding price tag in 2020 was $19,000. That's according to the annual survey of newlyweds, The Knot Real Weddings Study. The previous year, the average price of a wedding was $28,000.

"I feel like everybody's just ready to celebrate," says Miller. "With just not seeing your families for so long and not having that connection of happiness and love and emotions, I feel like a lot of my couples are just ready to do it. They're ready to pull the trigger."

Miller, who owns planning company Southern Vine & Co., loves planning memorable weddings and events for her clients. She says many couples are planning nuptials for later this year, while others are making plans for 2022.

While costs vary from state to state, The Knot says big-ticket items include the wedding venue (average cost is $10,500); engagement ring ($5,900); reception band ($3,700); and photographer ($2,400). The survey also found an average of 131 wedding guests and an average catering price of $70 per person.

Miller has been in the wedding industry 12 years and believes couples should follow their hearts.

"A lot of couples come out of this, and they didn't think that they could afford a lot of the stuff that they could afford," she says.

Hire a wedding planner to help guide the process. While planners are an added expense, they can know the industry. A coordinator can help the couple make their vision a reality and connect them to a network of vendors, including venues, food and beverage distributors, wedding dress shops and photographers.

*Budget

Miller urges couples to set a budget for the big day that they're comfortable with and that doesn't exceed their means.

"Take a budget; figure out what's most important; expand in those areas; and cut back on the rest," she says. "Have those areas shine that you really want, if it's food, if it's your bar, if it's having more people for your family and friends or if it's a band. Everybody has different expectations on what they want, so it's just my job to highlight those areas and kind of show them what things can really be."

If you have to make cuts to save money, Miller suggests trimming flowers from your budget. Instead, use candles, greenery and lighting. The wedding focus should be on food, ambience and music.

She recommends choosing something that's important that you can highlight. It'll become a conversation point for your wedding. For example, one bride on "Marriage or Mortgage" really wanted to have her favorite condiment, ranch dressing, in a fountain for her wedding reception. It was a personal touch that reflected her real life.

Miller has two major pieces of wedding planning advice: Don't charge your wedding on a credit card, and don't go into debt.

"A wedding should never make you go in debt, ever," she says. "It should be something again that you feel good walking into and you feel good spending the money on because it's something for the rest of your life that you're going to have happy memories of. You don't want to have a bad memory coming out of planning a wedding."

Next, she encourages couples to be open to each other's different opinions: "Just walk into things with an open mind, and have fun doing it."