Once you have got over all the excitement of your engagement, it is time to get to work & plan the wedding. Your first task should be to draw up your wedding budget, without one you will find it very difficult to accomplish anything. A carefully though out budget will help you determine how much you can afford to spend & how much you can allot to different aspects of your day. Here are some tips on drawing up a sensible budget you can afford.

Who's Paying for the Wedding?

Traditionally the bride's parents would pay for the whole wedding, however in modern time's couple's have either pay for their wedding themselves or split the cost between themselves & the parents. If you can pay for the whole wedding yourselves then you are in a great position, but if you need to ask your families to help out then you will need to approach it diligently & sit down with them to discuss it. Be prepared to be asked how much you think it will cost & how much you want (or expect) them to chip in. Don't base your wedding budget on the average amount for a wedding (around $25,000) but on what you can afford.

There are several options:

Your parents decide on the amount they are prepared to contribute, you then set your budget & make up the difference yourselves.

Your parents pay for specific items such as the flowers or catering.

You will then have to decide how to pay for everything else.

You set your budget & split it evenly. This is a good compromise & good if you have a divided family. For instance, you, the mother of the bride, the father of the bride, & the groom's parents will each contribute $5000, for a total of a $20,000 wedding budget.

How Much Do You Really Need?

This does depend on your budget, but a good starting point is to work on an amount per guest such as $100 per head. From this you can allow $50 per head for catering with the remainder going towards everything else. However, where this fails is if you are having only a small intimate affair with say 10 guests, here you may find $500 does not go very far! As a starting point this does however, work for a large wedding & can allow you to have a lavish do & a lot of guests. You can of course throw a wedding on a shoestring, but be prepared to compromise on a lot of the details.

Figuring Out a Basic Wedding Budget

Use the wedding budget planning worksheet to set out the basic figures. If you already some of your costs put them in & adjust your other figures till the budget works for you. If you know anyone who has recently got married ask them for the prices the paid to local vendors or ask if you can borrow their planning notes to help you. Remember to keep figures realistic or your whole budget could go through the roof.

Making Room for What Matters in Your Wedding Budget

Think about the most important aspects of your wedding day to you. Spend more on your ceremony & photographer than on flowers & favors. If you wedding is small then your catering bill won't be so high as a big wedding, so you can allocate more money to other things.

Ways to Save on Your Wedding Budget

If, after you have drawn up your budget, you discover that the final figure is way above what you can afford then it is time to make some compromises. Go through the budget & take out anything that isn't really necessary or that you are prepared to do without. Things like the number of bridesmaids - do you really need 12 attendants? Think about how much twelve dresses, 12 pairs of shoes, 12 set of accessories & 12 bouquets will cost. Keep attendants to a minimum, if they are really good friends they will understand. Look at having your ceremony & reception in one place, which will save on transport costs & you will get a better rate at the one venue than paying for two. If after doing that the numbers are still too high, then it is time to go back & look at what is really important to you on your wedding day. Maybe consider a small wedding now & renewing your vows in 5 or 10 years time, when you could afford a bigger party.

Once the figures add up, set your budget & stick to it. This is easier said than done, but it is vital to achieving the best wedding you can afford.