Planning a wedding can be quite stressful! In the process the couple can meet a lot of disagreements and lots of fights can take place. Although you've met your soul mate, that doesn't necessarily mean that you two have the same ideas regarding everything. Maybe each of you has different expectations regarding the wedding, or maybe you belong to different religions or cultures. One of the most important things that can help you spare the trouble is to set up a wedding budget and stick to it (as hard as that will prove to be during the organizing process).
Decide what kind of wedding you want, a big or a limited one, a traditional or a non- conformist one; where will the wedding take place; what do you have in mind for the restaurant's menu, the drinks and the wedding cake; how much are you willing to pay for the decoration and the bride's and groom's attire; transportation; how many of your guest need hotel rooms; how expensive is the photographer, the band and so on.
After you made the list with all these issues, establish an estimative cost and at the final sum add 20% for unexpected expenses. Then you have to decide where all the money will come from: will you and your partner pay for everything? Will your families help? Do you split the cost between them? Are there traditional rules about who has to buy what? To have success in not excelling your wedding budget requires you to be aware of who has agreed to pay for what and stick to it.
Another helpful solution is to start saving early for the happy event. Your lifestyle and your monthly budget will not be so affected if you put a small amount of money away on a regular basis. After a while you'll have sizable savings.
It can also help if you can pay some of the items (restaurants, catering services, photographs) in advance.
Don't go for the first offer, don??t be afraid to negotiate the prices, take your time to compare them and don't say no to home made items (invitations for example); they will spare you some costs and they will add a special personalized note to the event.
No matter how restrictive your budget is, if you organize everything carefully, you will have the time of your life and your wedding will be unique.
