OK, Let's Get Started - First Up is the Budget!

The very first step toward planning your wedding day is for the two of you to sit down with your families to figure out a budget. If you haven’t done so already, go here and download the sample budget. This is really a preliminary category budget to help you determine how much you are going to spend; you can either use that form as is or as a starting point for creating your own. Individual budgets should be made for each category then compiled into a master budget.


You can find any number of budget forms elsewhere on the internet but the one here is at least a start.  Several software budgeting packages are also available which contain all of the worksheets you might need; I have not investigated any of them so I can't give a recommendation.

Who is to take the financial responsibility? With the cost of weddings today averaging $30,000, usually the families of both the bride and the groom contribute to help make their childrens' wedding a success. You'll have to meet and talk and count what share each can bring. I would definitely stay away from too much credit card debt because that is a heavy burden to bear just after getting married. And as you’ll see farther on, there are so many options available to help you meet whatever budget you finally decide upon.

One final note on the above sample budget. Regardless of which budget form you use, you’ll want to have individual category budget worksheets which keep track of all expenditures. The master budget should reflect both budget projections and actual costs. If you create a database for your budget and keep it updated, it will be extremely easy to always see where you are. That way when you are over in any area, you will automatically know that you have to take that overage from somewhere else. Overages of $10 – $100 add up quickly and can blow even the best budgeting if not kept track of.

Oh – I almost forgot! What about your honeymoon budget? Don’t forget to also set aside money for that if you are taking on.