Congratulations if this is you!

It doesn’t take long to switch your thoughts to wedding planning. There are a lot of hats to wear when arranging the big day and it can get a little overwhelming…..project manager, PR representative and psychologist to name a few.

Weddings are big business and it doesn’t take long to realize that there can be a higher ‘wedding price’ for items such as flowers,cakes,dresses etc.

Here are some questions to answer:

• What kind of wedding do you & your fiancé want?
• What kind of experience do you want to give your guests?
• What will it cost?
• What resources do you have to pay for it?
• What does life look like after the wedding (honeymoon & regular life)?

Here are some tips to help manage the money side of the wedding plan:

• Chat with your fiancé about what you would both like on the big day – number of guests, size of wedding party
• Get some estimates for typical expenses
• List the various expenses in detail & note when payments are due
• Write down what amount you have to put towards the wedding cost
• If your parents have offered to contribute, find out how much it will be and if they have any expectations in return – such as a group of guests
• Decide what you really want and what you won’t miss
• Be creative – there are lots of ways to have what you want without paying top dollar
• Figure out how much you need to have to cover the wedding and honeymoon.
• Convert it to a monthly number and work it into your budget.

Wedding cost varies greatly however a typical wedding will cost $20,000. This may not sound like a large amount however if you pay for it after the wedding, it’s monthly payments of about $450 per month for 5 years……

Think about how awesome it will be to enjoy your wedding and honeymoon without worrying about the bills for years later. What a great start!

Next post will include some of the costs.