Expenses

Wedding Articles

Start With Your Budget

The sooner after your engagement you start planning and putting away for your wedding day the better.

Before you go out and search out any vendors or even sign any contracts, start with your budge'. Come up with a dollar amount you can spend on your wedding. Don't set a number you wish you had but a realistic one. Talk it over with your fiance and set your own budget. If either or both of your parents have offered to contribute to the budget, get as exact of a number from them as possible.

Start saving ASAP. The faster you start saving for your wedding day, the less likely you will run over budget. If either or both of you have jobs, start putting away a certain percentage of each paycheck . You may need to make some minor everyday life adjustments such as making your own lunches for work, cutting down on restaurants or coffee.

How much should you save? The more you can put away the better. But it is a good idea to aim for at least 10 - 20 percent from each paycheck.

Open a separate wedding bank account. Putting all your money in a wedding account will make keeping track of your wedding expenses and transactions a lot simpler. Talk to your bank representative and ask about ways you can maximize your money such as putting any money you may already have in a high interest account.

Be realistic. If you or your honey carry large dept such as car or school, you may not be able to contribute as much to the wedding budget. Don't miss any dept payments just so you can put that money towards your wedding. It's not worth ruining your credit and even getting into more dept. There are many ways to save and cut back.