Determine your overall budget…Identify who is paying for what and how much they can contribute.  Traditionally, the bride’s family covered most of the wedding expenses. However, the bridal industry has evolved and, today, traditional etiquette is not always followed.

Are you and your fiancé planning on financing the wedding, or will your parents be contributing?  Are there strict cultural traditions that stipulate who pays for what and are those norms realistic for you?  Take some time to answer these questions to understand exactly what your aggregate wedding budget is.

Once you have identified the total amount of money you have to spend on your special day make a list of priorities. Would you rather splurge on your photographer or your invitations? Keep asking yourself what is necessary:  Are wedding favors a must have? Can you print your own wedding invitations? 

Below is a quick list of some key big ticket items, spend some time to assign numbers to each line item to identify your priorities:

•  Venue
• Invitations                                                                       
•  Rings 
•  Guest List                
•  Flowers
•  Cake 
•  Food and Drink
•  Photographer
•  Videographer
•  Music 
•  Beauty
•  Formalwear 
•  Accessories
•  Favors
•  Guest List
• Decorations

Once you are equip with an understanding of your budget and your priorities you can start reaching out to vendors and start allocating funds toward each line item.  Every week, we will explore each category to identify cost-saving tips and recommendations.  For now, start working on that priority list and having the wedding budget conversation.