Wedding Budget Help 2009 From Bridal Online Store

Creating a wedding budget not only helps you determine how much you can afford to spend on your wedding, but also keeps the costs under control. On average, a 200-guest wedding costs $17,000.
The first step is to decide who will pay for the wedding. While traditionally, the parents of the bride and groom are responsible for paying for a wedding (with the bride's family shoulders most of the financial responsibility), it's becoming more and more common for the couple as well as their families to contribute towards the cost of the wedding. As men and women get married later in life, many couples decide to foot the entire bill themselves. You and your intended should sit down with your families and determine how much each is willing to contribute.
The next step involves taking a realistic look at the wedding style and wedding size you want. Keep in mind the bigger and more elaborate the wedding the more it costs. Compare this with the available funds. Is it possible to get the wedding you want with the money you have? If not, look for more cost-effective alternatives in the style or size of the wedding. Controlling the size is a little easier. Simply limit the number of guests when creating a guest list (granted, this is easier said than done). Finding a compromise in the style may require more imagination. Do you have your heart set on a Renaissance themed wedding in an English castle? The costs would be enormous! However, having your wedding at a local Renaissance fair or theatre would provide the same look and feel at a much lower cost.
Once you have a firm idea of the total amount you can spend the next step is to divide that number among the various wedding parts. How much do you plan to budget for the wedding dress, the reception hall, the invitations and the honeymoon? Do some research and estimate the costs. Then do the math. Does it all add up to your total budget? If not, play with the numbers until everything balances. Compromise is very important during this step. You'll both have different ideas of what you're willing to spend on a given item. Once a decision has been reached stick with it. Constantly altering the numbers will make it impossible to maintain and balance your budget.
We have provided a worksheet to help you with your decisions, which can be downloaded in either a PDF or Microsoft Excel™ format. The worksheet has columns for both budgeted and actual expenses, so carry it with you when you go shopping. It will keep you organized and help you stick to your decisions.
If you don't have the funds already saved, the next step involves creating a savings plan. On average the couple should try to save 20% of their income a month. Although it may seems a lot, that amount can be reached by cutting costs in other areas in you life. For example, bringing your lunch to work rather than going out to a restaurant can save you $15 - $20 a week. That's an annual saving of $1040. You'd be surprised at how those little changes can save you a lot in the end.