Budget
ARTICLE:
Who traditionally pays for what?		 The average wedding costs $19,000. I'm sure you're thinking 'No way, I won't spend that much.' But look at this - it becomes very easy for expenses to get out of hand:
 
 Average wedding costs from Bride's Magazine
Wedding item cost
Stationery (invitations, announcement, thank-you notes) $374
Groom's formalwear (rented) 100
Bride's headpiece/veil 150
Mother of the bride's apparel 198
Wedding favors 240
Clergy, church, chapel, synagogue fee 248
Attendants' gifts 299
Formalwear rentals for ushers (average of 5), best man 400
Limousine rental 427
Bridal attendants' apparel (average of 5) 720
Music 745
Rehearsal dinner 762
Photography, videography 775
Bride's wedding dress 790
Wedding rings 1,060
Bouquets and other flowers 1,253
Engagement ring 2,982
Reception (average of 186 guests) 7,246
Total 18,769

And that doesn't include the Honeymoon or your new house!

  

Those numbers are the national average. For your personal budget, fill in the table below:

HOW TO SET YOUR PERSONAL BUDGET, STEP BY STEP:

Talk to your fiancée and fill in the planned budget here


Don't let your expenses floor you! Keep them in check.

Pay attention to every little expense and plan out the whole thing first, overestimating if you don't know the exact amount. Then start spending.
ARTICLE:
Buy vs Rent a home?
ARTICLE:
Talk about money before you get married
ARTICLE:
Have you updated your legal documents?
ARTICLE:
When parents take over your budget planning
LINKS:
where am I going to find all this stuff?
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And then there's the honeymoon and the house (which you can get with no money down and have the seller pay closing costs. I can tell you all about first time home buyer loan programs)

I can send you a budget table in Microsoft Excel format on a CD. Open it up on your computer (in the Excel program), type in your numbers and your estimated costs to keep an eye on how much you have left to spend. No charge, Just fill in your name and address here. It's my wedding gift to you:

Name     
Address 
City         State Zip
Dear Heidi,  I would like a CD.