$tart Here!

After Andy and I became engaged, I did what many soon to be brides do, I bought a stack of wedding magazines to look for inspiration. After pouring through many magazines and visiting several websites, my sister and I canvased our city to get an idea of how much a local wedding might cost. We visited possible reception sites, walked into a few bridal salons taking notes and collecting info packets along the way. All of this research sent me reeling. I didn't know how to start let alone what to focus on first. Dress? Invitations? Church? Reception site? Before you do anything else, figure out how much you can afford to spend.

Will you and your fiance´be paying for the wedding together?
Will one or both set of parents be able help out with financing the wedding?

Knowing how much money you have to play with can give your sanity and the planning process a lot of much needed direction.

Once you know your total budget, the budgeting tools in different wedding websites can be very helpful. My friend Bonnie shared her budget with me and I modified it in Excel for my own use taking some of the recommended percentages for different categories (church, gown, gifts for bridal party, rentals, photographer, dj etc.) from The Knot.

Whether you use a spread sheet or record financial information in a notebook, I highly recommend keeping a running balance (very much like a checkbook) of how much money you have to spend and how much money was been paid for deposits and other expenses.