How to create a wedding budget that works

It's exciting when you imagine how wonderful your wedding will be after getting engaged. You have a certain vision in mind that you want to achieve.

The fun part is daydreaming about your special day but the hard work soon starts when you actually begin planning. The first stage you need to figure out is the budget because this will help you have a clearer view of where you're at financially, and the strategy you need to have for a successful wedding.

Coming up with a realistic one can be a bit of a struggle but here are some helpful tips you might need:

Decide how much you are willing to spend

This entire process needs to start with how much you want to use for your dream wedding. You should discuss whether you have enough savings to afford a wedding and set a specific limit that you will both be comfortable with.

This also lets you know whether your current finances can support a wedding within the time frame you're expecting, without going into debt.

Organize your needs and wants

I bet we would all choose to have an extravagant wedding if they were free. And if you've never gotten into the details of how much even the simplest weddings cost, you might be shocked.

• Keep your home warm with these tips
• What to do if you feel dizzy after a meal
• Are you unhappy?
• The changing face of families

What you need to do is to write down a general list of what you would want and then divide them into needs vs wants. This process will help you understand whether your list of needs fits in with the budget limits you've set and guide you on the extras you can add.

Agree on budget responsibilities

You also need to decide who will handle what according to the plan you have. Some couples decide to be the sole contributors to their own weddings and others get a substantial amount of help from friends and family.

How you split the responsibilities will depend on what your plan is so as you break the budget down, agree on what your individual efforts and contributions will be based on what you can handle.

Set workable targets

Executing a budget can be a very stressful process. What might help you out is organizing your saving goals into smaller targets that you can manage.

You can try different strategies like weekly or monthly saving goals so that you will have a clearer vision.

Bring a planner onboard

Having a wedding planner saves you from so much chaos. They're especially essential because they understand details about the wedding industry that you probably don't know about.

A planner will help you come up with a budget that works and make adjustments when something isn't working. They might also try and negotiate the best deals for you, which is an awesome win if you're trying to save even more money.

It might be a little tough on your budget to hire someone to help but it's totally worth it in the long run.