One of the potential problems that can arise when planning a wedding is the question of who is going to pay? Traditionally it is the bride’s parents who pay for a wedding. In more recent times there have been two developments. The first is that the groom’s parents will often now contribute to the costs of the wedding. The second development is that, very often the couple getting married pay for their own wedding.
It is worth getting this question out into the open at an early stage. Different people come to the wedding planning with different expectations and it is worth getting these resolved at an early stage.
Where the bride’s family are paying for the wedding or at least a significant proportion of it, it is also likely that they will want to have a considerable amount of input into the wedding planning. This is also an area for potential conflict. The bride’s mother in particular may have all sorts of expectations as to what her daughter’s wedding day will be like. Again, there is no substitute for talking these things through. It is often worth thinking “what are the things that are non-negotiable for our wedding and what things can we compromise on?”
Setting a budget for your wedding is a very good idea. Work out how much you want to spend on major items such as the brides dress and bridesmaids’ dresses, suit hire for the men, reception venue hire and food and cars. If you are on a very limited budget, you may even make compromises on some of these areas – limit the numbers of ushers to cut down on suit hire and the number of bridesmaids to cut down on the cost of bridesmaids’ dresses.
You can also save money on the venue. Instead of hiring the most expensive country club, book a local hall and get your friends to decorate it in advance. Getting in outside caterers can often be cheaper than paying for the fixed price menu at the country club.
It’s traditional to have lots of flowers at a wedding and they can be very costly. An alternative is to buy attractive, non floral decorations. These can then be given away to friends who have helped with your wedding.
Finance is one of the biggest catalysts for arguments in marriage. If you can deal successfully with the financial issues facing you as you plan your wedding day, this will set you up for dealing with other financial issues later on in your married life.
