There is no doubt that weddings have become costly events.
Traditionally, in Western culture, the bride's family would cover the cost of the wedding day celebrations but this is not always the case in modern times.
Whoever is paying for the wedding, a budget needs to be agreed and adhered to if stressful situations and arguments are to be avoided.
As part of the wedding planning process decisions will need to be made around money.
Who can and will pay for what needs to be agreed.
This is the basis for the wedding budget.
Once a budget figure has been settled the rest of the wedding can be planned within that spending budget.
It is important to break down the total budget into component parts and allocating funds accordingly.
If this sounds like a corporate exercise, it is not dissimilar.
It is not unheard of for a bride to spend 80% of her wedding budget on her dress and shoes leaving worried parents with the problem of how to finance a reception.
Having a budget actually makes life easier.
When shopping on a budget the decision process becomes that much easier as the selection from which you can make your choice is diminished and temptation is removed.
Iron-will is required to enforce a budget but the pay-off is a stress free wedding day and no post wedding debt mountain to face.
So many young couples start married life with loans and credit card debt incurred to pay for their wedding day.
Whilst it is not for anyone else to judge how others lead their lives, it is worrying that, at what can be a challenging time anyway, the couple also has to negotiate debt repayments.
It dosn't promise to be the best start to married life.
Parents have been known to release equity from their homes in order to pay for their share of wedding costs - often jeopardising their security in retirement.
Many unscrupulous service providers charge premium rates to unsuspecting bridal parties andanyone buying these services needs to shop around to be sure they are getting value for money.
Savings can be made very easily by cutting out everything that is not required.
If money is really very tight ask others for their help - bridesmaids, the matron of honour, the bestman and ushers will often finance their own dress hire.
Consider a second hand bridal gown.
This is something you will only wear once and it is worth looking for options to save money in its purchase.
It may be that the bride or one of the mothers can make the wedding cake and just hand it to a professional to complete the decoration.
Wedding gifts from the bride and groom for the wedding party can be produced very inexpensively with a little planning and some effort.
Commemorative scrapbooks are treasured by their recipients and not expensive to produce.
Plan your wedding thoroughly and include a budget figure - this will almost certainly guarantee a stress free wedding day.