During your childhood I am certain the topic of your wedding day came up. Not only who you would marry but also all the things you would have at your wedding. I am sure you told everyone the huge ballroom where your reception would be as well as the large cathedral your wedding would be held in. Then you told everyone all the diamond jewelry you would be wearing, along with your designer wedding gown. Something so extravagant you needed attendants to walk behind you. You went on in great detail about the live entertainment you would have. The latest teen sex symbol would serenade you at your wedding and look teary eyed that he had lost you to another man. As you got older and matured the value of money began to burst your bubbles of the large extravagant wedding you deserved to have. I imagine all the parties involved in paying for the wedding ask that you set down and come up with some realistic numbers for the things you wanted included in your wedding. They may have given you a dollar amount and told you to work out a budget on that figure.

Several things influence your perception of what your wedding day should be like. Your friends and also the media. You may have wealthy friends who have had extraordinary weddings or you may have watched the latest movie star throw a multi-million dollar ceremony and lavish reception. On the shows you will see how the wedding planner always berates the couple to stay on budget but in the end figures out some way to get them what they want. No matter how absurd it is they always manage to fit it into the ceremony. From chauffeurs in limos, to custom pieces of furniture especially made for the wedding, they always get what they want.

The only thing you have to be concerned with is the shows are not the reality that you and I live in. You only have a finite amount of money and need to insure you get real value for every cent. That is why you have to really think about what you really must have at the wedding. You need to think carefully about the dress you wear, the decorations you buy, even the food you serve. Then you need to put pencil to paper.

Your budget needs to include the normal things such as floral arrangements, pew bows, candelabras, and aisle runners for your church. It then needs to include things for the reception area. The venue, the DJ, food, linens, table and chairs if not furnished, and the decorations. You need to price these primary items first. Then when you know you can adequately pay for all of them you can start adding luxury items. One thing I always tell couples is try to have luxuries that last beyond your wedding day. Jewelry is a good example of something that has lasting enjoyment.

You can have 200 guests for roughly $27,000. That is the national average. One great way to get what you want is to focus on quality and not quantity. Having 400 guests is great but do you really want to spend that much more money for more guests. Think about what you really want and also what you can afford. If you can afford it try and compromise on both sides of the equation. If you cannot afford anymore then start to cut the quantity out of your guest list. Always try to balance how many people you want with what things you must have at your wedding. You are basically debating with yourself so you know in the end you will win the argument.