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Planning a wedding is a much bigger project than many realize. For some, it will be one of the largest expenses of their lives. Shame, really. With the proper planning, a fantastic wedding can be had for a fraction of what most pay.

So many couples go into the planning process without any idea of ​​what they really want in a ceremony or reception. Sadly, many of these folks have no idea of ​​what they want to accomplish during their first year of marriage, either. This ends up meaning that they will spending funds on things that really are not all that important to them – maybe to friends and family or vendors, of course – so they end up over spending their budget to get the things they really want in their wedding.

Planning a wedding is not like planning any other major project. It's just like setting goals and setting a mission in your business life. Some will find that notification that goal setting needs to be part of a wedding a bit odd. I know many did when I discussed this approach for my wedding. I can understand why some look at this as being strange. After all, the main purpose of a wedding is to join two that love each other into wedlock. BUT, most couples feel that it's important to have a big celebration that their friends and family can enjoy and one that allows them to express their tastes and personalities. No problem there, as this is the way it should be. However, this is the part that can blow your budget big time.

You and your spouse need to discuss and agree to your goals and priorities early on to avoid potential stresses later on in the planning process. By doing this, snags and worries that both of you may have along the road to your wedding can be avoided. For example, a groom to be may worry when something is not going well in the process leading up to the wedding. If goals are laid out ahead of time and the bride has made it clear to the groom that she expects there to be bumps along the way, the groom will feel more at ease and therefore, there will be less stress all around. It would not hurt to make one of the goals along the lines of "We'll enjoy ourselves, even if we run into snags on our wedding day and not every detail is perfect."

Here are Five Key Points you'll want to consider when putting goals together for your wedding:

1. Think back to weddings each of you has been to in the past. Make a list of what you liked about them and what you did not like about them.

This list will help you see the wedding from your guests perspective. It's also a great way to identify any things you and your spouse to be do not like about weddings. Perhaps you do not want to have the bit about "do you agree to obey your husband" in the ceremony, or what about the cake smashed in the face routine at the reception?

2. Discuss any wedding traditions that are important to you and your spouse.

Maybe you want to forget about the traditions of throwing out the garter or bouquet. Doing so saves money … Or, maybe you'll decide that you do not want the normal wedding garb, or to not have attendants. Be sure to see my other article on the background on some of these traditions – after reading it, you may choose not to devote your money to them!

3. Discuss how you want to be able to remember you wedding

Figure out how you want to feel on your wedding day. Do you want to be able to remember every guest that attends, along with all the key moments of the wedding? Or, would you rather that everyone else can possible think of is invited to attend? Or, how about how your creativity was able to keep your wedding under budget so that you and your spouse to be are not saddled with paying for it well into the future? How about feeling that you enjoyed yourself planning your big day so that you were able to relax during the wedding?

4. Discuss how you want your guest to remember the wedding.

Of course you want your guests to have a great time! Why else would you be holding a party after your wedding? Is it important to you that everyone is well fed? How about personally met or welcomed? Or, sometimes that they are pampered a bit? Or maybe you want to make sure they do not feel like they have to take home a wedding favor, or that they have to stay to the end.

5. Take the time to discuss what your goals are for your first year of marriage

This is a great way to bust out of the fairy tale mindset. Many couples never take this step. Remember, you still have to work on building a life together after the big day. Discuss what you each want in the first year of your marriage. Are you looking to buy a house? A new car? Start a new business? Or what about starting a savings account? Discussing all of these things will put your wedding budget into a very clear focus and will help you keep the reigns tight on your wedding spending. Not to mention that you'll have a good foundation from which to start your marriage.

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Source by Becky McLaurin