As you plan your wedding, the most important task you have is to set your wedding budget. Weddings are expensive events. The average cost of a wedding in the America is more than $20,000. The honeymoon is not calculated in the cost. Although $20,000 sounds like a lot of money for a one-day event, keep in mind that it is an average and a many weddings cost significantly more.

No wedding budget is ever too big. It is your budget not your imagination that sets the limits of what you can or can't do on your wedding day. Formal weddings in hotel ballrooms or other trendy wedding reception venues will require a much bigger budget than a reception held at your parents house. Normally, formal weddings are more expensive because everything about them is expensive such as the food, music, etc.

The summer months are the most popular and most expensive months of the year to get married. Due to the high demand during the busy wedding season, hotels and other wedding reception venues can ask higher than usual prices. If you must have a summer wedding, expect to pay a premium.

The more guest you invite to the wedding, the more money you'll spend. You have to calculate your food budget based on a per-head cost for food and liquor. The type of meal you serve your guest is limited by your budget. For instance, seated dinners are more expensive than a buffet style dinners.

Some locations are more expensive than others. Certain cities such as New York and Los Angeles can be expensive, but far away places can be just as pricey due to high travel costs and the lack of competition.

Don't worry if your wedding budget doesn't cover everything you can dream of. It may require compromises, scheduling changes, or simply begging for more money, but even with a small budget you can plan a beautiful wedding.

Developing the wedding budget is challenging, and the bride and groom should work on it together. If your parents are footing part of the expenses, you have to involve them in the process too. Traditionally, the bride's family covers most of the expenses. Today, such tradition is not necessarily relevant. The bride and groom normally pay for most of the weddings.