The first and important step towards celebrating a perfect marriage is to estimate the expenditure for the whole arrangement. This requires a perfect budgeting considering all relevant aspects. By proper budgeting, you come to know where you are standing and the steps to be taken for management of required funds.



First, you list out all the items with out missing anything. You may consult your friends, family members, relatives and recently married couples so that your estimation will be nearer to perfection. You make enquiries of marriage contractors, agents and vendors for arrangement of various items and decide to award the work according to your affordability.

If you have the ability and manpower to arrange some of the items yourself instead of entrusting the work to contractors, you may save considerable amount. Enquiries with recently married couple will help you a lot in this regard.

Formulation of a budget depends on various factors like affordability, necessity and compulsion. Don't be too much conservative on the estimation, since you may end up with shortage of funds at the crucial time. Once you draw the sketch, a priority list is to be prepared. Chalk out your plan for each item as per your priority list. Decide the items on which you may compromise and this will help you to cut the costs in case of need.

The prime area where you have to concentrate is the guest management. The total no of guests you are going to invite will decide the total outlay of your expenditure. You must decide how much you are going to spend on average per guest on various items like catering, reception etc. You should also allot money for bridesmaid gift, groomsmen gift gifts for maid of honor and wedding favors.

If you feel the expenditure on guests is on the higher side, you may restrict the no of guests by inviting only close friends and relatives. This will give you a big saving on this account. At the same time be careful not to omit important persons which may cause embracement to you in future.

The next major item of expenditure is hiring of marriage and reception hall. Again it depends on the no of guests and your budget varies accordingly. There is variety of reception halls on different price tags and you chose as per your requirement and affordability. You may also think of combining marriage function and also reception together so that you save a lot on hall rent and transportation.

Then, it's the turn of some important items such as dresses, wedding jewelry, wedding accessories, video, decoration, etc. You have flexibility on all these items. You can spend more on one and impose savings on others as per your taste.

After working out your budget elaborately, you must find ways to meet your requirement. Funds are to be arranged from various sources. It is to be seen whether the whole funding is to come from bride's side or to be shared by both the partners.

Parents of both the bride and the bridegroom may be approached to part a share of the expenditure. The other way, certain items of expenditure can be met by the parents by mutual consultation. Still funds are not enough long or short term loans may be availed by proper planning. Both the partners must have elaborate consultation and discussion to decide on sourcing of fund if the expenditures to be met by them equally.