The wedding budget... the most unpopular topic of the wedding. Without a realistic budget in mind you can overspend before you know it.

How formal you want your wedding to be will help you establish the overall budget. Everyone who is involved with the financial part of the wedding should sit down and determine how formal you are going to go. There are four categories to choose from: Ultra formal, Formal, Semiformal, Informal. Listed below are a few factors for each category.

ULTRA FORMAL: This is the most expensive of weddings. It is always very large, both in number in the wedding party, as well as the number of guests invited. The wedding is conducted after 6 P.M. The ceremony is decorated extensively with flowers, candles, and ribbons everywhere. The gown is always elaborate and the men dress in tails. The reception almost always includes a sit down dinner and dancing. Some ultra formal weddings require the guests to wear formal wear also.

FORMAL: This type of wedding is the most common. The number of attendants and guests will be lower than that of an Ultra formal wedding. It usually takes place in the late afternoon or early evening. Sit down dinner or buffets are the norm, and of course dancing is also a part of the reception. The ceremony site may include flowers and candles. Although not as elaborate as an ultra formal wedding the decorations may be just as beautiful. Guests are not asked to wear formal attire.

SEMIFORMAL: Semiformal weddings often take place in the late morning or early afternoon. The decorations are much less extensive and the number of guests invited, usually is less. Finger sandwiches, cake and punch may be served. Dancing may take place or just background music is acceptable.

INFORMAL: Weddings that are informal usually take place in the home. Fewer than 50 guests are invited. The reception may consist of cake and punch. Decorations should be simple.

Whatever type of wedding you decide on remember, that there are no set rules. You can cross over from one level to another.

Now comes the hard part, setting a realistic budget. You will need to answer some questions. What will you need? Who is paying for what? And what you think it will cost. Comparison shopping, creative ideas and organized planning can help create the perfect wedding. If you want an elaborate formal wedding you may have to cut your guest list down. You will also need to determine what is important to you. Are photographs more important than the flowers? Is one DJ better than another? Does it really matter if you serve chicken instead of filet mignon? These are all the questions you need to address before you can come to realistic budget. Get estimates from different vendors and compare them. What does one offer compared to the other and is it really important to you. You have to be willing to give and take a little. You must be very cost conscious in your thinking unless you have a very large budget. The more open you are to compromising with the budget the less stress over the money matters you will have. Don't be disappointed because your budget cannot fulfill your dream wedding.

Who is going to pay for all of this? That is another item you will have to seriously consider. Will you as a couple be footing the bill alone? Does the bride's family pay for the majority of the weddings costs? Can you ask the groom's family to help out? All of these questions are part of setting the budget. There are no rules for who pays for what. Traditionally the bride's family has paid for the majority of the wedding expenses, however things have been changing and families are now sharing the expenses of the whole wedding. Perhaps the bride and grooms families will split the whole wedding. Remember, if both sets of parents are paying for the wedding you should consider using the groom's parents on the wedding invitation.

The dollar and sense of budgeting is very stressful, so make sure you set your budget as soon as possible. Choosing the formality of the wedding right off the bat will let you decide what is important. You need to use comparison pricing; otherwise you will not have an idea of the going rate for the services in your area.

My last word of advice is to be realistic... The wedding of your dreams will take place no matter how much you have to spend because you will make it special with just the love you have for each other.

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