The budget that is available for the wedding will affect almost everything else and should therefore be one of first matters for consideration.

Traditionally, the bride and her family were considered responsible for the most of the expense, planning and preparation for the wedding. However, just as times change and the husband is no longer assumed to be the sole bread winner of the family, so too, is it no longer automatically assumed that the bride and her family will be responsible for everything.

Expenses are often shared between the families of both the bride and the groom. There are also those instances in which the bride and/or the groom do not have families to assist with the expenses and/or preparations for the wedding. Often, in this kind of circumstance, other family members can fill in for the parents and some of their responsibilities, although they may not be able to assist financially.

Whatever the circumstances, it is wise to discuss the financial details as soon as possible. Granted, the newly engaged couple may not want to jump right into such planning the same day they become engaged. Nonetheless, potential misunderstandings can usually be avoided if the bride and groom decide between themselves, from the beginning, on the most important issues- before receiving input, wanted and unwanted, from friends and relatives.

Sometimes parents and others have preconceived ideas of what their loved one's wedding day should be like. Perhaps the mother assumes that the bride will wear the same gown that she wore. Or the father may assume that the couple will have a large church wedding. On the other hand, the couple may prefer a small, intimate celebration. The family of the groom and the family of the bride may be very different from each other and have very different ideas of what is "right" for their child.

Of course, if the families of the couple are paying for most or all of the cost of the wedding, they may also expect to assume a larger role in the planning. Whatever the circumstances, it is clear that the couple must ultimately decide for themselves what they want, what is most important to them and how much they are willing to compromise for the sake of others.

As soon as the guest list has been decided upon, it is necessary to write down every item that is needed for the wedding and which has a cost associated with it. There is plenty of computer software available to help with these tasks and to make the planning more efficient and fun.