Once you’ve been faced with the reality of planning your wedding getting down to the details can be daunting. A good place to start is to envision the event—decide whether you’re going to have an intimate celebration or a grand affair. Then, figure out what you can afford to spend to realize your vision. That’s right, you need to determine your budget.

It’s important to sit with all the people who will financially support your wedding and discuss what type of wedding you envision and how you and/or them would share the costs. Your families may look at your budget and offer to pay for the catering and drinks, for example, or they may set an amount they can contribute. If they can’t afford to contribute or can only contribute a small amount, say ‘thank you’ and revise the budget accordingly or find more creative ways to finance your wedding. Remember that some people don’t like discussing financial details in a group setting, so consider meeting with your families separately.

TIP: Open a separate account for your wedding expenses. This way you can both keep a close eye on the numbers and make sure you don’t go over your budget.

Click here to download your Budget-Calculator checklist