Wedding Budget

While there are hundreds of decisions to make for your wedding, setting a budget is the first - it will shape nearly every other decision you make.

As a general rule your wedding budget could break down as follows:

• 50% on the reception including food and drink
• 15% on wedding outfits
• 10% on flowers
• 10% on photography
• 5% on entertainment
• 10% on everything else including stationary, fees, gifts etc.

Allow a 5% to 10% contingency to your final figure for unforeseen expenses

But rules are there for breaking and you can save money in every area by being thrifty, clever and organised. You can hire, borrow, swap and make your own - not only will it help your budget but these are great ways to create less impact with your celebrations and make them more creative and individual. Here a a few things to bear in mind before you get carried away:

It's a really good idea to set yourself a spending cap in each budget area.

Write a list of items in order of importance and allocate a chunk of budget to each item. It'll help prevent going over budget.

Key areas to keep a tight control of are guest numbers and price per head.

Other money matters to consider when planning a wedding are:

Wedding Insurance - Don't even think about it, get insured! At present, as far as we are aware, there are no ethical insurance companies offering wedding insurance, but if enough couples ask, they may be tempted to offer a policy in the future.

Save up for your wedding day - ethical banks offer good savings accounts.