by Fiona Simpson

a wedding can seem like one long cheque writing exercise

- grooms outfit £200. This makes the poor boy look hard done by when the lady is getting six times this amount on her attire. But his outfit is only really a suit with a few frilly bits and no-one is going to be looking at him anyway.

- bridesmaids£500. Although the bridesmaids should never upstage the bride, if they look a mess they can ruin to look of the wedding.

- rings £500. Obviously, this is where you can save some money or spend considerably more. It's what the ring represents rather than it's price tag that is important, But this doesn't stop some women wanting the biggest diamonds in the shop.

- flowers £300. Flowers are incredibly expensive. A bridal bouquet will cost approximately£80 so £300 will buy you less stems and petals than you may think. Of course you could always pick some daffodils out of your garden...

- church £250. God is giving you his blessing so you should give him a few blessings in return.

- transport £300. You have to arrive in style and style comes at a price.

- photographs £400. What price would you pay for your wedding day memories. You may think taking a few pictures is easy but the perfect wedding photos everyone wants is an acquired skill. To make sure you get them you have to pay for them.

- video £400. A professionally made video can really bring memories to life. It's not essential to everyone but there's nothing like whipping out the wedding video from time to time.

- invitations £300. Everybody needs to be sent a wedding invitation and at that price you would think they were printed on gold leaf.

- wedding reception venue £800. You need a large enough venue to accommodate all your guests. If you have two hundred people coming, your local community hall probably wont do.

- wedding reception food £3000. If you didn't have to feed all your guest you could save a fortune. Unfortunately, free food and drink is expected so if you're having anything other than a very small wedding the price soon mounts up.

- wedding reception entertainment £800. Even the worst DJ you could think of doesn't come cheap.

- evening reception £800. Usually the evening reception just carries on from where the wedding reception left off. However, some of the wedding guests may go home and some new guests may be arriving. But everyone still needs food, drink and entertainment.

- wedding night hotel £200. Your wedding night is one of the greatest nights of your life. Don't spend it in anywhere other than the best room and hotel you can afford.

- honeymoon £2000. Again this is where money can really be saved or spent. Some couple will be happy with a week in Span whereas others will want a holiday of a lifetime.

The Final Thought
Unfortunately weddings often mean money just as much as they mean love and committment Luckily, this is where tradition comes to the rescue. The bride and grooms parents and family are expected they cover the cost of the big day as well as the honeymoon. However, not all families can afford £14000 even when it's something as important as their child's wedding. Nevertheless every family can contribute to some extent. And regardless of the quality of the reception food or the size of your wedding bouquet, the most important thing to remember about your day is enjoy it.