One of the worst things you can do to yourselves as newly-weds is to saddle yourself with a huge debt from your wedding. You want to return from your honeymoon ready to start your life together. You will have thank you notes to write. You don’t want to immediately start a second job to pay for an afternoon and evening of merriment. It just puts too much strain on the marriage. Because there will be adjustments.

You also don’t want to add two extra jobs to a household that is already working and planning a wedding. You want to figure out what you want to put aside for the wedding and then figure out how to have a wedding that is within your means. Geez, you managed to fall in love and decide to marry one another. Figuring out what you want to spend on your wedding should be the easy part!

1. Slow down. Why exactly do you need to be married this year or that month? Why can’t you take some time and get your lives in order separately, before you get them in order together? Your love won’t suffer from a bit of delay. It will actually benefit from having a sound financial platform. A huge percentage of problems in early marriages are about money. So, make some plans, and then keep them about getting debt out of the way and some savings for the wedding in the bank.
2. Figure out income, debts and assets. It’s only if you get really clear about the money that you’ll be able to have an appropriate and realistic budget. You’re getting married. That means commingling your debt. Debt is difficult, you want to talk about it and find a joint way to pay it off, and then make agreements about how you will accumulate new debt.
3. Develop the skills you need not only to manage your money, but also to talk about your money. Take a course on-line, find a personal money manager, find a great course or coach on couples and money-management. They’re out there and they’re helpful.
4. Given who you are and what you do, what is a realistic amount of money to spend on a wedding? If you’re not movie stars and you’re not owners of huge enterprises, why do you need to get married in the same way they do? Get married as the people you are and spend an appropriate amount of money – and have a better time at your wedding ceremony!
5. Are there people who will help you pay for your wedding? Do you want that? Will the people who are paying have different expectations than you do about what your wedding should look like? Are you willing to make those sacrifices, because, you won’t be having the wedding you want that way, either!
6. Make good decisions about where you want to invest your money. Do you want a big wedding more than you want a down payment.
7. Create a budget that reflects what you’ve got to spend. Once you’ve got some realism about your finances, and have a way to talk about what you’re doing, you’re in a much better position to plan your wedding.
8. Create a wedding that reflects who you are. You don’t need to have 10,000 extras to have a wonderful wedding, even if the magazines say you do! You just need to have your friends and family, good wedding vows and a really wonderful ceremony. Somehow you can make the rest fun and perfect for you.

Planning a wedding based on what you can afford is going to make you far happier in the long run. It’s also going to enable your friends to support your marriage as they watch you making sound decisions that will build your relationship’s future. And you know, there are lots of ways to have fun. Your wedding day will be fun because you’re so delighted to be marrying one another.

Lavish and luxurious, Indian weddings are known for their duration and their breathtaking beauty. From the mouthwatering cuisine to the elaborate decor, wedding guests enjoy the finest the family has to offer in a celebration that can last three days or more. Whether you’ve always dreamed of having a royal wedding in a grand palace or on a tropical beach, choosing a wedding theme can help tie all of the different aspects of your wedding (invitations, wedding attire, reception decor, wedding favors, etc.) together and create an unforgettable mood. There are plenty of beautiful banquet halls, temples, churches and hotels that are just waiting to be transformed into the wedding of your dreams. Let these fun Indian wedding themes ignite your creativity.

Eternal Flame
Love is the eternal flame that forever burns bright. Celebrate your eternal love with the rich colors of red and gold. Make a beautiful presentation with a carved gold gateway with a red aisle runner leading to an elaborate gold mandap with red backdrop. Bouquets of red roses and even red chair covers with gold tie backs are the perfect finishing touch. Turn up the heat at the reception with red and gold table cloths that sizzle under the flickering flame of red heart-shaped candles accompanied by rose petals scattered along the table and a heart-shaped box of rose soaps as a favor for your guests.

Bollywood
Trip the light fantastic at your reception with a celebration of Bollywood. After all, you’re the star and this is your day. Salute a particular movie or just give yourself the star treatment by having the ceremony under a gold or silver mandap with columns that are illuminated as four pillars of light, shimmering beneath a sparkling canopy. It’s a great theme for a fashion-forward, contemporary bride. And don’t forget to add a little glitz to the tables with elegant wedding centerpieces and monogrammed favor boxes.

Lucky You!
Since elephants are the symbol of good luck, prosperity and longevity, they can make the perfect theme for your Indian wedding. Enhance your theme with elephant carvings on the mandap, elephant statues and miniature “Good Luck” wooden elephant favors, which bring power, strength, patience, wisdom, energy and good fortune to your wedding guests-attributes we’d all love to have. An expert florist can even create an elephant-shaped masterpiece out of flowers for a grand entrance.

Natural Beauty
Whether you’re planning your wedding at the beach, in a garden or on a mountainside, outdoor weddings allow enjoy nature’s breathtaking beauty. Against a picture-perfect canvas, decorate your mandap with beautiful floral arrangements and fabric that can flow with the breeze. Lining the aisle with fabric swags helps to create a grand entrance. Place a covering on the ground and invite guests to sit on colorful pillows instead of chairs for a different view of the ceremony.

Taj Mahal Royalty
It may not be the Taj Mahal, but your wedding venue can definitely look like a fabulous palace with a domed mandap that celebrates the architecture of India. Single and double domes can truly customize the look, along with luxurious lighting. Make your royal entrance as the queen for the day as you celebrate your heart for your homeland.

No matter which theme you choose, entering the wedding venue will be like stepping across the ocean to India. Using local and online resources and wedding planners, you can create a wedding full of the vibrant color, culture and elegance that you deserve. The finishing touch to a grand celebration like this will be giving your guests an elephant or Indian wedding favor to remember your special day.