Whether you've been dreaming of a big, princess-y wedding since you were a little girl, want a family-only affair or just want to elope with your partner, it helps to have an idea of what you want to spend on your big day. To start, you and your fiancé might sit down and make a wish list of everything that you'd like to have at your wedding. Start with the rehearsal dinner location and food served, wedding location, number of attendants/invited guests, decor, reception venue, food served and entertainment. Don't leave out details like transportation and lodging for you, your families and out-of-town guests. Consider costs for flowers, programs, invitations and favors. Once you both have your wish lists, compare your priorities. For example, must you have a sit-down dinner for the reception? Or would a more economical buffet serve the purpose better? One crucial detail to nail down first is the number of people you both would like to invite. If it is your objective to have a small wedding, then set a number of people first and stick to it. If a larger wedding is the one in your dreams, then perhaps you'll need to cut back on other items, such as an open bar at the reception or the aforementioned food options. More people means a larger venue as well, which is more expensive. Start crossing off the less-important "extras" in favor of the items on the list that are of most importance to you and your fiancé, then get an idea of the big-ticket items, such as venue, food, etc. From there, you can start thinking about how much your attire and your attendants' attire will cost and who will pay for what. Then focus on incidentals, such as flowers, decor, invitations, etc. Shape these items into numerical figures and then decide what you can afford. It may be necessary to shift priorities once you figure out this number.