START WITH HOW MUCH YOU CAN CONTRIBUTE

You and your fiance will be best prepared to start life together if you fortify your financial health before the wedding, says Anika Hedstrom, a certified financial planner at Vista Capital Partners in Portland, Oregon, who got married in July 2014. That means taking advantage of any 401(k) matches at work, creating an emergency fund, knowing each other’s credit scores and sticking to your student loan repayment plans. Once you’re on solid footing, the last thing you want to do is add wedding debt to your love story.

“You will end up being so thankful a couple years down the road that you didn’t go into debt over it,” Hedstrom says.

Decide how much you and your fiance can save per month for the wedding, including any honeymoon expenses, while keeping the rest of your financial picture intact. Maybe you’re getting married a year from now and can save $100 per month. Put yourself down for $1,200.