10% of engaged couples break-up over this one argument

The Wedding budget.

The research, which was carried out by Barclays, shows that every engaged couple had an average of nine money-related arguments while they were Wedding planning and one in ten of the Weddings were called off because of budgeting disagreements!

A spokesperson from Barclays said, “Planning a wedding should be one of the happiest times of your life, but too often financial worries put a real strain on couples.”

So how do you ensure that you and your fiancé don’t end up breaking-up over a budget?

We recommend to following:

1. Agree Beforehand

Before you start planning the Wedding and booking suppliers, agree on a budget. Be aware that most couples go over their original budget by 10%, so account for this extra money and stash it away somewhere safe, so you can access it if you need it.

2. Delegate

Agree on who should manage the budget, because if you’re both doing bits and pieces, you’ll end up over-spending. Whoever is in charge of the budget should be responsible for keeping track of the expenses and the other person should run purchases by them before paying any deposits.

3. Fight Fair

If you and your beau disagree on something ‘budget-related’, make sure you both ‘fight fair’. Listen to each other’s opinions and if you feel as though either of you are getting too emotional (raised voice, tears, hurtful words), know that it’s time to leave the argument, cool off and come back when you’re both in a better head-space to discuss.

4. Apologise

If one of you breaks the ‘budgeting agreement’ and splurges on something, it’s time to apologise (sincerely) and ask how you can fix the situation. It’s definitely NOT the time to get defensive and try and make excuses.

Images from Katia and Matia’s Wedding. Photography by Lara Hotz.