Let me tell you, the greatest feeling ever is having your wedding day over and knowing that you don’t owe anyone money! And being able to do that isn’t as hard as you think as long as you plan ahead and stick to your money saving strategy. You, too, can start your new life together debt-free!

Anytime you have to do major financial planning, be it saving for a wedding or your first house, you might want to contact a certified financial planner. What he or she can do for you that you might not be able to do for yourself is tell you how much you have to save each month and suggest a program under which you can earn an optimal interest rate for your needs.

Another great way to save money painlessly, is to have a forced savings plan. Ask your employer to do an automatic payroll deduction and deposit into a savings account. This way, each time you get paid, money is being put into your savings account without you having to think about it.

Beyond saving dollars, another great way to meet your financial goal is to pay down your credit card debt. You’d be surprised at how much money people spend trying to pay off their credit cards and how it can drain their ability to save. In fact, if you were to pay the minimum amount each time you got a credit card statement, it will take you years to pay off your credit card. And you would be incurring interest at a very high rate. Instead, it might be wise to plant ahead and get a debt consolidation loan (if you can’t figure out a way to pay off your debt on your own). This way you’ll have a lower monthly payment and a lower interest-rate.

If you find that the time frame you set for yourself to pay for your wedding isn’t realistic, then ask your parents or grandparents to loan you money for your wedding. Or put your wedding off so you’ll have more time to save. But, trust me, the more that you can pay off at once, the more you will enjoy your wedding!