SAN FRANCISCO -- Getting married is, no doubt, an exciting time. But it can also be a very stressful time that makes a financial impact before you get your married life started.

Starting your wedding planning early is the best way to stay within a budget.

"Once we got engaged, I told him that I actually had a spreadsheet put together because I knew it would happen at some point. I just didn't know when and I knew we would have to start planning right away," said bride-to-be Natalie Del Rosario.

Maybe you don't need to start planning the ceremony and reception before you get the ring. But, once it's on your hand, let the planning begin.

"Don't think about where you want to have it, don't think about how many guests you want to invite. Figure out how much money you can spend and that should tell you everything else," said wedding planner Michelle Martinez.

After you set the budget, start your guest list. Obviously, the more guests you have, the more money you will spend.

The next step in your wedding planning is to figure out a location. The best way to find a great spot is to do your research. Check local magazines and do research online for ideas that won't set you back too far.

"When you are looking at the venues, it is actually most important to see what the venue comes with, as in what sort of chairs do they have, what kind of linen, what sort of stemware and China. All of these are expensive ad-ons for later," said Taylor Nguyen, wedding expert with aboutweddings.com.

A good way to make sure you don't get your heart set on a place that you can't afford is to check the prices before you visit a location.

You will need music flowers, food drinks and a photographer. When you coordinate all the extras, don't forget to read the fine print.

"Read every single line of the contract. If something feels off to you, highlight and talk to the vendor about it. Ask them why they put that in their contact, what they trying to protect, what happened in the past that made them put it in the contract," said Martinez. The bar at the reception is a sure way to bust the budget. So, to save money, offer an alternative.

"You could also do a signature drink as guests arrive, you could have the hotel make a drink in the color scheme of your wedding," said Nguyen.

The dress is important to every bride. In your search for the perfect one, you will see enough white sparkly gowns to make your head spin. But, you don't have to spend the entire budget to look great. Think out of the box when searching for the dream gown.

"I found my dream dress at this little boutique and it was extremely expensive. I actually found the same dream dress in a discount shop. I found it online, it was a couple seasons older but it was exactly the same dress that was my dream dress but in a different fabric and a lot less expensive," said Del Rosario.

"Go online and purchase a dresses that have been 'worn gently' as we call them, 'gently used gowns.' There are whole Web sites devoted to this," said Nguyen.

Don't miss out on the sample sales, where you can get designer gowns up to half-off the original price. Last, but not least, enjoy your day. Your guests will look to you to see how the event is going.