Unless you’re royalty, or are marrying into it, it’s best to start budgeting for a wedding as soon as possible. After all, the average cost of a traditional wedding is estimated at £18,605*.

One excellent way of putting money aside for the big day is to set up a prepaid credit card account. For starters, using a prepaid card can work out cheaper than a bank account, because there are no unexpected penalty fees to pay out.

Once money has been put to one side to cover the monthly essentials, such as bills and expenses, the remaining cash can be used to top up a prepaid card account set up especially to help with the wedding. That way the happy couple can be sure that the money they’ll need to help pay for their wedding day is kept completely separate from the cash needed for living costs.

It’s very easy to get carried away with spending on a wedding, so a prepaid credit card may help to keep the big day on budget, because there’s generally no credit involved – it’s the customer’s money that goes onto the card. So there’s a lot less temptation to build up a debt that may take years to pay off –a long time after the honeymoon is over!

Topping up a prepaid card with any spare money is both quick and easy, with several (usually free) ways to get cash onto the card, such as automatically via a Standing Order, by bank transfer and at any UK Post Office^® branch. And getting a prepaid card is just as easy – it takes minutes online to order a card, and as long as the customer is 18 or over and lives in theUK, approval’s guaranteed. Plus the card will be delivered in just 5 working days.

Once the prepaid card account is set up, the customer can add some very useful features, such as free access to cash back programmes that can save a significant amount of money – up to 27%! That’s an especially useful feature for any couple who are planning to set up a home together, or needs to buy things for the wedding, from gifts for the best man to the honeymoon itself.

A select few prepaid cards also offer a feature that’s designed to build or repair the customer’s credit rating. With mortgage approvals still on the low side, signing up for anything that could help lead to cheaper credit in the future is very worthwhile for any couple.

So, all in all, anyone preparing to get married should consider a prepaid credit card a match made in heaven!

Jason Paget is a finance writer who has worked in the industry for over 10 years providing insights on money matters throughout the UK from prepaid cards to house prices.

*Source: http://www.ukweddingbelles.com/weddingmagazine/budgeting/176-wedding-costs-2011