Dear Abby: My fiancé wants to invite more relatives to our wedding, but it’s blowing up our budget

DEAR ABBY: I recently got engaged, and I am thrilled to be marrying such a wonderful man. We communicate well and have never argued until now. Weddings are expensive, and we agreed on a budget. We will be paying for this on our own. Once we started getting into all the costs, we quickly realized we will have to lower the number of guests or increase the budget.

I am completely against increasing the budget to accommodate family members my fiance hardly talks to. I wanted a small wedding anyway. He feels obligated to invite all his extended family members, and I don't understand it. I love him, but why are we obligated to overextend ourselves for people who won't be a major part of our lives going forward? -

DEAR FUTURE BRIDE: Be glad you are having this argument with your fiance early in your engagement. I say this because questions about priorities and how money is spent are among the chief reasons marriages break up. Although this may add to the expenses attached to your wedding, it could head off many problems down the road if the two of you get pre-marital counseling. There may be other ways to cut costs rather than shorten the guest list, particularly if your fiance feels his family members might feel slighted if they aren't invited.

Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.