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Some vendors often include gratuities in the overall cost of their services, so before you sign on the dotted line, find out whether the tip is included in the fee.

Some vendors, such as caterers and limo-rental agencies, often include gratuities in the overall cost of their services, so before you sign on the dotted line, find out whether the tip is included in the fee. If they don't include a gratuity, here's a rundown of what to tip:

Wait staff at rehearsal dinner and reception (includes servers, coat-check and restroom attendants, and kitchen staff): 18%-20% of total cost (divided among all of the above)
Reception manager or maître d': 1% of total cost of reception
Bartender: $1 per guest
Wedding-day transportation: 20% of total cost
DJ/Band (optional): $20-$25 for each musician
Musicians for ceremony (optional): $20-$25 for each musician
Officiant: $50 (in some cases a donation to his or her house of worship may also be expected).

Getting Insured

Here are some savvy insurance tips that newlyweds need to know, from Julie Benafield Bowman, the Arkansas Insurance Commissioner.

Health Insurance Compare each other's policies in terms of cost and quality. It's usually—although not always—cheaper for a couple to choose one plan for the two of them. If you're thinking of starting a family soon, be sure that the plan you choose offers first-rate maternity and child-care benefits.

Car Insurance It's less expensive to put both cars on a single policy, and you may find that doing so provides more coverage for the same amount than if you opted for two separate policies.

Renter's or Homeowner's Insurance People often assume that renter's insurance is unimportant, but it actually is—think of recent natural disasters when people who rented their homes lost everything. Consider taking out a rider to cover your luxury goods (like your engagement ring!).

Life Insurance Even couples in their twenties should have life insurance. You might want to start out with term insurance, which is the far less expensive option. It provides life coverage only (on the death of the insured, it pays the face amount of the policy to the beneficiary). The more expensive option, whole life insurance, combines a term policy with an investment component that might be in bonds, money market instruments or stock. The policy builds cash value that you can borrow against.

Yours, Mine—or Ours?

It may seem romantic to merge your finances in a joint account once you're married—or it may seem as if you're surrendering your financial independence. For each person it's different, says Laura Rowley, the Yahoo! Finance Columnist, so before you and your husband choose your method of banking—using joint, individual or a combination of both types of accounts—talk it through. She advises setting up a joint checking account for household expenses. Both partners contribute to it, either depositing an equal amount of money or an equal percentage of income. In addition, each spouse might have an individual account. Rowley favors full disclosure: Agree to discuss any purchase, even one made from your individual accounts, that exceeds an agreed-upon limit. Also, each spouse should know how much the other has and how much both are saving.