Planning for your wedding can be one of the most exciting times of your life, as well as the most stressful! Whether you are planning a large wedding or a very small one, there is no need to go to great expense to celebrate the happiest day of your life. Here are some tips on how to save money while planning your wedding:

• Wedding Dress. Every bride searches for the dress of her dreams—which can cost dearly. Instead of buying a new design, one option is to purchase a discontinued dress. These tend to be less expensive and can often be found at smaller dress shops or even consignment shops. Another option is to purchase a used dress. Found in consignment shops or even in the classifieds, this can be a great way to save expense on a dress while still finding the dress of your dreams.
• Food. Depending on the style of wedding you wish to have, food can be one of the most expensive parts of the wedding. To save money, consider heavy appetizers or a sandwich-style buffet. Also, opt for a cash bar or even no bar vs. an open bar. This will save you on purchasing alcohol, which is incredibly expensive. Asking your local grocer or a family friend to cater your wedding will help defray the cost of excessive food.

  Another incredibly inexpensive option to consider is to serve only cake, nuts, and some beverages for your guests. This will cut down on the cost of food considerably while still enabling all guests to enjoy time together.

• Reception Music. To keep the cost of music down, ask for referrals—but a DJ tends to be less expensive than a band. Make sure you obtain at least 3 different quotes to ensure you are paying for the DJ that will make your night special.
• Tone down the wedding. Instead of inviting every single person you know, take the time to pare down the list of invitees. Invite only those closest to you, and you will save money on invitations, food, and a variety of other items associated with your wedding.
• Invitations. There are many sources from which to purchase invitations, but one of the least expensive ways to purchase invitations is to do them yourself. You can purchase beautiful invitations that you can print yourself and save a small fortune at places such as Michael’s, Hobby Lobby, etc.
• Flowers. Another highly expensive wedding item, you can cut the expense by minimizing the amount of flowers you have in your wedding. If you only have flowers for the bride, the groom, and a few key people in the wedding party, such as the maid/matron of honor and the best man, your cost for flowers will decrease considerably. Consider candles, lace, ribbons, or other less expensive decorations to make your wedding beautiful and memorable.
• Location. If you belong to a church, or if your parents or another relative belong to a church, you can likely rent the church free to hold your wedding. Churches often also have a place called “fellowship hall” in which you could have a free place to hold your wedding reception.

  If you wish to hold your reception outside of the church, consider renting out your favorite restaurant for the evening. This can also be an inexpensive way to have a great reception outside of the church.

  If you choose to have your wedding outside of a church, consider having one outside. If you or someone you know has a beautifully landscaped yard, you could consider having your wedding there. With some beautiful white “Christmas” lights strung through the trees, along with ribbons and bows and other items, your outdoor wedding place can be one of great beauty at little to no expense for the location.

• Attendants. The fewer attendants you have standing up for you at your wedding, the less expensive it will be to pay for dresses, tuxes, etc. Also, eliminating the flower girl and the ring bearer will cut the expense of your wedding considerably.
• Wedding music. To cut down the cost of paying for a vocalist or musician at your wedding, consider only playing a wedding compilation CD. This can be just as beautiful and will not detract from the beauty of your wedding.
• Budget. Before you do anything, set a budget and stick to it. Determine how much money you intend to spend on each item associated with your wedding, and do not go outside your budget. Ultimately, you can determine how to save money on your wedding by setting your budget and following it.