A Bride's Guide to Planning a Beautiful Wedding on a Budget

Things You'll Need:
Wedding Venue
Reception Venue
Florist
Caterer
Photographer
Cake(s)
Wedding Dress
Bridesmaid Dresses

Step 1: Find a wedding venue. Typically, wedding ceremonies last 15-30 minutes long. Find a church, gazebo, park, chapel, auditorium, etc. that will allow you to hold your wedding for a nominal fee. Although you want your wedding to be beautiful, there is no sense in going bankrupt. Consider having an outdoor wedding if you are really strapped for cash.

Step 2: Find a reception venue. The reception will probably be the most expensive part of the entire wedding extravaganza. One way to cut corners is to find a venue that will allow you to hold your wedding and your reception in the same place. For instance, many churches have reception halls in them. Use the chapel for the ceremony, and hold the reception in their "fellowship hall" or whatever they call their reception area. If that won't work for you - try to rent a room large enough that it can be split down the middle. Half of the room can be used for the ceremony, and the other half can be used for the reception.

Step 3: Catering: When you are planning a wedding on a budget, there is no need to have a full meal at your reception. Try a chocolate fountain, fruit/veggie platters, meat/cheese platters, etc. There is nothing wrong with serving finger foods at your reception. You will already be supplying the cake and the punch, so there is no need to bankrupt yourself by serving a full meal. If you need to cut corners even more, eliminate the caterer altogether! There is nothing wrong with having your wedding cake, some mints, and some mixed nuts. After all, your guests didn't come for the food, they came to watch two people dedicate their lives to one another.

Step 4: Photography: Everyone wants to have beautiful pictures on their wedding day; however, there is a way to get the beautiful pictures without spending a ton of money. Is there a photography school nearby? Are there any universities that have art courses? Many students that are in photography classes are already marketing themselves and taking pictures professionally. Because they have not yet graduated from a professional school or university, they are often the cheapest, yet most overlooked, option. My advice? Check them out! See what they have to offer! If you don't like what you see in their portfolios, don't agree to have them photograph your wedding.

Step 5: Flowers: Flowers can cost a ton of money. To eliminate this large chunk of your budget, consider silk flowers. Many stores, such as Michael's or Hobby Lobby, sell beautiful silk flowers for a nominal fee. If you are opposed to silk flowers, try limiting the quantity of real flowers you order from the florist. Have the florist use real flowers for your bouquet and your bridesmaids' bouquets, and even get a few gallons of fresh rose petals, but don't think that you have to have thousands of fresh flowers everywhere in order for your wedding to be beautiful.

Step 6: Music: Having music at your reception is also a cost that can be avoided. Many reception venues have an audio-visual package that is included in the price of the venue or can be purchased at an additional charge. If this is the case, get the audio-visual package, and plug an Ipod into it. Create a playlist in I-Tunes before the wedding. Nominate a close friend to press "play" whenever they get to the reception, and feel free to dance the night away. This eliminates the cost of having a DJ, and it also allows you to have complete control of the music.

Step 7: Wedding Dress: This is the most important day of your life, but don't feel like you have to spend thousands of dollars on a beautiful wedding dress. There are stores that constantly have good sales going on, and you might be able to find your dream dress at a fairly low price. Shop around. Look up stores such as David's Bridal and see if they are having a sale. You might just find the dress of your dreams for a few hundred dollars.

Step 8: Decorations: This is probably one of the most stressful parts of the wedding. My recommendation? Do it yourself! Go to Hobby Lobby, Michael's, or some other craft store, and find beautiful decorations. Shop around, and wait on the sales to come to you. In fact, when I got the centerpieces for my wedding, Hobby Lobby was having a 50% off sale on decorative glassware, candles, and anything that had to do with a wedding. Don't stress out...you'll have plenty of time to shop around.

Step 9: Other advice: Eliminate wedding favors. They will probably just end up in the trash. Need an inexpensive way to exit the building? Invest in wedding sparklers. You can get 150 sparklers for as little as $45, and they look great in pictures. If you are buying the dresses, limit the bridal party. You may have a large amount of friends, but you are planning a wedding on a small amount of money. Lastly, and I've said it before, shop around! Don't think that you have to plan the entire wedding in a week. Take your time, search out bargains, and shop around.