1. Plan your wedding ceremony and reception in the morning, on a Friday or Sunday night and consider the winter months for all these times and dates will be less expensive.

2. Try to keep your guest list minimal.

3. Make your own veil. You’ll find that most craft stores sell how-to books and even supplies on designing your own veil, which can save you hundreds of dollars.

4. Shop online for your wedding dress. Go to a nearby bridal shop and try on dresses so you know they fit, and once you find some you like, search for them online, you’ll most likely find them, and for much less.

5. Supply your own alcohol for the wedding if you can, you’ll be sure to save.

6. Opt to not have a dinner reception. Choose to have a brunch, cocktail or dessert party instead.

7. Use silk flowers. Silk flowers are beautiful, look real, and are always less than real flowers. Better yet, you can even rent them.

8. When decorating, use more greenery and baby’s breath, with fewer flowers to cut costs but still make the setting look fulfilled.

9. Create your own invitations. You can easily create a design with use of a computer and software programs available for this task, as well as purchasing your own wedding desktop publishing paper.

10. Consider using local universities qualified but inexpensive musicians, photographers, and videographers. Professors can point you in the right direction to finding the best students in the program.