You can easily spend as much on a wedding as you would a CAR, or for some people, a HOUSE! After planning literally hundreds of weddings I can offer you some great tips that will save you big bucks.

The top expenses for any event are (most expensive first): Reception, Photography, Flowers, Clothing, Ceremony. Of course, it all depends on your priorities, and your own budget. To some people, a small budget is $10,000 - to some, it may be $1500. Adjust to fit your circumstances.

For each item here are some ways to save.

1. Reception - (see my hub on Negotiating with Reception Venues!) the least expensive is to have a reception at someone's home, with the host helping do the food and decor. Next up, find a local VFW or other community center or small hotel. Often they are not busy and the cost to rent is minimal. Keep in mind you may need to rent tables, linens, chairs, dishes, etc. Churches are also an option, they may have a fellowship hall that already has chairs and tables in it, and then you can do the ceremony there also.

When having a reception at a location other than someone's home, a huge expense can be the food. You can choose to have the reception during the afternoon (2 pm, after lunch and before dinner) when guests don't expect to be fed a big meal! If you choose to have food, have a friend or relative "cater" if they know how, and of course your Venue must allow outside catering.

2. Photography - ok i don't advocate skimping too much on this because photos are all you really have left after all is said and done. But if you have a friend or family member who has a GOOD digital camera, as in, a semi-professional one (8 mp or higher), and they know how to use it, you may be able to get them to do the photos as a gift to you. You can download a list of photos that you'll want to get, from many internet sites. Afterwards, you can have your prints made from Shutterfly or Mpix.com, including some beautiful photo albums and other gift items.

If you dont have a friend or family member who can do this for you, check on Craigslist or Google "wedding photographer XXXX" where the XXX are your city. Check the yellow pages. Shop around and get the best deal you can, where the photographer gives you the images on disk, and you own the copyright. (important!) This way you can get your own prints made and save tons of $$$.

3. Flowers - Again if you have a creative friend or family member who can do your flowers for you, this is going to be very inexpensive. Make sure that person is not in the bridal party, it's too hard for them to "do it all". Silk or fresh flowers can be had for reasonable prices. (Sam's Wholesale and Costco both carry fresh flowers -- and you can order what you need ahead of time.) Also there are some great online websites where you can order wholesale fresh flowers, for just a couple hundred bucks you can have your ENTIRE wedding party flowers done!

4. Clothing - find your "dream dress" and get the right size by trying it on at your local bridal store. Write down the manufacturer name and SKU#, then look for the exact same dress on Ebay, brand new! Check with several Tuxedo shops and shop around for a good deal. Many offer the groom's tux Free when you arrange the groomsmen's tuxes with them.

5. Ceremony - When you rent a ceremony location, they should have a base of decorations that you can work with. Adding a few yards of organza material, some ribbon, and a few flowers wired to candelabras should be all you need to pep up the ceremony. KEEP IN MIND the guests are only in there for maybe 45 minutes, and they are going to be watching the bride and groom, mostly. Don't spend too much money on your ceremony decor.

Also, the nicest way to improve the elegance of any ceremony, is to have friends or family members perform. Musicians, singers, scripture or poem readings, anything live will add to the class and elegance of your ceremony. It is not necessary to hire expensive musicians, and you certainly should not need a DJ to do the music. The venue should handle this for you on their "house" music system.

6. Favors - you can easily spend hundreds on fancy favors but it is NOT necessary. Guests don't arrive going "gee I wonder what they are going to give me?" However, you may feel the need to say thanks for their attendence and their gift. Thank you cards send this message perfectly. Or if you insist on favors, there are several great hubs on how to make your own favors.

Many of the things you just "gotta have" for your wedding are going to go completely un-noticed by your guests. What they will remember: the way the bride looks (including her dress), how happy the couple is, the taste of the wedding cake, the food they were served, and the good time they had.