Every girl dreams of how her wedding day will be. We cannot wait until the day when we can start turning that dream in to a reality. One day our Prince Charming comes in, sweeps us off our feet, and asks us to spend the rest of our life with him. They have a huge, perfect wedding, and live happily ever after. Well not exactly, you may have found your Prince, but now you realize that you do not have a king's budget. Weddings can be very costly events. The average wedding costs over $20,000. Do not worry; you can have a beautiful wedding without breaking the bank.

Decide what you want. Simplify your vision. There are many ways to create your vision with out going overboard. Get a basic idea, then find ways you can simplify it without losing your vision. Even simplicity can be beautiful; you do not have to over do in order to have a wonderful day.

Decide how much you have to spend on your event. Stick to your budget. The cost of your wedding can really add up. When you are in the planning process, you may not realize how spending a little extra hear and a little more, there will cost you in the end.

Here are some helpful suggestions to get you started. You can have a beautiful wedding without spending more than you can afford. There are many ways to save on every aspect of your wedding.

The Guest List

The best way to save money on your wedding is to limit the number of people you invite. The more guests you have the more you have to spend on everything. You have to have a larger event center, more chairs, and more foods, more everything. This is something you want to keep in mind when planning because the fewer guests you have the higher quality event you will be able to plan on your budget. Think about leaving those distant relatives you have barely seen, and the casual acquaintances off your guest list.

The Venue

It will be more costly to have two separate sites for your ceremony and reception. You can save money by choosing a venue that has a site for the ceremony and reception. This will also save on transportation costs form the one venue to the next.

If you are planning a quick wedding and are flexible on the date, you wish to be married lots of venues offer deep discounts for last minute bookings. Call the venue to see if they have any unexpected cancellations. Having flexibility on your date could get you the venue you love at a price you can afford. Also, consider a day other than Saturday. Having a weekday, Sunday or mid morning wedding could save you. Even changing the time of year can save thousands. September, October, June, and August are typically the busiest times of the year for venues. Also, avoid dates around Valentines Day.

Consider non-traditional places for you wedding. Local and State parks are wonderful locations to hold a ceremony and reception. The rental fees are usually very small, sometimes less than a few hundred dollars. Some even have pavilions you may rent for large groups. This could save you lots of money on chair and table rentals. Searching the internet is a good place to star. You may be able to find places that do not advertise, and have cheaper rental fees. So ask around.

Invitations

Invitations can be very costly. Consider not having engraved invitations, this is more costly. Think about picking a simpler style; jackets, ribbons, multiple layers of papers, and other embellishments add to the cost of the invitation. Use only one envelope; it is not necessary to use two. Skip the response card and have guest call or send and email. If you do not want to skip the response card, consider an RSVP postcard. The postage is cheaper for postcards. You can also make them yourself. With a little creativity and a trip to your local craft store, you can create beautiful invitations. The best thing is this can save you money.

Attire

The wedding dress is one of the most important details for some brides. You do not want to spend top dollar on you dress and then be cheap on other aspects of your event. You can have a very beautiful wedding dress on a small budget.

Think about shopping second hand. You can find beautiful used dresses on web sites like eBay and Craigslist. Remember that at the most you will only wear this dress for several hours. Many brides are no longer keeping their gown and are instead selling their gowns. It is very easy to find a dress that is still in style. Just keep in mind the cleaning costs that your previously owned dress may require.

Sample sales are also another way to save money. Many bridal shops have these once a year. If you wear a size 6, 8, 10, or 12 sample sales are a good place to find some deep discounts. Even if you are not one of these sizes, call the bridal shop to see if they have any dresses in your size. Most bridal shops will have samples in other sizes, but they will only be a limited number and styles.

Look at bridesmaid dresses also. Many designers have dresses that are similar to some of the popular wedding dress styles. They do not have a train, which may be a perfect alternative if you are planning an out door wedding.

If you are not planning to keep your wedding gown, you may want to rent your dress. Many places rent wedding gowns. This is a nice way to have the designer gown with out the price.

Forgo the traditional bridesmaid dress. Pick a color and have you bridesmaids buy a dress at one of their favorite stores. This will also make your bridesmaids happy. They will not have to spend lots of money on a dress, which they will probably, only wear once.

The groom and other men in the bridal party could wear suits instead of tuxedos. Many of the men in your bridal party will already have one. If you are buying, it is a good investment since there will be occasions where you will need to wear a suit. If you set on having tuxedos, look for a rental shop that offers discounts on group rentals.

Hair, Make up, and Accessories

Do your own hair and make up, or have someone you trust do it for you. Do a trial run before the wedding so you are confident that you will get it right. Another way to save is to make an appointment with a local stylist. Do not mention you are getting married; just tell them you want your hair styled for a special event. Most places will charge you more when you mention the word wedding.

Avoid buying your shoes and accessories from a bridal shop they will be more costly. Shop discount shoe stores for a deal. They may also be able to die you shoes for a small fee. EBay is another good place to look for these things.

Try your local craft store for you accessories or the materials to make them. You can find directions on the internet to make many of things form your veil to your ring pillow. You can make these at a fraction of the cost they charge at specialty web sites and bridal shops.

If all else fails borrow your accessories and jewelry from family and friends. Many of the women you know have been married and have jewelry, veils, tiaras, and such. They would probably be happy to let you borrow these things for your special day.

Flowers, Centerpieces, and Decoration

Planning a wedding very close to a holiday will help save on decorating cost because many churches will already be decorated for the holiday. Winter weddings are a good idea because most people have family and friends with loads of holiday decorations that you could use.

Grow your own flowers. Many flowers can be grown easily. If you are planning a spring, wedding this could be a good choice. Just remember to make sure the flowers you choose will be in bloom during the time of your wedding date.

Buy flowers from a wholesaler and make the bridal, attendant bouquets, centerpieces and arrangements your self. Avoid using flowers that are out of season because they are more costly. Carnations are one of the cheapest flowers to use. Even though many people do not like them, if used in a tightly packed arrangement they can be quiet beautiful.

Bouquets and centerpieces can be made out of silk flower instead or real ones. They are generally less expensive and do not wilt and die. Another benefit is you can sell them on eBay or Craigslist after the wedding. You can find many projects for making bouquets and centerpieces online. Even if you are not a creative person, you will still have something beautiful.

Think of using alternatives to flowers for decoration. You can use candles to set a romantic scene. Place them in a beautiful lantern or holder, or use pillar candles on a bed of rose petals to create a lovely centerpiece.

The Food

Having a buffet style dinner can be less expensive than a sit down dinner. You will not have to pay for extra servers. Talk to your caterer about your budget and see if you can pick less expensive options. You can skip the caterer and cook the food your self. You could have a BBQ. If you are on a tight budget, you could have a Potluck. Ask your guests to bring a dish instead of a gift.

Choose a small-tiered cake instead of a large one for display. You can order sheet cake in the same flavor to serve your gests. Also choosing a simple design may save you money. Having loads of hand made flowers, and decorations will add to the cost of your cake. You can pick a simpler design and use ribbon and flowers form you local supermarket to dress up your cake.