But alas they are not. Even if you’re lucky, and know someone who has an awesome huge house, or has an awesome huge house, the price of food, decorations, favors, chairs, linens, tables, cake, clothing, etc can add up high and fast.

As we all know by now, I am no kazillionaire, so in order for me to afford a nice wedding, I’ve had to come up with a few creative ways to cut the costs. And I’m going to share my top 6 discoveries with you. Because you’re my readers, and therefore I love you.

1. Chop your guest list. I know it sounds a little mean, but it’s so true, and I’ll show you how much it helps. AJ and I started off with a list of 100 people. Not too bad right? Well, the cost of food + the beer and wine for each person was almost $6400. I won’t lie, I gagged a little after I figured that out. AJ and I quickly decided it was time to get serious, and magically managed to cut our list down to 75. The result: the cost food and alcohol went from $6400 to $4900. That’s a savings of $1500. HALLELUJAH!

2. Do it yourself. Seriously. From invitations, favors, decorations, center pieces, to even making your ownringpillow and/or veil, these are all things you could do yourself and save a nice chunk of change, that you would have to pay someone else. And if your self conscious, and think you’re not creative enough to come up with ideas on your own, or don’t know how to go about it, I highly suggest purchasing a book like Handmade Weddings by Moyle, Moyle, and Faust. It’s a fantastic book, and gives you a variety of ideas for everything from DIY invitations to cake toppers. They tell you how to do it, how easy it is, roughly how much it will cost, how long it will take to complete, how many people you should have helping you, when you should start the project, and of course, detailed, easy to read instructions on how to complete the project. The book is pure awesomeness I tell you.

3. Stay at one venue. This is a really good way to save mullah. Then there’s only ONE rental fee, no extra transportation fees, and no risk of anyone who’s driving themselves to get lost on the way to the second venue. Plus, it’s also a headache saver, because then you only have to keep in contact and worry about one venue.

4. Choose a venue with perks. I was lucky enough to find a venue that already has enough tables and chairs for how many guests we’re having, and offer complimentary linens, therefore saving me hundreds of dollars in rental linens and chairs. Plus, they have this awesome deal that if you use some of their preferred vendors, they’ll give you 10% off of the rental fee, and each of the vendors you choose will also discount your bill by 10%. Awesome, right? Plus, its a beautiful historic home, and really doesn’t need any extra decor, which also happens to save me money. Cha-ching.

5. Weekday wedding. We’re looking at having our wedding on a Thursday specifically for this reason. It’s $1000 less than the typical Saturday wedding, and still $800 less than a Friday or Sunday wedding. I know, some of you might be like, oh but what if some people won’t go if it’s on a Thursday? This is a possibility, but I think that if they really want to be there for our day, then they’ll make it happen.

6. Don’t blow your budget on your dress. Seriously, you’re only going to wear the dress once, and maybe if you’re lucky, hand it down to a daughter or niece or something to wear again. There’s really no reason to blow $3000 on a dress you will be in for like 8 hours max. I know it’s still a special day, so I’m not saying you shouldn’t spend any money on it. What I am saying is try to keep things in perspective. Do you want a $3000 dress, or the ability to furnish you and your future husband’s first place? Just think about it.

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