by Leigh Goessl

Created on: April 03, 2009   Last Updated: September 13, 2009

Weddings today can easily run into costing tens of thousands of dollars. While many of these weddings are beautifully planned down to each perfected detail, the potential extravagance isn't what necessitates a "great" wedding.

A great wedding is more about enjoying your day and creating a reception your guests will enjoy. The love between you and your intended should be the focal point of the day and the niceties which surround this theme should cater to your guests. Excellence does not necessarily equate to lavishness in spending.

People who create memorable times are what truly make a great wedding. You can design a perfectly wonderful wedding on a low budget. It may not seem easy at first, but once you get the idea of how to be thrifty as you plan your wedding, you'll be amazed at how many areas you can scale back costs and still have a beautiful wedding.

Here are a few places you can look to if you are trying to keep the greatness without the high costs:

*Reception and Catering

The location for the reception of your wedding is important. You and your intended should have a conversation about what kind of location you want to hold your wedding. Do you want it to be a fancy catering hall or in a rented hall you decorate and cater yourself? Do you want an indoor or an outdoor wedding?

An outdoor wedding can be lower in costs depending on the location, but you also run the risk of rain, so this may end up being more costly with extra tents. If you rent a local hall, this can be significantly cheaper because you'll be doing most of the work yourself. A benefit to this is you typically have more latitude in how you want your reception to look.

The time of year you choose to get married can also help reduce costs. If you choose a May or June wedding, which is pretty popular, the catering halls are likely to charge more money for your reception. If you want to reduce expenses, consider choosing a wedding date that is off season.

If you rent a hall yourself you can bring your own caterer and likely get a break on the price than if you were to book a formal reception and need to use their in-house catering service. Another thought to consider is recruiting family and friends to pitch in and provide some or all of the foods.

*Wedding Gown and Accessories

This may not be for all brides, but if costs are really an issue and you need to find ways to scale back, you might want to consider looking on eBay, Craigslist or other classified ads to find a wedding dress.

Often

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