by Shari Ryan

Created on: September 27, 2009

You always see the hundred-thousand dollar weddings on TV, you know the ones where the parents and bride and groom are all made of money. They make it look easy to just hand someone 50k to go make magic happen. Realistically, 8 out of 10 viewers watching these shows are probably just wishing and hoping that the money fairy is going to deliver them enough money to have a celebrity wedding of their own.

Unfortunately, there is no such thing as the money fairy, and I know this will be quite the let down for some of you. However, before you grab your tissue box and start falling into your daily re-occurring nightmare of having your dream wedding at the local McDonalds, start thinking more about how you can make your dreams come true with the power, money and creativity you already have.
We all know the necessities of the perfect wedding; Location, Flowers, Food, Invitations, Favors, Cake, Music, Photographer and the Dress. There are some easy ways of getting everything you need for as little as you want.

Here are 5 easy steps to planning your low budget dream wedding:

1. Don't Settle, Negotiate! - You have your eye on this cute little reception hall in the next town over, but their prices are sky high and way out of your budget. Everyone is trying to either make money or save money, and you can either be an easy sale (what you see on TV), you can make it a challenge. Most reception halls, disc jockeys, bands, florists and photographers are willing to bargain. The most important place to try this method is the reception hall, the most expensive part of your wedding. Most reception halls will start by handing you their menu with a list of wedding packages. Wedding packages can be quite a deal, except for the price. Here's the trick; if you like wedding package "A", which includes, invitations, disc jockey, videographer, cake, bottles of wine (per table), hor dourves, appetizers, and a chicken dinner, think about what you don't need. You have plans to make your own invitations or you have a friend or family member who is a disc jockey and another who's a videographer. You can actually negotiate a rebate on those items that you wouldn't be using in that package. Make the package your own and customize it to your needs, not theirs. By doing this, you can cut out thousands!

2. Be Creative - Start with creating your own invitations. Make them custom to you and your spouse to be. You can create your own invitations online, and bring them to a print shop for a quarter

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