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that has tons of recipes and ideas for cooking for large groups. We were able to feed 130 people for less than $500 and had turkey, ham, brandied cranberry dijon gravy, walnut apple stuffing, garlic mashed potatoes, green bean almondine, salad, dinner rolls, cheese and crackers, plus vegetable trays and we had enough left over to feed two large families for several days, which was nice for wedding aftermath. We used a local restaurant supply store, Walmart, Sam's and Aldi's to buy our ingredients and once again, I did a lot of research and MATH before we decided what we would serve and where we would purchase each item.

We also saved money by forgoing fancy tablecloths and china. Instead we used a party store's plastic plates, "silver"ware, tablecloths, etc. To add a touch of elegance, I used a tulle runner down the tables, and bought pretty hurricane candle holders, silver boxes for mints and nuts - all from a dollar store. You can save a lot of money by careful shopping and creative thinking.

We spent our money on a nice cake, but kept the actual cake small. The cake only would have served half the guests, but we had friends bring their best dessert treats and we had so much of all the desserts and cake left over. It is better to overestimate than run short, but you will find that you can be more conservative with desserts than the meal, especially if you are having beer. Beer and cake do not mix. To keep the cost down but have the dramatic cake I wanted, I had the baker decorate an extra layer of styrofoam as a base.

If you don't want to spend money on a dj and you or a friend have a little technical saavy, burn cd's with all the songs you like. Simply make one with the first dance, father/daughter dance, etc. and then as many others as you want. Just mix the styles of music keeping in mind the average age and tastes of your guests. Then just have someone man the cd player.

If having memories of the day is important to you, then spend the money to hire a photographer and/or videographer. I was so overwhelmed by the day that it flew by and the pictures and video are really special. But again, shop around. You may find someone inexpensive who does a great job, but it doesn't hurt to ask around and find out who is worth using and who to avoid. If you're going to pay for a service, make sure that you are getting good service at a reasonable price.

The best advice I got was that at the end of the day, you are still married. Keep that in mind and focus on the parts of the ceremony and celebration that you want to remember for a lifetime. Save your money and energy for those things and be creative and frugal for the rest. No one will remember anything about your wedding a year later except how happy you two looked and the vows. Make it beautiful with your love and it will be the perfect day no matter what.

Learn more about this author, Jennifer Defrates.
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