by Kriszia Vengua

Created on: July 12, 2010

Weddings are one of the most memorable events of our lives, but it's also one of the most expensive. The average wedding costs $20,000-enough money to buy a new car, or a full year at college. But it doesn't have to be that way, and if you're smart, you won't fall for the wedding trap most people get stuck in. 

Stop Thinking Wedding

The number one cause for driving costs up is the word "wedding". Anything that has the word "wedding" in it will end up costing you double, if not triple the regular price. So if you're planning a wedding on a budget, stay away from specialty wedding stores, and begin your shopping at regular stores. 

Shopping for bridesmaid dresses? Get them off the rack at your local department store. Looking for a reception venue? Look at local restaurants and alternative spaces, such as galleries, or your local universities banquet hall. Search online for flower arrangements, and but buy the flowers at Costco and arrange them yourself. 

In the end, no one will know that you didn't buy them from a specialty shop. What's important is that it looks nice, and you like them. 

Make Your Venue Work For Your Theme

Too many couples pick popular wedding venues, which are usually blank slates, and then spend a lot of money loading it with decorations to match their theme: souvenirs, fake statues, flowers, center pieces, etc. In the end, you'll end up with a lot of stuff you'll only use once. 

Instead of devoting all that time and money converting your space to fit the theme, why not choose a place that fits the theme. Looking for a minimalist, Asian inspired wedding? Why not contact your local Japanese restaurant, and check out their party packages. 

If you want a garden wedding, consider getting checking if your local restaurants catering costs, instead of looking for wedding caterers. You'll find that restaurants that do not charge an arm and a leg for a piece of chicken also do not charge the earth when it comes to their catering costs.  

Don't want to spend a lot of money on centerpieces and other decorations? Choose a space that's already filled with beautiful things. This can be a gallery, or a quaint bed and breakfast in your hometown. This way you don't need to do a lot of things to the space.

Keeping Things White

The cheapest and most common accessory is white: white china, white linen, and white cloth. It's the color that adds the expenses. So instead of dashing it with too many colors, why not pick a theme that will revolve on white, with minimal accents. A few ideas are winter wonderland, heaven, and ice. Silver and pastels are often inexpensive accents, since they are easy to find. They're also light enough, that you do not need a lot of them to match the light and white theme. 

If you'd like a bolder statement, match it with black. This is another color that is not usually associated with weddings. So it's non-traditional, and easy to come by. Ergo: cheaper to get. 

These are just a few ways you can have a low cost wedding. There are hundreds more that can help you drive that cost down to half, if you just think out of the box, and break a few rules!

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