Trying to keep a wedding affordable can be like trying to stop a run away train. I have presided at many weddings over the years and paid for the weddings of my two daughters. From this perspective, I feel that I have a little insight into what a wedding needs to be nice, and how to help control costs. You have to decide first of all what type of wedding do you want. Will it just be 4 people standing up in front of an official to say I do? Do you want lots of fanfare and attendants?

Set your budget before you begin making your plans. This will dictate how much of a wedding you can afford. Don't try to decide how much everything will cost before setting a budget. Make your wedding fit your budget. That way you won't have to go straight from the church to the poor farm.

Wedding plans should start with the place. Churches make excellent venues for traditional weddings and are often the place of choice for first marriages. One big advantage of using a church is that except for the decorating, there is usually little set-up to have to worry about. The heat or air conditioning, lighting, and sound equipment are almost always taken care of by someone affiliated with the church. If it's the church you attend regularly, the cost is generally free or greatly reduced. Typically, churches cost less to rent than a private facility.

Looking for the place also includes the reception location. Several factors enter at this point. Do you want dancing or alcohol? Either of these may eliminate the church hall for the reception depending on denomination. How long do you want this party to last. If it's past midnight on a Saturday night, make sure your location will work with your time frames. Book both locations or both parts of the location as early as possible. Double check cancellation requirements and fees just in case you need them.

Leave the booking of the location and go straight out to find a photographer if you intend to use a professional and your uncle isn't one. The price and work of these professions can vary an unbelievable amount. Some shoot pictures and do limited special effects, but give you a hundred or more 5x7's included in the price to use as proofs to pick from and charge about $5-900 for an album full of wedding pictures. Others consider themselves artists and will try to sell you about 15 or 20 pictures for double that amount. There are a few dozen gimmicks to inflate the price. I recommend interviewing at least 5-8 different photographers.

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