Start with the absolute list first. And build from it. You also need to give a max number. So if the list goes overboard, trim it down. Even money is not a problem, can you possibly invite several hundred people to your wedding and spend time with each one? So someone will be left out. When the budget is tight, just stick to a small family wedding. You probably can get by with a guest list of fifty that way.

But of course you’d like to have more guests at the ceremony. So decide which one is more important to you. There’s also another idea to cut down costs is to have the ceremony and reception in one place. Some churches will let you use their facilities to have the reception. A reception of that style will cut down the cost dramatically.

To trim down the guest list, you need to remember that it’s your wedding. So build the guest list around you and your fiancee. Both side’s parents will have some important people to invite, but you don’t need to invite your mother-in-law’s best friend.

If you have guests coming from out of town, Sundays are good for everyone. Choose a national park or local park for your venue. It’s cost effective and it’s beautiful. By saving money on the location, you can spend more on the photography. The recession has made many brides rethink their wedding location. Park weddings are more popular than before. Many local parks have gazebos for the reception which can save your tons of money. In most cases, the parks charge a reasonable fee which can be cheaper than your wedding dress. Call around and talk to park offices.

It’s nice to have everyone you can think of invited. But don’t invite people whom you haven’t spoke with in 6 years! Don’t feel pressure to ask every single girlfriend of yours to bring a date. Don’t ask everyone to bring their children. Because the caterer probably will charge the same for children.

Many offer even more in their packages. Some offer witnesses if you want to elope! B&bs can often be cheaper than purchasing each of these pieces separately. The locations are always beautiful, as is inherent to a bed and breakfast. Plus, if you book well, you’ll already have a built in place for your guests to stay, and/or will already be at your honeymoon destination. Either way, these kinds of packages can save you lots of money.

Check the b&bs in your local area and in any places you were thinking of honeymooning. I did this for my wedding and came out with a beautiful ceremony and reception on the coast for under $4,000.00 total. Now, print your own invitations with a do-it-yourself kit and you’ll still have money left over for a down payment on a house, instead of being in debit for your wedding…

1. When you send out invitations, ask guests to respond by email or telephone – this will save you money on stamps.

2. Check Consignment shops for wedding dresses. You can usually find one still in good condition. Some towns have a shop where you can rent a wedding dress, saving you hundreds of dollars.

3. For religious weddings, consider having your wedding near a major holiday. The church will already be decorated, saving you lots of money on flowers.

4. Ask your friends and family to be a special part of your wedding by helping you assemble favors and make invitations, centerpieces, and other homemade inexpensive touches. Ask them what they did to save money on their special day or check internet sites like DIY for ideas. One of them can easily get an officiants’ license online to save you an additional fee.

5. Instead of hiring a photographer, buy a bunch of disposable cameras for your guests to use. They simply take pictures of what they like and leave the finished rolls at your gift table. You usually get more personalized pictures this way since family and friends know you and it saves you hundreds of dollars.

Are you about to begin planning a wedding on a small budget? Then you should know that it’s a rough road ahead. Not only will have to sacrifice some of the things you want for your wedding, you’ll likely have to make cutbacks on some of the things you NEED. Luckily though, if you were to use some of these clever money saving ideas, planning a wedding on a small budget would not be nearly as problematic.

Money Saving Ideas for Planning a Wedding…

1.) Buy the decorations yourself instead of paying for a professional decorator. Why should you do this? Because a professional will charge you an arm & a leg for doing simple things that you could easily do for less than HALF the cost.

It’s true a professional will have more experience than you, but with a little guidance from online websites and wedding decoration guides, there is no reason you can’t decorate the wedding yourself and save a boat load of cash.

2.) Consider other options before heading straight to a caterer. Although easy & convenient, caterers are incredibly expensive and will take a humongous chunk out of your budget. If possible, prepare the food yourself or have a friend — whom is a decent cook — do it for you as their gift.

If preparing the food yourself is simply out of the question, then you can always save money by taking the buffet route instead. With a buffet, you can offer tasty, yet inexpensive food at a fraction of the price a sit-down dinner accompanied by servers.

These are just two of many great ideas that can help you to begin successfully planning a wedding on a small budget.

For the complete list of money saving tips & ideas for planning a wedding on a small budget, try visiting http://www.Dream-Weddings-on-a-Budget.com, one of the most popular and informative wedding planning websites on the web.

With all of the enhanced consciousness about the health of our planet, and “going green”, have you considered Green wedding favors to accent your upcoming ceremony? The growing popularity of this trend has necessitated new and inventive favors almost as vast as your imagination.

And if you are seriously thinking about an earth-friendly alternative to more traditional wedding favors and/or wedding invitations, just keep in mind there are excellent choices to be made of invites from completely recycled paper.

So what about your favors? How can you come up with something original to suit such an earthy premise? Seedlings or some other petite plant as wedding favors would certainly make for a one-of-a-kind token of your love for Mother Earth, while symbolizing the newness and potential of your love union. An accompanying card as an invitation to plant these living favors would be a perfect touch to bring added significance to your most “budding” of days.

The important thing to remember in “going green” with your wedding favors and wedding invitations is to keep it as simple and organic as you possibly can.

One way you can get ideas and inspiration is to look not only at the already available eco-friendly items when shopping for ideas, but look at all that might appeal to you, and then think about ways you can either find a ‘green’ alternative that achieves the same effect, or you can solicit the help of friends or family in creating your own spin on established standards.

Information provided as a service by: http://www.BeautifulWeddingInvitations.com

Written By: Charles Pruett