How to Plan a Wedding on a Budget

Location

Location, location, location. This is one of the most crucial, and hopefully earliest, decisions you will make about your wedding. It will determine your color scheme, (ex. reds and pinks won't look good in an orange tinted lit church), decorations, size of guest list, you get the idea. Try to find a location that incorporates your tastes and has a bit of uniqueness before any decorations are planned.

Look for wedding locations that come equipped with extra space for holding the reception (most churches now a days have gyms attached to their sanctuaries which are perfect places for playing a little music and letting loose). Booking wedding halls and reception rooms separately can really take a bite at your budget. Most places will cut down the price if you book the entire to-do there.

Outdoor weddings: if you are trying for the Garden of Eden effect and hold your big day outside, look for a place that has permanent awnings, pavilions, gazebos, etc. surprisingly, renting tents and covers is way expensive and no matter how hard you plan, the weather never seems to pay attention.

Indoor weddings: opting for an indoor wedding, find a place that's beautiful without any help. Incorporate the room's uniqueness into your style and let it do the decorating for you.

Flowers

Believe it or not, flowers are not a must have at all weddings. However, they do tend to look nice but can cost a fortune. An important thing to remember when picking out flowers is simplicity is often the key. You don't want your wedding looking like a funeral viewing or smell like a perfume shop. Utilize your surroundings. If you're outside, use the landscaping of the area. Inside, try for one centralized flower focal point.

Pick one type of flower and move from there. Try to avoid the whole "every color/species of the rainbow" flower arrangements. Having your bridesmaids carry one to three simple flowers with ribbon tied around the stems can look very classy.