How to Plan the Wedding of Your Dreams without the Financial Strain

The bride’s elegant white gown flowed toward the ground like a fountain. Her veil was drawn back, exposing her glowingly radiant face, which wore a sweet, calm smile. She stood behind her bridal party consisting of two bridesmaids, two groomsmen, a best man and her maid of honor. The church sanctuary was filled to its maximum with joyous guests, occupying all 250 red, cushioned seats.

Baby-blue tulle lined the aisle leading to the front of the sanctuary. Delphinas, roses, birds of paradise and ferns flowed from clear glass, bottle-necked vases. The vases sat on tall, laced-covered, tables lining the aisle. The flames of the candles at each window danced to the classical music filling the sanctuary as the guests waited for the bride to make her entrance.

During the reception, smells of a home cooked food permeated the cozy-sized room. Lights strung along the food table twinkled cheerily in red, blue and green. The photographer wove through the long line of rectangular tables, snapping candid shots of the guests and the married couple. Plastic, white rose petals and glitter lay on the tables, surrounding the centerpiece of a flower-filled jar. The guests’ laughter and chatter intermingled with the unique sounds of bagpipes, percussion, flutes and whistles.

And the cost for the entire wedding? Six hundred dollars.

Britney Spear’s wedding totaled $1.8 million. How can parents of the bride or a couple find such an amount of money for a few hours of pleasure? How do couples manage to coordinate a wedding amounting to costs below $5,000? Here are a few ideas on how to plan a dream wedding without having to blow one’s entire life savings or collect huge debts the couple will be paying on their 10th anniversary.

The bridal trousseau takes up a large percentage of the wedding cost. Instead of paying for a dress, veil, shoes and jewelry that easily costs thousands of dollars, here are ways to spend less.