The average wedding costs over $27,000! No wonder couples get antsy when they start coordinating a wedding. But does it have to be this way? Absolutely not! The most important thing is to make your wedding personal. No matter how much you are prepared to spend, the following budget-savvy strategies from will help get the most beautiful memories for your money:

1. Priorities
Before you begin planning your wedding and reception, sit down together and discuss your top five priorities. This will help to determine where to go all out, and where you can cut corners. For instance, if it is important to you that the wedding and reception be held at the restaurant that you went to on your first date or you know you must have a specific designer gown or a certain DJ that you really like, then you can fit that into your budget and decide to save money in other areas.

2. Guest List
Keeping the guest list as concise as possible can help to drastically reduce reception costs. Most caterers, restaurants and banquet halls charge per person, so the difference between 100 guests and 150 will be significant.

Reverend Roger Coleman of Clergy Services, Inc., in Kansas City, Missouri, who specializes in small weddings says, "Don't invite more guests than you can spend one minute of time with. If you invite 300 guests spending one minute with each would take over five hours." And that's not including time to eat, dance and have a good time!

3. Food
Food can be the biggest expense at a wedding. Strategies to save on food and catering include choosing to have a buffet instead of a sit-down meal, or hosting a high tea, dessert reception, brunch or luncheon instead of a multi-course dinner. Or consider drop-off catering, where the caterer delivers already prepared food and sets it up. Catering all, or part of the reception, on your own is another possibility.

4. Location
There are many options for low-cost or no-cost locations including local and national parks, forest preserves, your own backyard or that of a friend or relative. Also consider a location that offers an all-inclusive package on the wedding, reception, and sometimes the honeymoon too. Choosing to have the wedding during an off-season or on any day but Saturday will also help to cut costs.

5. Wedding Attire
A few creative money-saving alternatives to shopping at a traditional bridal salon include purchasing a gown at an outlet, a department store in the special occasions off-the-rack area, buying a vintage or once-worn gown and purchasing a traditional gown through the Discount Bridal Service (DBS). Also consider bidding for a gown online at an auction site, renting a gown, redoing a mother or mother-in-law's dress or wearing a designer suit.

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