Your wedding is an important day because it’s the first day of your happily ever after — also, it is probably the biggest party you’ll ever plan. This is why wedding planning on a budget is so important. It is the start of the rest of your life.

Many brides have been planning their wedding day since they were little girls and, although, it would be nice to have a big, glamorous wedding without the worry, that’s just not the reality for many of us. But don’t fret, it can be perfect and memorable without the financial hassle. Get creative and start planning your perfect day!

Here are four ways on how not to break the bank when tying the knot:

Spend where it matters

The key to wedding planning on a budget is to splurge on what’s important and skimp on the rest. If the party is important then spend on food and entertainment and save on everything else.

Of course spend doesn’t mean overspend, it just means allocate the majority of your wedding budget towards what matters the most.

It’s O.K. to buy a dress off the rack

A custom Vera Wang gown would be nice, but why spend thousands of dollars on a dress you’re only going to wear once? That just doesn’t make financial sense; those funds could be otherwise well spent.

If you wouldn’t spend that kind of money any other day why would you do it on your wedding day? Discount wedding boutique stores such as David’s Bridal often advertise wedding dresses starting at just $99. That’s a great deal and it deserves a look through the rack. These days, look to the internet for help finding your perfect dress sites like Tradesy allow brides to sell their once-worn to other brides!

DIY anything you can

It would definitely be nice to hire a wedding planner and professional decorator to coordinate all the details of your big day, but that costs money, and possibly more than you have. You can cut costs by doing the work yourself. Of course you probably can’t cook dinner for everyone on the guest list or play DJ all night long, but there are aspects of the decor and planning that are easy to DIY and they’re real money savers too.

Details such as table centerpieces and wedding invitations can all be homemade. Budget Weddings for Dummies says that going overboard on invitations is definitely a budget mistake. If you’re not sure how to get started just type wedding planning on a budget in Pinterest and you’ll be flooded with ideas for every taste and style.

Check your credit card rewards

Before you pay for anything, put down deposits and book your honeymoon check your credit card reward balances. You may have free travel credits or cash back rewards waiting for you that can be spent to help pay for your wedding.

Getting married doesn’t have to break the bank. Love is all you need, right?

Consumer Education Services, Inc. (CESI) is a non-profit committed to empowering and inspiring consumers nationwide to make wise financial decisions and live debt free. Speak with a certified counselor for a free debt analysis today

Image Source: Pixabay

This article was syndicated and originally appeared on the CESI Debt Solutions website.