Wedding planning is frustrating, exhilarating, and in most cases expensive. There are many ways to bring down expenses which takes off some of that pressure. This guide is only to offer tips and a few suggestions (on buying your dress, decorations, and your food) to bring you closer to the wedding you want though you may not have the funds it requires.

1. The Dress

Buying a wedding dress is a joyous task but make sure you have a style in mind. If you are not sure what you want, purchasing a bridal magazine will help you to get an idea and they often have a guide as to which dress flatter which figures. Once you know what style of dress you want, the browsing begins. It is usually a good idea to get the dress a fair amount of time before the wedding, 6 months if the usual recommended, but I would not exceed a year if your the antsy type who can't wait :-) No matter which method you choose to buy your dress it is always good to shop around before purchasing to obtain the best price as some stores have the same styles.

There are many eBay stores which sell new dresses, A Fairy Godmother's, is one of my favorites to browse. If you plan to buy online beware that wedding dresses are often sized smaller that the clothes that we normally wear. So if you wear a 10, you may have to go 12 or 14. Emailing the buyer to see if you can get measurements is always helpful. You will also want to check the payment methods, return policy and shipping. Ebay makes it easy to sort by paypal, which is my preferred method of payment rather than having to pay through the person's website (which may not be secure) or sending it through the mail and risking it getting lost. For the return policy (just in case you may need it) check the # of days, whether you need to write for authorization first,  etc. If you click the return policy link under the item ebay provides several things to check for or ask the seller about if a return policy is not listed or it hasn't answered all your questions. It is always good to check out the shipping, some items may seem reasonable to bid on but the shipping charges may end up putting the item out of your reach, make sure that they are able to ship to where you want to receive your item and check to see if insurance is included, whether you need to pay it or if they even provide insurance at all (with your wedding dress I'd buy insurance... better safe than sorry).

If you choose to get your dress in stores never rule out the clearance rack and always bring a good friend, one of those ones who'll tell the truth unlike many saleswomen. Some stores require an appaointment be sure to check this out before rushing out the door. Try not to buy the first dress you see, if it fits and you absolutely love it unless the store makes all their own designs you may be able to obtain a better price elsewhere or online even, as long as you note the size and design/designer.

Online stores are also a way to go. Some stores enable you to check out the dresses online before going to the store. I personally found the place I purchased my wedding dress, through a search engine. You can find many deals online if you just look but make sure before you purchase that it is not a sham website (can be avoided by using a shopping search engine), return policies, shipping, insurance, and that they have secure check out. Purchasing through one of the eBay stores or auctions can help you to avoid some of the hassles you may encounter if you purchase online.

Alot of brides can get carried away with what they think society would have them wear, 'what's in fashion'. Try to avoid this. If you have a friend to browse with bring them or have them sit next to you. As long as you love the dress though and you love the way it looks once you have it (though it may need tweaking a little by a dressmaker) that is what is important. Wearing a dress you love will look far better on you than an 'instyle' dress that doesn't suit you. Buy the dress and get it to the dressmaker with plenty of time for fittings. (For a dressmaker it may not always be good to go with the cheapest, try and find someone with reasonable prices and good recommendations). Bridesmaid dresses need less time to be altered and ordered usually (about 2 or 3 months before the wedding they should be bought or ordered, 3 is best in case alterations are needed but check with the shop) but you can always take a peek while your out. Don't forget something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue ;-)

2. The Decorations

First things first, pick out a theme. You may get it from the season, an item which you must-have (like a invitation), an idea, or a child-hood dream. After you have a theme pick out your colors if you have not already done so. Hopefully you have your site reserved for the ceremony and/or reception already if not you should get cracking.

Depending on where you chose to have your wedding ceremony you may need little or no decoration. However if you are wanting to decorate your ceremony site pick a few decorations that go with your theme, such a bows, lanterns, an archway, ribbon, topiaries, an aisle runner, etc. Try not to go overboard with ceremony decorations as they need to be set up and cleaned afterwards, unless of course you are foregoing a reception and leaving straight from the ceremony.

Ebay offers many lots from which you may get your decorations. Many are new, some used, but there are alot available to look through and the ability to enter in key words, price ranges etc. is very helpful in fitting a theme but make sure you watch out for the same things as when you went dress shopping (shipping, etc). There are many ebay stores, like eFavormart, that offer beautiful garlands in large lots or large bolts of tulle which, depending on the size of your sites and the amount you wish to use at each, may only give you need to buy one (ex. 144' Burgundy Rose Garland).  Stores in your area may rent wedding supplies (like chairs, arches, candleabras) but check out the method of delivery, prices, whether you need to furnish decoration (ex. garland and tulle for archway), extra charges, and when the items are due back. Online stores also offer a large variety of decorations but I again recommend a shopping search engine or going to somewhere known to avoid scam sites.

Before you buy anything make sure you have a plan in mind for what you want the site to look like once decorated, taking into account the amount of time you or the people helping you have to decorate (around the wedding is crazy but there are also any friends and family members around who you may ask for help), the size of the site, what the site has agreed to provide or any restrictions,  and of course your funds. If you have an approximate idea of how much of each item you want then you can avoid overbuying but of course no one wants to underbuy either. Remember too after the wedding is over and the decorations have been taken down, if you have given instructions on where to take them after the wedding/reception or have helped take them down yourself, you can always sell it in your own lot on eBay.

3. Food

When you are having a large reception feeding everyone can get very expensive. There are a few ways to go depending on whether your having hot or cold meals. Of course you cannot always rule out catering the event, price out what you would need to make it yourself, whether you have enough fridge space to store trays (between you and those can spare it, and also at the recpetion site) and the time it would take to do it. If the money you may save, I say may because it is not guaranteed you will save, is not worth the time you will be losing, go with a caterer. Of course before choosing one check out their menus, sample their foods, check out their reputations and make sure their prices are reasonable to get the best bang for your buck.

When going with a cold meal like sandwiches, you can always put out veggie trays and other fillers (like deviled eggs, salads, pickles, olives, cookies,etc) to help keep the costs down. You can find many serving guide online with searches such as, catering food amounts, do-it-yourself. Check out auctions on eBay for cookbooks for ideas (wedding cookbook). Do not buy your meats and cheeses til a maximum of 5 days before the wedding, unless you are planning to freeze them and thaw and dry them before placing them on the trays (cheese should not be frozen but this would be alright for the meat if you chose to do so). Check eBay auctions, party stores and online for catering trays. Whether you purchase plastic or not is your choice but they are usually least expensive and can be easily disposed of when no longer needed. Parsley and cherry tomatoes or just parsley or whatever you wish can be used to decorate the trays after you have placed the main items on them. Don't forget the condiments, plates or cutlery.

When going with a hot meal first choose whether you wish to do something like a pot-luck or barbeque or a buffet line. If you wish to do pot-luck it should be mentioned in the invitations with a note that the person should let you know what they're bringing when they rsvp, provide some fillers (buns, pickles, etc)  and you should make sure that you have enough tables set up at the reception. For a barbeque, if you are alowed to do this at your site, you should make sure that you have someone to do the burger/hotdog flipping or several ppl and several BBQ's if needed. Picking up the food and buns before hand when they are on sale or such is not a big problem as long as you have the space to store them. Salads and anything else you think would go with your barbeque shouldn't be that much trouble to make (or buy). For a buffet line, pick your meat first, then your sidedishes. You will need to borrow hot plates or crockpots and such to keep the meal warm or rent some trays to keep them warm. Meat can again be bought ahead of time, when it is on sale, and frozen in this case as long as there is room. A pasta side dish or potato dish would both be relatively less-expensive to make, you can go with both, with two of one, with one and salads, both and salads or another of your choosing. Also a warm vegetable can be provided or several from either canned or frozen is usually least expensive but it all depends on what vegetables you plan to serve and fillers of your choice. Again don't forget your condiments, plates and cutlery.

For alcohol, juices, pop, and coffee first choose what you want to serve. Pop can be bought ahead of time while on sale (either brand or no-name) as long as you have a small area to store, which shouldn't be that hard to find. If you are serving juice, you can serve powdered or other depending on whether you wish to buy more juice jugs or not. Unless you own one or can borrow a large coffee maker from someone, from work or it is provided by the hall you will need to check out the prices for renting, renting this is usually pretty reasonable. As for alcohol, you can choose to do without it and buy a bottle or two of applecider or non-alcohol wine for each table for the toast. If you go with alcohol you can again buy a bottle or two for each table for the toast or state b.y.o.b. on the invite. Before serving alcohol make sure that your reception site allows it (some may require a fee).

There are many ways to save on your wedding or get more of what you want or have dreamed of. If you want more ideas you can always see if eBay offers more guides, sign up for a bridal site (many bridal mags have them and there are tons of others online) or search the web. If  you need more ideas you can contact me also (note: I do not check my eBay on a regular basis, usually more on a monthly basis so I may not reply right away). I hope all your planning goes well and that you enjoy every moment of your big day! Congratulations!

PS- Sorry for any grammar/spelling mistakes! :-)