and will be just as gorgeous with the right accessories.

The Wedding Date:

We all know mid Summer is peak wedding season. There is a perception that a Summer wedding will be more romantic, sunnier and generally better! That is not always the case!

The hotels charge accordingly as do a number of suppliers as they are busier and can get the work whether you have your wedding or not. Why not opt to be different and save yourself money?

Have an Autumn/Winter Wedding and benefit from better prices, a fantastic opportunity to take advantage of candles, berries, ivy, mulled wine and all things Christmassy!

Also, opt for a weekday Wedding. Weekend Weddings are most definitely more expensive.

The Guest List

It's been said to you time and time again, only invite who

We all know anyone can splash thousands of euros on their dream wedding, thousands on the dress alone in fact! But does it really matter if you have ?10,000 or ?100,000 to spend. Can you have just as beautiful ceremony and party?? Remember the biggest and most costly mistake people make when planning their wedding is going over budget. If you have worked out you have ?15,000 to spend but you really want those Jimmy Choo's to finish off your outfit, think again. You will be just as married without the Jimmy Choo's and probably will sleep better the night before!

The Dress:

If you have bucks to spend on this take a trip to Vera Wang in Brown Thomas, or contact one of the many top designers around to design a dress for your big day. You can spend anywhere between ?2000 - ?10,000 on the dress and for many they will! But will it really make you happy. Ask your self this before you sign the slip of paper!

One way to save a significant amount of money is to find an off-the-shelf dress in a department store. Or if you have access to one, wear an heirloom dress of your mother or grandmother's. With a bit of alteration, this can be a memorable, sentimental wedding dress. It just takes a little more planning and some careful shopping and you can look just a stunning, make just as impressive an entrance and still glow like J-Lo!

You could also plan in advance and get your dress in the sales or on-line. Also, consider less expensive fabrics and generally the less ornate and beaded the less expensive. Although it would be nice to have those Jimmy Choo's, save up and buy a gorgeous pair after your honeymoon when you will be in need to some cheering up!

In most cases, your shoes will not be seen and even though us girls do it time and time again do not wear new shoes on your wedding day. What would be worse than being really uncomfortable or worse, have blisters!

The Groom's wear:

I know, I know, it's his one chance to sit on the thrown David Beckam style. But is it really what he wants? Many of us brides-to-be get so caught up in the plans we forget who our fianc? really is and that he may want to do it his way!

There is nothing wrong with simply wearing a dark suit you already own. The same goes for the groomsmen. There is no law that says you must rent a tux. Add a boutonniere and your outfit is complete. But if you want to go the tux route, some tips include sticking with the standard black rental tuxedo, which is inexpensive and classic looking.

The Bridal Party:

The smaller the bridal party, the less the cost! Bottom line! In addition, the more bridesmaids you have, the greater the stress and hassle you will have.

For every bridesmaid you add, the disagreement factor rises dramatically. One cost saver for dresses is to check out good department stores. They have a wide variety of dresses off-the-shelf that might make you and your bridesmaids happy. Or, order then through a catalog for great savings. If you have an eye for style all you need is to know what will suit your bridesmaid buy accordingly. In an ideal world we would all like to shimmy up the aisle in front of the bride in a Dior number, the cheaper alternative can and will be just as gorgeous with the right accessories.

The Wedding Date:

We all know mid Summer is peak wedding season. There is a perception that a Summer wedding will be more romantic, sunnier and generally better! That is not always the case!

The hotels charge accordingly as do a number of suppliers as they are busier and can get the work whether you have your wedding or not. Why not opt to be different and save yourself money?

Have an Autumn/Winter Wedding and benefit from better prices, a fantastic opportunity to take advantage of candles, berries, ivy, mulled wine and all things Christmassy!

Also, opt for a weekday Wedding. Weekend Weddings are most definitely more expensive.

The Guest List

It's been said to you time and time again, only invite who y

ess and for many they will! But will it really make you happy. Ask your self this before you sign the slip of paper!

One way to save a significant amount of money is to find an off-the-shelf dress in a department store. Or if you have access to one, wear an heirloom dress of your mother or grandmother's. With a bit of alteration, this can be a memorable, sentimental wedding dress. It just takes a little more planning and some careful shopping and you can look just a stunning, make just as impressive an entrance and still glow like J-Lo!

You could also plan in advance and get your dress in the sales or on-line. Also, consider less expensive fabrics and generally the less ornate and beaded the less expensive. Although it would be nice to have those Jimmy Choo's, save up and buy a gorgeous pair after your honeymoon when you will be in need to some cheering up!

In most cases, your shoes will not be seen and even though us girls do it time and time again do not wear new shoes on your wedding day. What would be worse than being really uncomfortable or worse, have blisters!

The Groom's wear:

I know, I know, it's his one chance to sit on the thrown David Beckam style. But is it really what he wants? Many of us brides-to-be get so caught up in the plans we forget who our fianc? really is and that he may want to do it his way!

There is nothing wrong with simply wearing a dark suit you already own. The same goes for the groomsmen. There is no law that says you must rent a tux. Add a boutonniere and your outfit is complete. But if you want to go the tux route, some tips include sticking with the standard black rental tuxedo, which is inexpensive and classic looking.

The Bridal Party:

The smaller the bridal party, the less the cost! Bottom line! In addition, the more bridesmaids you have, the greater the stress and hassle you will have.

For every bridesmaid you add, the disagreement factor rises dramatically. One cost saver for dresses is to check out good department stores. They have a wide variety of dresses off-the-shelf that might make you and your bridesmaids happy. Or, order then through a catalog for great savings. If you have an eye for style all you need is to know what will suit your bridesmaid buy accordingly. In an ideal world we would all like to shimmy up the aisle in front of the bride in a Dior number, the cheaper alternative can and will be just as gorgeous with the right accessories.

The Wedding Date:

We all know mid Summer is peak wedding season. There is a perception that a Summer wedding will be more romantic, sunnier and generally better! That is not always the case!

The hotels charge accordingly as do a number of suppliers as they are busier and can get the work whether you have your wedding or not. Why not opt to be different and save yourself money?

Have an Autumn/Winter Wedding and benefit from better prices, a fantastic opportunity to take advantage of candles, berries, ivy, mulled wine and all things Christmassy!

Also, opt for a weekday Wedding. Weekend Weddings are most definitely more expensive.

The Guest List

It's been said to you time and time again, only invite who

pair after your honeymoon when you will be in need to some cheering up!

In most cases, your shoes will not be seen and even though us girls do it time and time again do not wear new shoes on your wedding day. What would be worse than being really uncomfortable or worse, have blisters!

The Groom's wear:

I know, I know, it's his one chance to sit on the thrown David Beckam style. But is it really what he wants? Many of us brides-to-be get so caught up in the plans we forget who our fianc? really is and that he may want to do it his way!

There is nothing wrong with simply wearing a dark suit you already own. The same goes for the groomsmen. There is no law that says you must rent a tux. Add a boutonniere and your outfit is complete. But if you want to go the tux route, some tips include sticking with the standard black rental tuxedo, which is inexpensive and classic looking.

The Bridal Party:

The smaller the bridal party, the less the cost! Bottom line! In addition, the more bridesmaids you have, the greater the stress and hassle you will have.

For every bridesmaid you add, the disagreement factor rises dramatically. One cost saver for dresses is to check out good department stores. They have a wide variety of dresses off-the-shelf that might make you and your bridesmaids happy. Or, order then through a catalog for great savings. If you have an eye for style all you need is to know what will suit your bridesmaid buy accordingly. In an ideal world we would all like to shimmy up the aisle in front of the bride in a Dior number, the cheaper alternative can and will be just as gorgeous with the right accessories.

The Wedding Date:

We all know mid Summer is peak wedding season. There is a perception that a Summer wedding will be more romantic, sunnier and generally better! That is not always the case!

The hotels charge accordingly as do a number of suppliers as they are busier and can get the work whether you have your wedding or not. Why not opt to be different and save yourself money?

Have an Autumn/Winter Wedding and benefit from better prices, a fantastic opportunity to take advantage of candles, berries, ivy, mulled wine and all things Christmassy!

Also, opt for a weekday Wedding. Weekend Weddings are most definitely more expensive.

The Guest List

It's been said to you time and time again, only invite who

s include sticking with the standard black rental tuxedo, which is inexpensive and classic looking.

The Bridal Party:

The smaller the bridal party, the less the cost! Bottom line! In addition, the more bridesmaids you have, the greater the stress and hassle you will have.

For every bridesmaid you add, the disagreement factor rises dramatically. One cost saver for dresses is to check out good department stores. They have a wide variety of dresses off-the-shelf that might make you and your bridesmaids happy. Or, order then through a catalog for great savings. If you have an eye for style all you need is to know what will suit your bridesmaid buy accordingly. In an ideal world we would all like to shimmy up the aisle in front of the bride in a Dior number, the cheaper alternative can and will be just as gorgeous with the right accessories.

The Wedding Date:

We all know mid Summer is peak wedding season. There is a perception that a Summer wedding will be more romantic, sunnier and generally better! That is not always the case!

The hotels charge accordingly as do a number of suppliers as they are busier and can get the work whether you have your wedding or not. Why not opt to be different and save yourself money?

Have an Autumn/Winter Wedding and benefit from better prices, a fantastic opportunity to take advantage of candles, berries, ivy, mulled wine and all things Christmassy!

Also, opt for a weekday Wedding. Weekend Weddings are most definitely more expensive.

The Guest List

It's been said to you time and time again, only invite who

and will be just as gorgeous with the right accessories.

The Wedding Date:

We all know mid Summer is peak wedding season. There is a perception that a Summer wedding will be more romantic, sunnier and generally better! That is not always the case!

The hotels charge accordingly as do a number of suppliers as they are busier and can get the work whether you have your wedding or not. Why not opt to be different and save yourself money?

Have an Autumn/Winter Wedding and benefit from better prices, a fantastic opportunity to take advantage of candles, berries, ivy, mulled wine and all things Christmassy!

Also, opt for a weekday Wedding. Weekend Weddings are most definitely more expensive.

The Guest List

It's been said to you time and time again, only invite who you want to have there. It's your day! Well I'm going to say it again! It’s your day so invite who you want to have there. No matter how good your intentions, when you sit down to write your guest list it will inevitably be longer than you thought.

The smaller the guest list, the more you save on invitations, food, drinks, centrepieces, musicians, favours, thank you cards, room/site rental and a host of other little extras. The less people you have, the more you can spend on each guests. Upgrade the food and drinks and perhaps other extras you might forgo with lots of guests, like ice sculptures and other decorations. Think hard about this one!

The Venue

Of course you have trailed through the magazines and probably driven yourself mad with the endless list of possibilities for your party. Beside the sea, near home, gorgeous spa, unusual ballroom? You can spend literally thousands. But what is the alternative and is it as good? If your home or that of a friend or relative is large enough to accommodate the number of guests you plan to invite, you can save a lot of money.

You could rent a marquee, gazebos, archways and decorate them with flowers (in season to save money!) for a truly fairytale venue that all your guests will be comfortable in. This may require more planning on your behalf but as well as saving you oodles of cash to spend on your honeymoon, it will be lot more special on your big day to have your party at home.

The list goes on. Why not get your Mum/friend to make your cake. If they are not good at the icing you can get the experts to step in then. Everyone is so full by the time the cake is cut, it is there for the look more than anything! As I noted above try to use flowers in season to cut costs. Simply posies, with that just picked look are very en vogue at the moment so why not do them yourself and buy some ribbons or organza to tie around them? Also, be sure to bring your church flowers to the reception site to add more colours and to save you money.

Printed invitations can cost a lot and wouldn't it be nicer to write a note to your guests and invite them personally? Also remember decorations and favours do not have to cost the earth to gain the wow factor! If you have a dull looking reception room, consider renting or bringing inexpensive trees and decorating them with twinkle lights - particularly for late afternoon or evening affairs. Candles are a very effective way to add atmosphere and you can buy plain long lasting candles in bulk at most hardware shops.

None of the above means your day will be any less special. What it will mean to you and your husband is that all the people you really love will be in one room, sharing in the magic of your special day and whether you think so or not, it won't matter if you have spent ?1000 or ?10,000 on your dress. Despite what you think, it is the couple who makes the day!