You can afford the wedding of your dreams with the help of these brilliant money saving tips from iVillage members.

Save on dresses
I was able to purchase my bridesmaids' dresses directly from the manufacturer at a fraction of the cost.
cl-kristenrae

Check out the second-hand shops and scan the ads in the paper for a wedding dress, and you may save considerably.
mcdonrachel

We found our bridesmaids' dresses at a department store for a reasonable price. My sister has already worn hers twice since October. This probably only works for less formal weddings.
jackie711

Your bridesmaids can also save money if you choose the colour but let them shop for a dress they like. They won't all have the same dress, but they'll have a style they like and may actually wear again.
mcdonrachel

I rented my dress. We also rented the tuxedos from a place that offered a free limo too. My mum made my veil, which cost about £15 rather than £150.
cajunmommy

Buy the sample off the rack. The dress might be from last season, but if you like it, so what? Visit a wedding outlet store to find your dress. Outlet stores also have bridesmaids dresses at a reduced price.
morgan1

After searching to find some fabulous shoes to go with my stunning dress, I was heartbroken. Everything was either `blah' or way out of my price range. A friend lent me her shoes.
jlbarri

I didn't have my hair or makeup professionally done. I had people help me and just spent a little more time on it.
jackie711

Save on flowers
I love fresh flowers, but silk arrangements can be made much cheaper than those made by the florist.
mcdonrachel

The only flowers we had were the bouquets, boutonnieres and corsages. The centrepieces were candles (50p each) sitting on top of large mirrored tiles (£1.50 each) with lots of fall leaves and acorns spread around it (free!)
jlbarri

At a bridal show I found a woman who works out of her home. I only spent about £150 for the bridal bouquet and bridal party's bouquets.
jackie711

Save on wedding photos
Hire the photographer for just a short period of time, for the formal photographs. Then, instead of paying him to stay on at the reception, buy disposable cameras and request that guests take candid snapshots for you. People are more likely to 'ham it up' for other guests than the photographer anyway.
mcdonrachel

You can make your own wedding photo album for much less than the cost of buying one. Buy a plain one, and use your glue gun to attach white fabric, lace, beads, etc.
mcdonrachel

Save on food and music
We had the wedding at 2pm; so instead of a sit-down dinner, we had it catered as a buffet, which cuts the cost per plate considerably. (My family hosted a dinner for the out-of-town guests later that night.)
mcdonrachel

Have a DJ instead of a live band. Hire your teenage cousin for even less!
mcdonrachel

We offered wine and beer only. We got it on sale over a holiday weekend.
jlbarri

Use the talents of friends and family. I got my ceremony music for free because a man I work with is a concert pianist. We also had a free soloist - the son of a friend.
mcdonrachel

Save on invitations, reception and transportation
We held my wedding at the family farmhouse (no cost for a reception hall). We borrowed tables and chairs from local churches and businesses and rented several tents, in case it rained.
mcdonrachel

Check with family members if they have special cars. My cousin-in-law owns a Rolls Royce. For our wedding, they hired a driver; the driver transported us in the Rolls Royce from the wedding to the reception and to the hotel.
morgan1

Hire a web designer to design a Website about the bride and groom. The Website could contain details about the wedding, pictures of where the wedding/reception will be held, directions to the wedding/reception, contacts for hotels in the surrounding area for out-of-town guests. You could also provide on the website an area for guests to RSVP, and how many will be attending. Still send out the wedding invitations, but include the website address somewhere on the wedding invitations. This will cut down on the cost of the wedding invitations and mailing costs, since all the reply cards, and copies of directions would not be needed in the wedding invitation itself. (If someone does not have access to the Internet, they could call and the directions/reply cards would be mailed.)
morgan1

Order invitations from a catalogue. When you narrow down your choices you can send away for a few free samples to make sure they are what you want.
jackie711