The biggest day of your life may have once described your wedding day, but the way the cost of the average wedding has sky-rocketed in recent years it is little wonder that many people are considering making their wedding one of the smaller days of their life.

Traditionally, it has been the bride’s family who has paid for the wedding in most western countries, but if the bride’s parents are pensioners or not a member of the world’s top one percent with a high net worth, the cost of staging a wedding for their beloved daughter might be well and truly out of their league. Even if the young couple decide to relieve the parents of the financial burden they might be imposing on them, they too, could become financially compromised if they have to borrow the money. The only alternative might be to blow the money you had saved to put down a deposit on your own home. Whichever way you look at it, planning and executing a wedding has become a matter of keeping up with the Joneses but just how much will you be impressing the neighbours when you have to move out of your new home because you can’t afford the repayments?

There is a way you can still have the wedding of your dreams and it won’t mean breaking the bank to do so. The following ten tips might give you some ideas on how to go about it:

1. Wedding invitations. There can be a lot of money spent on wedding invitations as the printers of such an item take advantage of people’s emotions on such occasions. They know you want your cards to look like they’re worth a million dollars, but with computers, the right software and a digital printer you can easily create the best looking wedding invitation of the decade yourself. The cost of invitations can now be eliminated as it will be negligible in the scheme of things to come.
2. Eliminate acceptance letters. It was once the practice to place a reply paid envelope in the invitation envelope but with more and more people turning their backs on ‘snail mail,’  have your email and telephone details included on the wedding invitation and ask that you be notified if they will be attending by either telephoning or emailing you.
3. No wedding presents please. We all know that many wedding presents are duplicated and you can finish up with numerous presents that are at the very least similar. Anyway, if you have had an engagement party or bridal shower previously you will have received many presents at that stage and you could see even more duplications as a result. It is becoming more popular these days to politely discourage guests to bring wedding presents and instead invite people to pay for their own meal. In many cases it could even save the wedding guest money. In doing this you can keep your wedding list intact and children could also be made welcome.
4. Buy your wedding dress online. The wedding dress can be one of the dearest items you will have to purchase as dress makers are fully aware of your emotions as the big day nears, and are not frightened to make sure they get well rewarded. The best way to avoid being exploited is to buy your wedding dress online. Good quality dresses for yourself and your bridesmaids are readily available on line at very low prices. Some of the cheapest are in China, and from all reports the people who have purchased them have been more than pleased. If you don’t want to do this think about renting the dresses instead of buying.
5. Choosing the right day. Avoid getting married on days when you might have to compete against others if you intend to be married in a church or hall. You will be more likely to be able to negotiate a discount if the venue is not likely to be used by anybody else on the same day.
6. Location. You will often hear estate agents quote the words, ‘location, location, location’ when stating a home has a special value because of where it is located. The same goes for the place where you get married. Venues set aside for weddings can be extremely expensive but there can be nothing better than being married in a park, the place where you first met, anywhere at all that you think might be suitable and many of these places might be free.
7. Decorations. Decorations need not be outrageously expensive. If you are having a church wedding you might be able to time it to take place at a time when the church is decorated owing to another event having taken place the day before. A variety of candles can often take the place of an over abundance of flowers. A ceremony among candles can be extremely romantic and inexpensive. You could give consideration to renting potted plants. These can fill in a space, green it up a bit and be far cheaper that a large flower arrangement.
8. Don’t overlook the value of eBay. eBay is a great place to look for anything you might need for your wedding at the right price. Anything from wedding dresses, bridesmaids dresses, cakes almost anything you can think of will be available somewhere on eBay.
9. Use the talents of your friends.  You may have a friend who is a good speaker with a sharp wit, if so there is your Master of Ceremony. How many musicians do you know? Now is the time to call in old favours. And don’t be afraid to enlist the help of family and friends. People will be only too pleased to help make your big day special.
10. Organise a pitch in party. If you ask your friends around for a special pitch in party to have all those little bits and pieces made that will give your wedding that little extra you will be surprised what will get done. The type of things you could make at this party could include such things as; the ring pillow, programs and seating cards, flower girl basket, guest book or card box.

Kristy Ramirez writes for Life Insurance Finder where she helps people to compare quotes and select the bestlifeinsurance policy to meet their needs at the best possible price