What's the one thing that usually stands between a bride and groom and the wedding of their dreams?

You didn't even have to think, did you?

Money!

Well, in my neverending quest to help couples save money and have their dream days, I have been checking out America's online auction obsession.

I chose Ebay for my research, because Ebay is the most well-known of the auction sites, and I personally have had excellent experience with Ebay sellers.

Here's what I found out:

Even the bride and/or groom who is not all that daring can find wonderful bargains on many wedding essentials online. It doesn't hurt, if you have the time, to try your hand at bidding on items. Often, you can get wonderful savings that way. Just make sure you've done your research and know what the average price should be, and don't bid above it. But if you don't want to bother with that, just check the items that say "Buy it now," and pay that price. I checked only "buy it now" prices, and found wonderful deals on decorations, silk flowers, and favors. For example, I found 72 white faux pearl flowers perfect for corsages and decorating for $9.99. These flowers started me thinking about how charming a wrist corsage would be with a simple, elegant wedding gown in place of a traditional bouquet. There were also 84 cream or white silk roses at $9.99 for the cream and $13.00 for the white. These would be enough to make bouquest for a bride and all her bridesmaids, and they were beautiful flowers. For the flower girl and table top decoration, one Ebay store offered 1000 red silk rose petals for $13.50.

For the slightly more adventurous bride, there was wonderful bridal jewelry for less than $20, and veils for $9-$20.00.

But the bravest, most daring bride could have the greatest savings of all on one of the biggest expenses for most people. I'm talking about the dress. Yes, you can find wedding dresses on Ebay, and not just the ones that have been worn, either. I saw new dresses ranging from a simple, elegant design for $60 to a beautiful white & ivory Renaissance style gown for $110.00. There were also many gowns for $500 and up, but for those, unless you are going to bid and try to win them, I think you should go to a salon and get all the personal fitting and pampering that price deserves. With the less expensive dresses, you may have to have them professionally altered to fit, but at less than $200 you are still getting a bargain. Of course, you have to consider the shipping costs for any of these bargains, but a savvy shopper should still check out Ebay or the other online auctions as yet another option to get what you want and not break the bank for your wedding day.

Rhetta Akamats is a wedding planner and ordained officiant in Marietta, GA. She is the owner of Rose and Star Wedding Planning. You can visit Rose and Star's website at http://www.roseandstar.com for information about the business and more articles and advice for your special day.