Many people believe that weddings have to be costly. But who says that they have to be?

All those fancy bridal shops, magazines and adverts on TV, want you to believe that you need to buy the very best of everything to have a good wedding. But, of course they say this! They want you to spend lots of money with them!

But don't believe them! You can have a fanastic wedding, and at a price range that you can afford. Sure, if you are a millionaire, it would be nice to buy the best of the best, and have a fairytale wedding. But not all of us have that much money. It doesn't matter! There is no need to take out a loan for what should be one of the happiest days of your life.

Firstly, why not talk to your family and friends and see if they'd be willing to help you with table-cloths and decorations? Nobody said you have to have silk table- cloths. Cotton or even paper table-cloths can be quite nice these days, and they won't break your bank account. The table-cloths are only going to get dirty anyway, so why waste money cleaning expensive table-cloths, when you could just use paper table-cloths and throw them out at the end?

Oh no, I can hear people out there, gasping in horror! I can't use paper table-cloths!

Of course you can! They are only table-cloths, and when you think about it, they aren't really that important. All that really matters is the bride and groom.

So what's next? Ahh yes, dinner settings. These can be very expensive, but you really don't need costly dinner settings. After all, who's going to remember what plates they ate off at your wedding?

Well, why not ask family members to bring dinner settings they have? Everyone has an aunt or relative somewhere that has a dinner setting gathering dust in some cupboard. Why not see if you can borrow them?

Or maybe go for plastic or paper plates. They are only going to get dirty, after all!

Now, in regards to food, it's nice to have it catered, but that can cost and arm and a leg. Why not approach your family and friends and ask how they would feel about bringing a plate of food for everyone to share?

Stop thinking that this would offend people, because it will save you a LOT of money. And the people you ask will probably feel honoured to be able to help out on the day anyway!

We all know how expensive food can be these days, and I am sure your family and friends will be more than happy to help out in any way that they can.

With dresses and suits, all I can say is you should hire, or find a resale shop somewhere. (Or, if you are so inclined, even make your own) You can always add things to a plain wedding dress that you buy from a shop, and personalise it if you want. You can still get great suits and dresses, at a fraction of the price, just by getting them second hand.

Finally, you can save quite a bit of money by buying silk bouquets, rather than bouquets made of real flowers. Silk bouquets look very lifelike these days, and you get the added bonus of being able to keep the silk bouquets after the wedding, as a memory of the great day. (A Bouquet made of real flowers will not last long without expensive drying)

The main thing to remember is that you should not be too concerned about saving money wherever you can. It's hard to believe when you are actually planning the wedding, but PEOPLE DON'T CARE IF YOU HAVEN'T BOUGHT EXPENSIVE SUITS, TABLE-CLOTHS, CATERING OR BOUQUETS! All they care about is whether the bride and groom are going to be happy. Weddings are about people, not the type of dinner setting you used!

Peta D'Silva has been making silk bouquets for over 14 years. She is the webmaster of http://www.visionsofsilk.com/Articles.shtml; http://www.visionsofsilk.com, a website featuring a catalog of bouquets that can be bought, as well as easy- to-understand articles about all aspects of weddings.