Do you have champagne taste and caviar dreams, on a white bread and soda pop budget? Don't worry; you can still have a beautiful but cheap wedding. Check out these great ways to cut costs and save money.

Consider a country or small town wedding. Venues, catering, and florists tend to be cheaper in small towns than in large metro areas.

How to save on the Cost of a DJ in Large Cities
One tip that works really well particularly in the Toronto area when it comes to DJ’s and other mobile wedding services, if you still wish to have a wedding in a big city such as Toronto or Mississauga, you could still save hundreds on a DJ by hiring an out of town DJ who would be willing to travel to your wedding. This might not sound like it would save at first, but mark-up in cities like Toronto is so high that if you find a DJ willing to travel, you could possibly save a few hundred. For example, average Toronto wedding DJ’s range from $1200 to $2500 based on market surveys. For The Music Man DJ Service to play in Toronto for example, you would be looking at anywhere from $400 to $1700 less because of mark-up fluctuations.

Other ways to save on the DJ cost
Consider booking your DJ for a Buck & Doe, Stag or Jack & Jill as well as a wedding. DJ’s will usually charge less for multiple bookings. Also, if you have a friend who is getting married as well, book two wedding with the DJ together. This would work as long as both couples can commit to the DJ at the same time.

Consider having the dresses custom made. An experienced seamstress can often create a design from a magazine picture at a savings of about 50% of what you would pay for an almost identical brand label dress in a bridal boutique. When hiring a dressmaker, designer or seamstress, look for someone well established or well known with a good reputation. At the very minimum, find someone who can provide you with at least 4 references of previous bridal clients and CHECK those references. Also ask to see pictures of work she has done in the past. Be sure that your designer/ seamstress has experience specifically in bridal wear because there are many specialized techniques involved in designing and sewing bridal apparel that someone who rarely works with bridal may not be skilled with.

Rent your wedding dress
If you aren't particularly sentimental about your wedding dress, consider renting a wedding gown. Most cities have wedding gown rental shops which offer a nice selection of current wedding gown styles and designs in a variety of sizes. You'll pay far less to rent than you could ever purchase the very same gown for.

Trim Your Wedding Guest List
Each time you add a name to your invitation list, you're increasing your budget significantly. It's not just the catering costs, but also the extra centerpieces, favors, rentals, etc. Don't invite anyone you haven't talked to in five years. Don't feel obligated to let single people bring a date. Avoid feeling pressured to invite all your work colleagues. And don't let your friends bring their children. You can also decide to eliminate categories like "relatives more distant than first cousins" or "friends from volunteer work." By not inviting anyone from that group, you'll help avoid hurt feelings.

Save Postage on Your Wedding Invitations
Rather than having a reply card which incurs more printing and postage costs, simply include a web address or email address on your invitations to reply to. Not only will you save money from the printer bill, it should also reduce your postage expense. Consider including a phone number for those who may not have Internet access.

Shop Sample Sales and the Internet for Cheap Wedding Dresses
If you wear a 6, 8, or 10, check out sample sales, which generally happen once a year. It's a great opportunity to get a designer dress at rock-bottom prices. You can also look on eBay, Craigslist and other websites for deals on used wedding dresses. Remember that cleaning the delicate fabric of a wedding dress may cost up to $250, so avoid the cheap dress with the filthy hem. And many towns have a shop where you can rent a wedding dress, saving you hundreds and hundreds of dollars.

Save Money on Ceremony Decorations or Flowers

• Large arrangements on an altar will only be seen from far away. Use inexpensive flowers such as carnations, or large filling flowers such as snowball mums.

• Choose flowers that are in season. Possibly grow them yourself or buy the flowers in bulk at a Farmer's Market and arrange them yourself. Or, some trade schools that train florists will arrange wedding bouquets for the cost of the flowers.

• Find a venue such as a park or garden that is already lush and beautiful.

• Avoid holding your wedding in February when flower prices are at an annual high due to Valentine's Day.

• For religious weddings, consider having your wedding near a major holiday. The church will already be decorated, saving you lots of money on flowers.

• Take the flower arrangements from the ceremony to the reception; this might halve your flower budget.

Learn to Ask for Help to Save Money
If you want to have a cheap wedding, pool your friends' and family's resources. Think of well-spoken friends who could be your officiant or reader during the ceremony, and crafty people who can help you with invitations, flowers, centerpieces and programs. They will generally be honored to be a special part of your big day

Look for Cheap Wedding Food and Drink
Be honest with your caterer about your need to save money. Ask them which are the least expensive entrees and whether a buffet is cheaper than a seated dinner. See if they'll let you provide your own liquor, or if serving only wine and beer will be cheaper than a full bar. Also consider only having the bar open during your cocktail hour, then serving an inexpensive wine with dinner. Especially if you and your fiance don't drink, consider having a dry wedding.

Make the Most of eBay
eBay is a great source for everything from second-hand dresses to wedding favors, cake toppers, ring pillows and more. Be sure to allow ample time for the auction to end, and for shipping. Look for trusted sellers whose feedback indicates they have accurately represented what they have sold.

Consider Cheap Wedding Invitations
Don't go for engraving - regular printed invites work just as well. There are a variety of cheap wedding invitations available on the internet. For a casual wedding, consider printing your own invites from your home computer. Stationery stores now sell printed paper meant to use in a home printer as cheap wedding invitations.

Too Many Bridesmaids and Groomsmen Have you ever seen a wedding with more than a dozen attendants? It starts to look like a wedding army. Of course, if you are inviting lots of guests, it makes sense to have a large wedding party. But before you start adding your friend who you haven't seen since high school, and all of your cousins, consider what the role of the wedding party should be.

Even if you're not paying for the wedding party's attire, each of those attendants requires a bouquet or boutonniere, a thank you gift, and an invitation to the rehearsal dinner and other parties plus their dates. Tack on just a few unnecessary bridesmaids or groomsmen and you're potentially talking about hundreds of dollars.

Have your ceremony and reception in the same location to simplify things and save you money. There will be no need for limos to take you to the second location. This also makes it easier for out of town guests, since they won't have to drive to two locations. Many churches have halls that are equipped to handle wedding receptions at reasonable fees - especially if you are a member. You may also be able to negotiate a cheaper price for using more than one service provided at a particular location.

Consider having your wedding any day but Saturday as well as during an off season. Many halls, caterers, and other wedding service providers will often give you a discount if you hold your wedding on an "off-day", such as a Friday or Sunday. If they don't currently have such a policy, try to negotiate one with them. For even greater savings, choose a weekday evening for your wedding while giving guests enough time to get home from work. Also, the months of January, February, March and November can be considered off season months for weddings.

Have your wedding ceremony and reception held at a hotel, and ask for discounts when family and friends are staying at same hotel. Reserve a block of rooms for your guests several months before the wedding for the best rates. Speak with the appropriate manager when asking for discounts and reserving rooms. Also, Ask the manager to throw in extras. Use hotel house linens instead of renting others. Hotels and catering halls have their own props and centerpieces that they are happy to loan. Always ask for at least 10% off stated rates.

How to Save Money on a Photographer Choose an experienced photographer who will include all of the images on a cd for one low price. Then you can make as many inexpensive copies as you need rather than pay a huge reprint fee to the photographer. Also, put together a list the group shots you want, make a detailed timeline for the day, and give a copy to everyone on the shot list. If an album is not included in your wedding photography package, consider doing it for yourself! That way, you can include the shots that are most important to you, as well as any mementos like your wedding program.

Huge Wedding Cakes Some couples only invite 50 guests, but they still order a cake that serves 300. With cakes going for $2-$15 a slice, that extra size adds up quickly. While a large cake looks impressive, a small cake can be charming. If height is a priority, consider asking your baker to use a separator set, and adding fresh flowers between the layers. Or, use a large cake topper
Meaningless and Expensive Wedding Favors Wedding favors can be a thoughtful way of saying thank you to your guests. But far too often they're a meaningless knickknack. You're going to spend a lot of money on things that will just collect dust, or end up in the trash. I think it's far better to not give favors, or to make a donation to a charity. But cute favors include ones that are personal to the bride and groom. You might give food favors from the city you live in, or a box of your favorite chocolates.

Some of the most thoughtful wedding favors can be handmade. Put together a booklet of family recipes, or create a CD with an insert explaining why you chose each song.
Consider altering tradition. If you are doing a round of toasts, guests can toast with whatever they are currently drinking instead of you having to purchase champagne for everyone. Instead of a limo, consider a regular vehicle. If you are happy with just serving beer and wine, skip the full bar and save a bundle on liquor. Consider a lovely formal dress that isn't a traditional gown from a bridal shop.

Consider a centerpiece that doubles as something else. For example, instead of one big wedding cake, put a small cake on each table. The cake is the dessert and the centerpiece! Or, if you are doing favors, put the pile of favors neatly stacked in the middle of the table. Or, create a beautiful table number, possibly decorated with a photo of the couple or a photo of a city the couple visited together, and use that as the centerpiece, surrounded by inexpensive votive candles.

Ask your caterer about the availability of children's plates. You can usually save about 50% by ordering these special meals for children of 12 years and under. The child's plate is usually a smaller portion that the adult meals and, in fact, often consists of something which will have more appeal to the little guys as well, such as cheese burgers or chicken fingers and fries instead of the more fussy food you and your adult guests will likely be dining on. Many caterers will not mention the option of children's plates unless they are specifically asked because they make a larger profit by selling adult plates. So, if you have a number of kids on your guest list, take this tip to cash in on the savings.