Getting married this summer. $ is very tight though. Any wedding ideals? (We both have been here before.) Thank you!

If you want to save money, look at the way your grandparents and great-grandparents got married. What we consider a traditional wedding was really only traditional for the Roosevelts and Duponts. Most people got married in their Sunday best (albeit a new Sunday dress or suit). During WWII, many people got married in uniform, male and female.

Get married in the church you attend. If you don't have one, you should be thinking about that now. You will want to have that question ironed out before you tie the knot, not after. If you belong to the church, there is typically little or no fee for the use of the church or for the pastor. If you don't belong to the church, they typically charge a substantial fee. I don't blame them. For congregations who possess a picturesque church, couple wanting to marry there can become a nuisance sideshow that costs the church a lot of money in preparation and cleanup. They should be able to charge a fee that helps keep the building up for the disruption. Your grandparents and great-grandparents got married in the church they attended or at the couthouse.

Buy your dress of the rack and his suit as well. You don't need to be king and queen for a day. This is about starting a partnership and family, not about the adulation of friends. My dress was a dressy dress out of a catalog that happened to be ivory and lace trimmed. It worked and I wore it many times after. My husband got several years of wear out of his new suit as well. That is how your grandparents would have done it, unless their name was Rockefeller or Ford.

Have a party at the church or the local grange, or other public organization or a mom and pop restaurant, after the ceremony. Either have a small cake, or a homemade cake. According the the Better Homes and Gardens Heritage Cookbook (a bicentennial publication) frontier brides would have the wedding guest each bring a layer of cake, which was then stuck together with applesauce (to keep it moist) and might or might not be iced.

Forget having a limo or a horse and carriage. They are king and queen for a day props (and I used to drive a horse and carriage in weddings for a living). Your grandparents didn't have a photographer. Usually, they went to a professional photographer for ONE picture in their wedding clothes somewhere on or near the wedding day. And this was only after the turn of the century. Before that, there wasn't any wedding picture.

Save your money for a house. Being in an apartment adds to the stresses of the first year.

since money is tight, don't try to go over so much. there are sooo many ideas. one thing you might like is now more brides are choosing to have cupcakes instead of cake. you can put them in a circle going up like a cake. it's cute and different. make it a pot luck, everyone bring their own dish. make it buffet style. have your family cook a bunch of food and line everyone up.

instead of having tuxedos, have suits. that way they can re wear them again to a different event. go to davids bridal or a local wedding shop. buy shoes from payless or walmart. candles can be cheap, go to a 99c store, or walmart, or somewhere and buy a lot of candles. you can put a few in the center of a table and it looks beautiful. don't get a DJ, get a computer, hook it up to speakers and let the music play.

instead of renting out a builing, maybe have an outdoors wedding under a tent. you can get married there, while everyone is at their food tables. that way no one will have to drive to different locations and it's cheaper. it's close to v-day so their are a lot of decorations in stores. you can get some cute things and put them up around the room. there are a lot of ways to have a beautiful yet cheap wedding. congrats! :)

Rent a couple of horses, u can still wear a tux and she a dress if that's important to her. Snap up ur clergy man. Wait until sunset and with just the two of u on horsebck say ur vows. When ur through u can then go to ur small reception set up somewhere else, your home etc... If u have both been there before as I have myself, ur marriage is between you and god anyways. To many people, relatives and so on is not always the best way to go. Sky high costs of everything, hassels of planning, Aunt jane and so on, I know u get the idea! Pull ur own finishing touches on everything. There was something so darn sexy and raw about seeing my guy on a wonderful animal, beautiful surroundings and by ourselves, it was a big turn on for us. It turned out to be really cost effective and everyone was still included in the reception ( or party! was what is was!) Good Luck to you - may u enjoy ur new life together!

I saw a couple having their reception at mcdonalds the other day. Each to their own.

Have a small wedding, set a budget of say $2000 and stick to it. Ask those who attend the wedding to bring cash gifts. Buy a cubic zirconia ring.