The moment you have been waiting for literally all your life has finally arrived – your spouse has popped up the question “will you marry me?” and you have happily replied, got an engagement ring and now the wedding date is somewhere around the corner. Perhaps you’re asking yourself how you’ll afford all the things you have always dream of in a dream wedding. Fortunately with the right duration of time, you can plan your wedding in a way that it will be affordable and wouldn’t cost a fortune.

Just like in any other money-saving venture, the first rule of thumb is to do comparison shopping religiously. Never settle for the first offer that comes your way. You should start comparing on all component parts of the wedding from the florists to the caterer, photographer, venue etc. The results of your legwork and patience might be you saving a lot of your hard earned cash in the end.

Its highly advisable that you set your wedding date way in advance so that you will not only avoid last minute rush but will also have enough time to select the best services. Setting the wedding date early will mean that you wouldn’t be desperate for any of the wedding services when the time will come. Normally, the wedding service providers get booked up very fast when it comes to certain times such as the ‘wedding season’ and around other social functions like graduations or special holidays such as New Year’s Eve. Booking and planning your wedding in advance will mean that you aren’t desperate at the time of negotiating with the agency hence you wouldn’t be stuck with an expensive option after having waited for last minute planning and booking.

Another way that you can cost-cut and save some money is to do some of the tasks yourself with the help of your family members, bridal party and friends. Thanks to the increase in popularity of a number of crafts and craft stores, a lot of people are today making most of their wedding paraphernalia such as favors, invitations, thank you notes, decorations etc. The best thing about taking this task personally is that you not only get to save a huge chunk of money but you also get to add a unique personalized touch to your wedding paraphernalia.

For you to save money on your special occasion, you will also have to pay attention to your close friend’s network. A lot of people amongst your friends and family will know someone – a family, friend, colleague, acquaintance etc who has a knack when it comes to a special skill which can be invaluable on your wedding. Having a friend who knows what they are required to do can considerably reduce the costs when it comes to catering, decorating etc. Thanks to advancement in technology and the cheap price of video cameras, family and friends can even do the wedding videography for you, although photography is normally best left to the professionals just in case something goes wrong.

There are a lot of ways to ensure your dream wedding becomes a success without having to mortgage your entire future. With the right time at hand, good planning, do-it-yourself and the right network of friends, your wedding can cost you half of what it would have cost you.