[brewgrl]

I'm sorry- but only three of those things i would do. 6 / 8 / 10, maybe 9 depending on the wedding- if it was a garden or day or beach.. then nice suits are totally appropriate... Other than that- A FRIEND TAKE MY PHOTOS?!? shouldnt my friend be my guest? also, of the most amount of money we spent- outside of the reception- we spent on the photographer. I am so glad about that, since my own memory is so blurry (weddings are such a whirlwind) and I have these gorgeous pics to look at forever.

BTW- having your dress made is not necessarily cheaper- i had my dress made, yes, but in the Philippines. My friend went to have a very simple dress made, and they quoted her $900- for a simple silk bias cut slip dress. She bought one at Saks for $250 instead. And if she wanted to go cheaper, she could have gotten a satin version anywhere for under $100. Getting a dress at Michael's is cheaper. and unless you want to put that type of pressure on a family member to make your dress... hmmm, no

Here are my tips:
get a dress online. go to all the boutiques and what not, and when you find the dress you like, look for it online.. cheaper. or a similiar style. that's what one of my friend Audra did. Or shop around at regular stores for White formals / evening dresses. Once you put "wedding" in front of anything, it's automatically more expensive.

have a bouquet & centerpiece making party the night before. This is what my friend Heather did. After rehearsal dinner, we all went back to her place and wrapped flowers bought at Costco, and set up centerpieces. It was fun, and they looked gorgeous, and it was SUPER easy. after we just through them in coolers and the refrigerator.

Instead of no booze, how about wine with dinner and a no-host bar (a cash bar) for everything else?

I'm a Filipina, so this is TOTALLY appropriate in my family- but it was cute and fun, and best when you are all drunk, but instead of a DJ, my cousin and his new wife got a karaoke machine.

Here in California, the cheapest way to get married is at a small local winery. Ceremony, reception, and discount on your wine. Plus a winery is basically a house... with a way better view, and you don't have to put your friend out by having to clean the next day. Second cheap option, but SUPER cool, are mini art studios / galleries. Big space, interesting art, always great lighting. there are a ton of struggling art studios who are willing to rent space for the added cash.

and if you REALLY want to save money- get married on a Friday or a Sunday- reception halls are almost always 25-50% cheaper.

also- just think outside the box. We got married in Tahoe, so instead of buying expensive thank you notes, we got a SCREAMING deal on postcards with a picture of our reception area at a local souvenir shop. I think we got them for less than $.10 each, and everyone loved it. Plus we saved on postage because postcards are cheaper.