If you're like many people, you want the gorgeous wedding without the staggeringly high price tag that goes with it. Well, most of us do. However, 'budget weddings' don't usually stay within budget. There are many ways that you can keep from forking out money that wasn't planned in your budget. Here are a few of them.

Don't Hire Unnecessary People:

If you want music, you don't have to fork out thousands of dollars for a band or a performer. Simply make compilation CDs with your favorite music, and assign the job of pressing play to a family member or friend. This works well with a large disk changer CD player. Budget weddings can be pulled off with little things like this. By using this method, you can save $1000 or more.

Keep it Smaller:

No matter how tempting it is to invite everyone you ever knew, as well as all their friends and family, STOP! Only select your family as well as your very best and closest friends. Leave everyone else out of the list. Ask everyone you do invite to please not bring extra guests. Stick with the people you invite only. This saves you from the worry and expense of having to bring in enough food to feed everyone.

Think About Food:

Food can cost a lot of money, adding up to a huge wedding expense. Don't choose some fancy food that half of your guests can't pronounce anyway. What you should consider instead is a potluck wedding. Or, you can simply enlist some friends to help you serve finger foods and hors d'oeuvres. Budget weddings can be beautiful, and you are able to keep your head above water. Who wants to start off married life with debt to pay off?