Weddings are big business, but you can have an elegant wedding on a small budget if you plan correctly. Many more brides are looking at their contemporaries and wondering why anyone would want to spend $30,000 on a single event? With a little bit of creativity and a good eye for a bargain, you can save a lot of money on your wedding and not have to go into your marriage in debt.

The first step in saving money is to plan out your budget. Make sure to be realistic about the figure, since you don't want to see it ballooning over the course of the planning. Once you've nailed down a rough estimate, make sure to factor in a 10 percent extra just in case there are changes in prices from your vendors, or an emergency of some sort (like your florist loses your order).

Make a list of your "must haves" for the wedding to help you decide where you can reduce expenses. For example, if it is really important for you to hold you reception in a specific event hall, you may be willing to trim back on some of the other expenses in order to make up for the cost. Write down your top five things that would make your wedding perfect, and then work from there. Even in a worse case scenario, you'll want to make sure to have enough money for those five things.

Create and print your invitations yourself. In this day and age, most people have virtual print shops on their computers already. If you buy paper from an office supply store and have a little bit of time and creativity, you can make and print your invitations yourself. And best of all, they'll be done at a fraction of the cost of other invitations which means you'll be able to spend more in other areas.

Another way to cut costs on your wedding is to keep the guest list to a minimum. If you have a small wedding with fewer than 50 guests, you'll have lower expenses for the reception and the invitation printing costs. There's nothing wrong with keeping things small and intimate, plus you may be able to hold your reception in a much more budget friendly location. In fact, you could hold the entire event at a friend's home or affordable public location instead of renting a large venue.

Shop around for your dress to get the best deal. There are many discount dress shops that have dresses that are designer quality for much, much less. Even though your heart may be set on a dress from a certain designer, there's no reason why you can't find a discount dress that has many of the same elements. Remember, the money that you save on the dress can go toward making your day all the more special with other elements of the event.

Your special day doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg. With just a few of these tips, you can stay within your budget and have a beautiful wedding.