Since a dollar doesn't buy as much wedding supplies as in your grandparents' days, it is time to practice spending on a tight budget. You now need to plan for cheaper weddings that don't leave you exhausted and broke as you start your honeymoon. Those days are gone and are being replaced by better planning and more streamlined weddings.

Today's smart couples know that paying excessive prices doesn't mean you are getting the best quality. And they also know that paying a low price doesn't always mean you are cheap and don't want to spend to entertain your guests.

Cheap weddings don’t mean you are trading elegance and style for a no-frills wedding. Planning a cheap wedding allows you to imagine the possibilities and choose what makes you and your future spouse happy. If you look at most traditional weddings, you will see that they copy a set pattern. For example, wedding favors all look the same. The meals served at the wedding reception all look the same and so on.

With a little imagination you can brainstorm with your friends and family and come up with a plan that will leave you with some cash at the end of the reception. And you can only do this if you put your close friends and family to do some of the things you would normally buy from wedding suppliers.

Of course, you will have to hire out some services, or buy certain products that require expert attention. Also, if you hold the reception in a hotel or banquet hall, you might have to hire the in-house staff. But even that you can get around if you decide to hold your reception at the house of friend or acquaintance.

Professional wedding suppliers make it easy to set up a wedding, but their prices climbed when the market attracted couples who enjoyed the convenience of having someone do all the setting up for them.

Here are some ideas for planning a wedding on a tight budget:

• Buy your wedding dress from a secondhand store
• Have your close friends and family members prepare your food instead of bringing gifts
• Let a friend, family member, or acquaintance make your wedding cakes
• Hire a less experienced photographer to do your wedding photography
• Borrow one of your friends' house to hold the wedding reception
• Invite only close friends, acquaintances and family
• Collect your relatives gold rings to melt and make into wedding rings

Using one or more of the ideas will give you the room to manage your wedding financially and allow you to save a wad of money as you begin your new life.