I’m sure we’re all too familiar with the “wedding binder” – stuffed to the gills with pages clipped out of bridal magazines, proposals, checklists and contracts from vendors.  Great to keep all of your wedding planning ideas and documents in one place, but a horrible eye-sore and tedious to carry around with you everywhere you go.  Anyone ever dropped yours?!  Yikes…

No matter what the budget is, every bride pushes the envelope to get more out of the dollars she has available to spend.  When it comes to planning out your wedding budget, pick the two or three factors that are the most important to you.  Leave yourself room to splurge on these priorities and find ways to cut costs in the other areas.  

Here is my list of the top 10 ways to get more out of your wedding budget:

Sometimes the simplest things can make a big impact.

If you’re short on time or cash and need to jazz up an event space, you can easily make your own garland out of unconventional materials to add visual interest to your party decor.  It’s a great way to tie in your theme (just be creative with what you’re stringing) and also helps to bring an element of height to the room decor, drawing the eye upward.  Use a garland in the entryway to welcome your guests, or to highlight a focal point such as a buffet or dessert table.   Or, string multiples across the room for that major “wow” factor!

The decision to go with a hosted bar, cash bar or even no bar at your wedding can be a difficult one.  Will your guests consume more if you’re footing the bill?  Absolutely.  While the budget is obviously of concern to many couples, so should the safety and well-being of your guests.

Here are 5 tips you can incorporate into your wedding planning that will keep your wallet happy and your guests happy (just not TOO happy!).  After all, you don’t want any of your friends or family pulling a LiLo,  Paris, or Khloe!