Whether you're paying for your wedding, you and your groom are paying or if some parent is kicking in some bucks, these tricks for weddings should help you have an elegant wedding for less and only you will know where the money corners were cut.BudgetThe first step to saving money on your wedding is looking at your bank account and deciding how much of it you will donate to the wedding cause. Determine the dollar amount for the wedding based on what you can afford. It doesn't matter if that is $1,000 or $20,000. Don't let the wedding determine the amount of money you will spend. Pick a number and commit to it. Don't start your married life in debt and don't let your parents go into debt to pay for your wedding.Package it to saveIf you have a vision for a church wedding followed by a reception in a four star hotel, your bank account will need to be as large as a cathedral. However, if you're willing to be flexible, you can do an elegant and spiritual wedding without going broke.When my daughter was married, we were fortunate to live very near wine country. In scouting for a location for her wedding, we visited every winery in the area and were able to find a beautiful winery that had an on-site restaurant that was able to provide the dinner for the reception. The wedding ceremony itself was held in the barrel room, which the winery decorated (included in the package price) with small twinkling lights and small white candles. They also provided (at no charge), an archway for the ceremony and tall candelabras at the end of the rows. It was beautiful and intimate.Wineries, farms, large private estates, many are in the wedding business. Get creative and make some phone calls. One caveat: be sure they've done this before. You don't want to be the experiment.Weddings at these locations are priced as a package, so that you can see exactly how much everything will cost from the ceremony to the reception. They will have vendors to recommend for photography, music, flowers, officiants. Take their names, but shop around.The wineries are in the business of selling wine. Therefore, they expect you to have wine at your wedding. Unless you are a wine expert, go with the least expensive wine on their list. You can always taste it before the wedding and select something else, if you're really worried about the quality.It might seem as though a home wedding would be the least expensive of all, right? Perhaps. However, unless your guest list is extremely small, you will still need to rent chairs, tables, china, linens, a bar, wait staff. You'll still have the same cost for flowers, music, the officiant. You will also need a wedding coordinator. You aren't going to want to do this yourself.OfficiantIn many states, you can actually be authorized by the state to perform a marriage ceremony for one day. Check into this where you live, if you have a relative or close friend who would truly be honored to do the duties and who is well spoken.FoodThe most expensive part of the entire wedding will be the food for the reception. What are some options for saving money to feed your guests? The least expensive option would be a meal other than dinner. Think of an outdoor ceremony in the morning sun and then you and your guests slip indoors to a lovely champagne breakfast. Not an early riser? If you've got your heart set on dinner, then a buffet will be the least expensive option over a sit down dinner.Stick with beer, wine, and soft drinks. If you can't afford beer and wine, serve a champagne punch or a non-alcoholic punch. No one will miss the beer, wine, or cocktails.The DressOf course, there are the obvious ways to save money on your wedding dress, such as wearing your mother's (in most cases, yuck) or borrowing a dress (just as yucky). In most cases, you'll go to the bridal dress shop to buy your dress, so let's talk about saving money there.First, look at the sale rack, if they have one and buy off that rack. I say this for two reasons. First, if it's on sale, you've saved some money, often a lot of money. The second reason has to do with the economy. If the bridal store goes out of business between the time you've ordered (and paid for) your dress, you are out of luck.Second, do not buy any of your accessories at the bridal store. By this I mean shoes, tiaras, veils, bags. They are horribly overpriced. Just get the dress and shop on-line for the veil. Or, forgo the veil.Third, take the dress with you and have the alterations done by someone else. In many instances, alterations done at the bridal store will cost as much as the dress. Look for someone with experience in altering bridal dresses.FlowersWedding flowers can easily bust your budget. You can also follow these simple tricks to save money on your flowers and still have a beautiful wedding.EliminateDo you really need four bridesmaids and a ring bearer, and a flower girl, and four ushers? How about just a maid of honor and a best man? There is something very dignified with just the two people who truly mean something to you witnessing your wedding.Large flower arrangements for the ceremony can add up. How about just one outstanding arrangement? (Don't forget to designate someone very responsible to bring the arrangement to the reception.)Simplify your bridal bouquet. Go for flowers that are readily available. Ask the florist. Carnations are usually the least expensive flowers. However, by reducing the size of your bouquet and using just one or two of the more expensive flowers, you can still have the bouquet of your dreams on a budget. Have the bridesmaids and maid of honor carry a trio of roses wrapped in beautiful ribbon cradled in their arms, very elegant and much less expensive than individual bouquets.Reception flowersTable centerpieces are an area where you can save some major money. Ask the coordinator at the location where your reception is being held what other types of non-flower centerpieces they have on hand. Sometimes they will have candleholders and candles that can be used in lieu of flowers and they should let you use these at no additional charge. If you bought a large arrangement for the ceremony, bring that for the buffet or cake table.Paying for the flowersA word of warning -- florists have been hit hard by competition from internet florists and the economy. Select your florist carefully. Be sure to pay the absolute minimum deposit, in case they do go out of business between the time you order and your wedding. Do not pay the final amount due until as close to your wedding date as possible.Wedding CakeAlong with the first dance, your wedding cake is sure to be a highlight of the reception. Here are a couple of Cheap Chick Tricks to save you some money on the wedding cake, without foregoing the confection you've dreamed of.In addition to its size, or number of servings, the cost of a wedding cake is largely determined by the intricacy of the design. Wedding cakes are typically covered in either fondant or buttercream frosting. With fondant, it's possible to get the pure white cake decor preferred by many brides and an absolutely flat surface to place the piping and gum paste flowers on. Buttercream, by its very definition, has a slight off-white appearance. However, fondant is more difficult to work with and therefore more costly. Also, some people do not like the taste of fondant. Save money on your cake by selecting a buttercream frosting. Compare the cost of the design done by the cake decorator and consider if it would be more cost-effective to have a simple cake that is dressed up with fresh flowers. You can buy the flowers yourself and bring to your bakery to reduce costs.Forgo buying your cake topper from the bakery where you order your cake. Purchase one on-line from your local large discount retailer and take to your cake decorator.Before you decide on the design by a specific bakery, taste. The bakery will provide you with a free tasting for you and your groom to select the flavor you prefer. This will include about four basic cake flavors and a variety of fillings. If the cake is dry and the filling not flavorful or is over-sweet, find another bakery. Once you start adding to these basics, such as fresh fruit, liqueur fillings, the price goes up. Consider if you really want to pay for these extras.One side note: Save money at your reception by foregoing an additional dessert on top of the wedding cake. No one will miss it. Make sure your package reception price includes the cake cutting and serving. This is often a separate charge that can really add up. Negotiate to get it included. They will box the top of the cake for you to take away. However, there are usually other remnants of the cake leftover. Make sure you've included in your contract that these are to be boxed up as well and then give it to your mom or other family member to share.PhotographyWedding photographers vary from multi-thousand dollar artists to those who have other jobs and just do wedding photography on the weekend. How do you get the most bang for your photo buck?You want quality and dependability from your photographer. The best way to find someone with those qualities is to find another bride who has used that photographer. Check with friends and family who have recently gotten married. Ask any photographer you are considering for a reference and then call the references.Because wedding photography is digital today, there is no longer the cost of film and developing. You'd think the prices would have gone down, right? They haven't. What you're paying for is the photographer's time and the "package" (a set number and size of prints that are usually presented in an album.) The photographer makes his "gravy" money on the enlargements. Save money by buying the least expensive package and let your relatives buy their own enlargements directly from the photographer. Go for quality, not quantity.Make sure everything is in your contract. Again, pay only the absolute minimum deposit required and don't book too far in advance. Be sure to have a relative or close friend on hand with a camera, in case your photographer doesn't show on the wedding day.A word on video. Do you need to spend the extra money on a video of your wedding? If money is an issue, forego the video. I guarantee, at least three people at your wedding will be taking video. You can download their videos to your computer and put together your own movie with the footage, including music. Whether you paid $3,000 for a video or do your own, you will look at it once with your friends after the wedding and then maybe on your first anniversary. You decide if it's worth the money.Follow these tricks for a beautiful wedding that will leave you feeling wonderful, not wondering how you'll pay for your special day.Copyright 2009 Cheap Chick Tricks.