Want a cheap way to make invitations? Just get a little card stock from AC Moore (or anywhere for that matter, although I found the largest selection of colors here) and create your own! All you need is a printer, ink, and a cheap card-making program, add a little imagination, and POOF, you can save a TON of money by spending an hour or 2. AC Moore is also good to find stamps for making thank-you notes.

I wasn't very thrilled about this specific store, especially when we realized the helium tank we rented was empty...the morning of the wedding...Needless to say, we ended up not having balloons, and on top of that, they tried to blame us, saying that the tank was full before they gave it to us, and that we had used it up ourselves. It was an overall bad experience, and I would recommend staying away from this specific place.

Michaels is a good place to get silk flowers that will last a lifetime. Instead of spending money once on real flowers, you can spend that same amount for flowers and decor that you can use again and again. Individual silk flowers also give you the opportunity to be creative, and make unique arrangements and bouquets. It's fun and relieves a bit of stress whenever you get to sit down and make your own bouquets. It also gives you bragging rights whenever they turn out well. $300 for all of the flowers used was not a bad deal either. My tip is to pick up ads or keep an eye out online for whenever silk flowers are 20% off, or discounted in any way.

My parents purchased our wedding cake from Sunnyway foods, a sort of unlikely place you would think to buy such a thing, but pretty cost efficient. They did a wonderful job, creating a beautiful 3-tiered cake, and matching the blue flowers to the exact color of my bridesmaids' dresses. They also let us purchase the cake well in advance, which lessens the worry during the last few days of preparation, which can be extremely tough.

Wal-Mart is AWESOME for bargain deals. I purchased alot of decor from the store, including 75 floating candles, which after extensive research, was even cheaper purchasing from there than online. What's even better is that you can often find wedding related items in the discount section! My advice is to not rule out Wal-Mart because it's not some fancy-smancy wedding store, but to think out of the box and save a little dough for the honeymoon and life after. They have some pretty nifty stuff if you take time to look!

Although they were a bit pricey in my opinion (me being a penny pincher for my parents and relatives, of course) the dresses my bridesmaids came at a not terribly bad deal, and were beautiful! Alterations cost a bit extra, but the seamstress makes sure that you get a comfortable fit.

Ebay is a wonderful tool if you want to get things for bargain prices. The only catch is that you have to be very careful in who you buy from. Constantly check sellers' feedback. I wouldn't recommend buying from anyone below a 90% positive feedback. I purchased a tiara for only $25 (which at some bridal shops are $100+) and also my necklace, earrings, veil, etc. for extremely good prices.

If you're looking for a cheaper alternative, and still want pretty decent quality, then try looking at amazon.com. They have some pretty nifty stuff. My hubby bought my engagement ring from there, and it was gorgeous! We also went back and bought white gold wedding bands for $80 and $100, which isn't bad. So far, I have had no problems buying online from Amazon, and recommend it. Just be sure to check sellers' feedback if you buy from other than direct Amazon.com.

I didn't end up buying anything from David's Bridals, but they did have a lovely selection of gowns, even for plus-sizes such as myself. My overall experience was good. However, they will keep calling you unless you blatantly tell them that you are not interested. That is the only set back in my opinion, hence why I give them 3 out of stars.

Sandy's Bridals is a great place to get your wedding gown from. Not only did they match the price of the same dress that I found on the internet, but they were also very helpful and knowledgeable about the entire dress selection process.