Today's couples have so many reasons to want to save money on the big day. With rising costs for basic necessities such as housing, food and gas it is often hard to make ends meet, even with dual incomes. After the dream wedding the bride and groom may start planning for their dream home and starting a family. Perhaps there are children involved from a previous a marriage. If so then merging these two families will bring additional expenses.

Fortunately, couples can save money on their wedding in many ways. Something that has gained popularity over the years is shopping on internet auctions such as eBay. Anyone familiar with eBay knows that you can find just about anything you are looking for. From wedding favors to wedding gowns, shopping on eBay has become very popular. One man did quite well when he sold his wife's wedding dress after his divorce. His listing brought a lot of attention with a picture of the man actually wearing the gown! This funny listing not only got him a good price but several marriage proposals!

Before bidding on any type of online auction decide exactly how much you are willing to pay for an item. Many times you will be happy to pay much less than you were willing to spend but other times the bidding can get fierce. This might happen if you and several other brides are interested in a particular item that is hard to find. By keeping a budget in mind you wont have any second thoughts about how much money you've spent.

One challenge of shopping online auctions is that you can't closely inspect or try on items first. When buying something like a wedding gown this can be a challenge. Some sellers may offer a return policy if the item wasn't what you expected but with many auctions all sales are final. Either way be sure to check the feedback of the seller and ask any questions about the item and return policy before bidding. Also keep in mind that if you purchase something that you can't use you could always resell it yourself!

Another way brides have been saving money is by shopping at consignment stores. Consignment stores have been around for years. Some actually specialize in wedding gowns; check some of the larger cities near you to see if there are some of these consignment stores available to you.

The one disadvantage of consignment shops is the lack of variety. You may find the wedding gown of your dreams at a great price but if it isn't your size then unless it can be altered you are out of luck. As for alterations, try to find an experienced seamstress even before you start looking. Many bridal shops will do alterations for you but most consignment shops wont. Having someone available to make a too large gown fit just right means you have several more options when shopping for your dress.

Another challenge with consignment shopping is that you need to be able to make your decision pretty quickly. You don't want to take the chance that someone else would take your bridal gown tomorrow or this afternoon. Bring your mother, sister or whoever you want to give input. Be ready to make up your mind. Understand that the minute the gown leaves your hands, it is gone. Another bride can come in and buy it right out from under you. In a bridal store, they can always order another copy of the dress. This is not so in a consignment store.

Either way, shopping on eBay or in consignment shops can save you a lot of money. Your wedding gown alone can end up costing less than half what you would have normally paid. If you are flexible about what you purchase for your wedding and reception you will have plenty of options to save money. After the big day is over you will have plenty of great memories and maybe even some extra money in the bank for your future!