Wedding planning on a tight budget doesn't have to hold you back as much as you think...There are many very simple tricks to use that will greatly reduce your costs while keeping the wedding on the level you want. The key is finding the balance between thinking big and knowing your limits. The average wedding in 2006 cost $27,852. However, it is very easy to slash that cost by $10,000 or more so don't get discouraged.

The very first thing you should do is determine your budget. To do this properly, figure out the how much money you could spend, all sources considered. (Family, friends, loans, savings, etc.) Then, consider your honeymoon a wedding expense, too. Do some quick research online to figure out how much you'll need for the honeymoon. Planning a wedding on a tight budget requires looking at the big picture, and the honeymoon is a piece many go into debt over, because they fail to consider it in the costs of the wedding from the beginning.

The next thing to do is to break everything down into separate parts:

1) Attire (Dress, Veil, Accessories, Hair and Makeup, Tuxedo, etc.)

2) Ceremony (Location, Decorations, Accessories)

3) Reception (Location, Decorations, Food, Entertainment, Cake, etc.)

4) Miscellaneous (Flowers, Invitations, RSVP cards, Rings, Transportation, Photographer, Video, etc.)

5) Honeymoon (Travel, Hotel/Resort, Meals, Extra Money)

This is a good list to start with. You'll find that by breaking things down even further than this will help you to keep things simple. There are great software programs that help with all this and more, which can be a great investment.

Here are some simple ways to decrease your costs without decreasing the quality:

1) Invite less people. This is often overlooked, as the guest list just starts piling up between each spouse and the rest of the family. However, when planning a wedding on a tight budget, keep in mind that the less people that are there, the less food you have to buy.

2) Borrow clothes. If you find someone that has a nice evening gown you would like to wear to your reception, then save a couple hundred bucks and borrow it! This can sometimes even apply to the actual wedding dress. Just remember: it doesn't hurt to ask.

3) Friends and family can cook, too. There is no rule that says you have to get catered food. If you have a few good cooks in the family, many times they will be glad to help by making the food for your wedding. Offer to pay them, and either way it will be cheaper than a catering service.

4) Location, location, location. If you can find a nice state park, a big backyard, or a cheaper place to hold your ceremony, reception or honeymoon, do it! Nowadays, there is no excuse when you can simply type in your location to Google and find everything. Do some research, and wedding planning on a tight budget suddenly becomes much easier!

5) Get as many of your friends and family members to help out with parts they enjoy to reduce your workload. You'll be surprised to find how much they will help, and it almost never costs a dime!

6) Who needs a wedding planner? Some people do. You may not. Don't feel like it's necessary. There are plenty of great resources online that you can download in minutes that will take you through every step of planning your perfect wedding on a tight budget. This one thing can save you literally $1,000's!

All of these things are very simple steps that can add up to a tremendous savings, and still create a wedding that looks and feels perfect! Try your hardest to remove yourself from the specifics, take a deep breath, and plan each part to the best of your ability on it's own.

Wedding planning on a tight budget is very easy when the whole thing is broken down. Do not let yourself get stressed out. Take frequent breaks from planning and start as early as possible. Follow these steps, and you'll have the wedding you've always dreamed of, and stay well within your budget!