For those who envision their dream wedding full of carriage rides, beautiful gowns, rivers of champagne and sparkling diamonds, the price tag can quickly grow. Unfortunately, unless you have a trust fund or millionaire parents who will pay the bill, you might have to limit your choices or make some hard decisions about how to plan your dream without going over your budget. When it comes to wedding decorations, even the smallest items can really add on to the total bill. This guide can help you make those tough decisions when it comes to wedding decorations.

Prioritize

If you take a few minutes to picture the decorations in your dream wedding, what is the most important one for you? Is it having live exotic flowers, cut glass hurricane candles or perhaps even lead crystal centerpieces at the reception? Take some time to write down the wedding decorations you really want to be perfect. If you absolutely want live exotic flowers for each centerpiece, plan to use these flowers as your main theme, and then you can then figure out how to cut the costs when it comes to bows, candleholders or wedding bouquets.

Pick what Lasts

Let's face it - candle holders will last and live flowers will not. If you have to keep your spending in check, ask yourself how you will feel about your decision five years from now. If you can only use the decoration once and it's not part of your main theme, you might pursue a DIY effort or figure out the least expensive alternative. If you can use the decoration repeatedly or for years to come, spending a little more on it does make sense. Some brides prefer using silk wedding bouquets and other artificial decorations so they can pass them to friends or relatives.

Do It Yourself

Bows and ribbons are very easy to create. Centerpieces of bowls filled with water and floating candles can be done by family members wanting to help. Tissue paper roses are beautiful, inexpensive and add lots of color. These decorations are very easy to create by anyone. List the items that are easy to create and start to enlist the help of family and friends. In addition, many of these items can be prepared way ahead of time and stored until the day of the wedding.

Be Creative

Look around your house or your parent's house with a resourceful eye towards what can be reused. Do you have some great candlesticks, fake strands of pearls or white Christmas lights at home? What about those extra wine glasses, wicker baskets or extra fabric that is just sitting there? If so, think of some ways you can put these to use in your own wedding and no one will ever know the difference. Extra wine glasses can always be used as candle holders for tea lights and will create your own unique twist. Christmas lights can be used around tables, plants or entryways to make your location sparkle.

Dollar It

Search out the dollar stores, general stores and just-a-dollar stores in your area. You can save a good amount of money just by doing some smart shopping. These stores always have tea candles, ribbon and faux decorations that can be used to supplement the cost of the most expensive decoration items. When it comes to fitting your wedding dreams into your budget, remember that it is achievable. Figure out what decorations are most important to you on your wedding day and don't sweat the small stuff. Before you know it, the day will be over and you'll be left with memories of a beautifully decorated wedding.