With the current recession in full swing you could think this is not a great time to have your wedding, but planning your wedding day within a budget and dare I say even cheaply is a good method to be creative and to avoid starting married life in debt.

First of all you may want to take your wedding glasses off, the ones which make you think all the wedding stuff being produced is a necessity because I will let you into a wedding secret - you should not have all the extras to have a wonderful wedding party.

This is a good idea to start with a wedding budget, one which you can afford and that is realistic, how much do you have saved so far and how much can you save before the wedding? When you have the figure, you need to stick to it.

Write down all the essential expenses to get married; the ceremony and the wedding rings, you don't even need the wedding rings to be married but you will probably want them. Now how much of your budget is left? You've paid for the absolute basics but you may wish more?

A wedding gown and a new suit are excellent, gowns can cost thousands and that would blow your budget, to obtain a gorgeous dress at a low price you will need to shop around. Visit the local bridal stores and wedding fairs, think about the dress that you want, you can even try them on to make sure, just don't buy it! Go away and think about the gown and the cost, can you chose the same dress cheaper online? Would you find your dream dress being sold second hand? Even Oxfam have bridal stores if you are looking for a cheaper ethical dress and they are not just the lace creations from the eighties! Vintage wedding dresses are very fashionable at the moment, worth asking visitors if they have a dress that you could borrow. When you have found the gown at the best price and it fits into your budget go ahead and buy it. One last check before you do - can you hire the gown instead? Sure you won't then have the dress to keep - but do you really need to keep it?

A new suit for your wedding is more of an investment if you have a suit that you can wear again, spending a fortune on hiring top hats and tails for all the males in the wedding ceremony is not needed. Wearing their unique gorgeous suits with matching ties or coordinated ties looks great and is a fraction of the cost.

Transport to the wedding in the basic sense is a necessity but it does not have to be a vintage or traditional car or horse and carriage. These are generally nice but unless you have always dreamed of turning up at your wedding in a classic Rolls Royce they are more expense that you could save. Using friends' and family's cars is a nice alternative and they can still look the part washed and decorated with wedding ribbons.