1. Wedding Gown
   Ask around. There may very well be an heirloom dress in the family or a close friend may have a gown you can borrow. Most women would be honored by the request. One thing, be sure to get permission for major changes or size alterations you would like to have made. Also, if the dress is going back to the original bride or family member after the wedding, it is only fair that you pay to have the dress cleaned and prepared for storage before returning it.
    
2. Bridal Party
   The smaller the group you have standing up front, the less expense is involved. Even if the attendants pay for their own attire, there are still flowers, gift and rehearsal dinner expenses involved when having a large bridal party.
    
3. Flowers
   Instead of bouquets that bubble over with exotic flower selections from around the globe, a single long-stem rose tied with a satin ribbon for the bridesmaids is a simple and elegant choice. The bride could use a small prayer book or bible with a small bunch of lily-of-the-valley.
    
4. Attendant Gifts
   Take a casual photo of your bridesmaids and purchase inexpensive frames to give each member a memento from one of your bridal showers or a "girls' night out". Be sure to include a message and the date on the back of the picture for an even more meaningful touch.
    
5. Invitations
   Go simple! The most impressive wedding invitations are the sleek, one card type. Also, selecting a card size that does not require extra postage will save money incrementally depending on the size of the guest list.
    
6. Photography
   Professional photographers usually have several options for you to choose from. You can get the album you want without breaking the budget. After you have selected the pictures you want in the formal album, ask about buying the rest of the proofs. If you know someone who takes great photos, ask them to be your photographer. Usually you can buy the film and pay for the developing yourself. At the reception, it is fun to have disposable cameras at each table to get plenty of candid and often very funny shots. Just be sure to include the development costs for each camera in the budget.
    
7. Guest List
   Keep it short. Invite the people that are most important to you, your family and friends. An intimate gathering will be more memorable for you and everyone you share it with.
    
8. Ceremony
   Decorate the church with large bows and simple flower arrangements. Large flowers such as magnolias look beautiful at the end of long, wooden pews.
    
9. Rice Shower
   Some brides substitute rice with bird seed. Cut a yard of netting into 2" x 2" squares, place a small amount of bird see  in the center, gather up the four corners and tie it with a ribbon. With bird seed, there's also no cleanup necessary at most venues.
    
10. Programs
    Wedding programs are not necessary, but if you want them and have access to a computer, you can easily make them yourself. Most paper or craft stores carry a variety of covers. Select your favorite and get creative. Be sure you have the correct spelling for all names.

Inevitably, there is a blank page in the traditional wedding program. If you find there is room on the back, add a few famous quotes regarding love and marriage. You may have a few favorites in mind right now. If not, here are some for your consideration.

• A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person.  Mignon McLaughlin
• Cannot be parted nor be swept away from one another once you are agreed. That life is only forevermore — together wing to wing and oar to oar.  Robert Frost
• In our life there is a single color, as on an artist‘s palette, which provides the meaning of life and art. It is the color of love.  Marc Chagall
• My most brilliant achievement was my ability to be able to persuade my wife to marry me.  Winston Churchill
• Success in marriage does not come merely through finding the right mate, But through being the right mate. Barnett Brickner
• The truth is that there is only one terminal dignity — love. And the story of love is not import — what is important is that one is capable of love. It is perhaps the only glimpse we are permitted of eternity.  Helen Hayes
• There is no surprise more magical than the surprise of being loved: it is God‘s finger on man ‘s shoulder.  Charles Morgan
• When the wedding march sounds the resolute approach, the clock no longer ticks, It tolls the hour. . . The figures in the aisle are no longer individuals, They symbolize the human race.  Anne Morrow Lindbergh
• You do not choose your family. They are God’s gift to you, as you are to them.  Archbishop Desmond Tutu
• You will reciprocally promise love, loyalty and matrimonial honesty. We only want for you this day that these words constitute the principle of your entire life And that with the help of divine grace you will observe these solemn vows today, before God, you formulate.  Pope John Paul II

And for the couple taking that second walk down the aisle, here is one quote that might say it all for you.

• For I’m not so old, and I’m not so plain, and I’m quite prepared to marry again.  W. S. Gilbert

A wedding program was virtually unheard of a few years ago. When they first became popular, there were usually a bi-fold bulletin type paper with some sort of wedding picture on the cover, and a list of the names of the wedding party on the inside. Today, couples are being much more creative when it comes to their wedding program.

When you order your wedding invitations and stationery items, inquire about the company’s line of wedding program covers. Some companies offer covers that will coordinate with your invitations.

Special order program covers will allow you to be much more creative. For instance, perhaps the two of you met at the beach or a local park. Take a photograph of the spot and use that as your program cover. Adding a vellum overleaf will cast a softness over the image. On the inside page, write a brief story in fairy tale fashion on how you met, or why both of you are drawn to that particular place. This is an ideal way to give your guests a better understanding of what brought the two of you together.

Be consistent with your paper choice, as well as the color of ink that is used for the programs. Keeping your wedding programs in the style of your invitations will be noticed. Beauty is in the details, and people do pay attention, and appreciate the effort.

The program should list the names of all your attendants, as well as the ceremony schedule. Be sure to have the correct spelling of all names and song titles, with the composer’s names also. The officiant, organist, soloist, and any other musicians, should be listed in the program.

Some couples select scripture or poetry to be printed in the program, and others may want to pay tribute to a deceased loved one. While all of these are acceptable practices, please remember that the true purpose of a wedding program is to be about the ceremony.