You have got it all figured out: from the flowers, the dress, the food, the music, the cake to the number of guests. You even have a specific shoe for your cute little ring bearer. But you have one problem though. You don't have the money to pull it all off. Starting you life together with debt up to your neck is definitely not an option. So what you do, you delay the wedding for a couple of months or years for you to save enough money.

Yes, that is always an option, but here's another thing that you can do. You can get a little bit more creative and find alternative and more affordable choices so that you can pull that wedding off on the scheduled day. Here are helpful tips to get your wedding plans into perspective and more importantly, within the reach of your budget.

1. Pick your guests carefully.

Of course, if you have it your way, you would love to share this special day with everyone that you know. But please do not try to invite the whole block to your wedding. Majority of your budget goes to the reception and food so it would be a good idea to moderate the number of guests you invite to your wedding day. Pick only family and very close friends. It would also be extra romantic to make your wedding intimate and small, sharing it with very close friends and dear family members.

2. Do not try to carry the whole financial load by yourself.

Remember, you are just one person so try not to claim all the expenses. Your family is there for a purpose, to give you emotional and financial support. So split the expenses. Make a plan as to who pays for what. The more people who will like to help put, the lighter the expenses will be for everyone.

3. Stick to the wedding budget – seriously.

Make a wedding budget and follow it to the dot. It may be very tempting when you see something on the newest wedding magazine that you never saw before. And then you think, “This will go perfectly with my motif;” so before you even go on, control yourself and stick to the original plan. This will help you avoid any unnecessary purchases that will stretch your budget even more.

4. Plan your wedding off the season.

Yes, weddings also have their peak seasons and off seasons. Similarly, peak seasons are the times when everything you need to buy for weddings is at sky high rates. So keep away from those times and plan your weddings around the months of March to May and September to October instead (which are off-peak months).

5. Have a weekday wedding.

Renting for reception areas during the weekdays are always cheaper compared to the weekend rates. And since you are only inviting a handful of people, then it wouldn't be too hard to pre-arrange their schedules for a weekday event.

Weddings don't have to be extremely expensive to be very memorable. What's important is that you spend it with family and friends. It's up to you to make it special.