On your wedding day, you want to look beautiful. All eyes will be on you as you walk down the aisle, and the pictures will be decorating your home for decades to come. However, wedding costs are soaring. The average cost of weddings, according to the Association of Bridal Consultants, is $28,082. The biggest percentage of your budget will go towards the venue and catering. Attire, accessories, makeup and hair costs average almost $2000. Out of that, about $400 is regulated to the groom’s cost with the rest spent on the bride. However, you do not have to feel like your only option is to shop the sale rack or the cheap bridal stores. With these tips, you will learn to how to look great and minimize your wedding costs, while still finding your perfect gown.

Makeup and Hair: Do it Yourself
The easiest way to save money is to do your own hair and makeup. The average makeup, hair and spa costs for weddings total $130, but you can end up paying that amount just for your hair. However, there are many elegant hairstyles that you can easily do yourself. You can further save costs through skipping a professional makeup application, manicure and pedicure. All three of these can easily be done yourself. If you want to feel pampered, you might recruit a fashionable or skilled friend to do your hair, makeup, and nails instead. You will get the feeling of being professionally made up and look great, but without the cost. It can be fun to do it this way, too, especially if your friend is enthusiastic about helping you on your big day.

Don’t Buy a New Gown
A wedding gown can cost thousands of dollars, especially if you shop for a designer creation. However, there are options for getting the perfect designer gown without shelling out so much money. There are numerous places where you can buy secondhand wedding dresses, especially online. There are also services where you can rent a gown. Although many brides enjoy having a keepsake gown, it is not realistic to pay so much money on something you only wear once when you can save money through renting. Your pictures and video will offer you beautiful, timeless keepsakes.

Think Outside the Box
Another way to save money on your gown is to think outside the box. If you shop at vintage and thrift stores, you might find something really unique without having to spend a lot of money. You should also consider your mother or grandmother’s wedding gown, which will add a sense of family tradition to your wedding. If you know someone who can sew really well, design your own. You will still have to pay for the materials, but overall, you will save money and have a one-of-a-kind dress. Another way to save is to think beyond the traditional white wedding dress. You might find more options for the perfect dress at a more reasonable price.

Accessories
Accessory costs can add up before you realize it. The average cost for accessories is $300, including the headpiece and veil. But as with the dress, you can save money on your veil or headpiece through renting, buying second hand, shopping vintage and thrift stores, or using a family hand me down. Alternatively, go without and just put flowers in your hair or use an inexpensive decorative clip or comb. You can do the same for your jewelry, or look for inexpensive costume jewelry. Jewelry is also the perfect place for your “something borrowed.”

Special guest post provided to Jen is on a Journey.