With the uncertainty of the economy, even the best-laid plans can go awry. With wedding costs rising, you will have to be more creative and resourceful to afford your dream wedding. Investing time in the beginning will help you to make smart decisions. People are downsizing, inviting fewer people and rethinking the décor at their weddings. In these economic times, less is going to be more. Moreover, today’s brides have many more options that the brides of the past.

You have the internet! Make the internet and the telephone your best friend. You can do all of your initial research online and then hit the telephone to speak directly to the vendors that have caught your eye. Don’t forget to comparison shop.

Your guest will want to remember the feeling of love in the wedding and the happiness and joy that you are sharing with them. So, make your wedding a reflection of you and your fiancé.

Here are some smart tips to plan the wedding of your dreams on any budget:

Before you look at dresses, necklaces and tiaras, both you and your fiancé should sit down with your parents, and maybe even your grandparents (they have a lot of experience) and decide on how much total money can be spent on your wedding. Talk over what is really important to you and budget accordingly. The more organized you are, the easier it will be to stick to your budget.

? Hire professionals. Although it may seem expensive at first blush, it will be the best money that you spend. Your wedding professionals have “been there and done that” and have a wealth of information that they will be happy to share with you. Your florist, photographer, and baker have seen hundreds and hundreds of weddings and will be able to help you get the most bang for your buck! Wedding professionals are full of new and exciting ideas, make use of them.

? Scour the internet for ideas that you can incorporate into your wedding to make it the wedding of your dreams and a reflection of the two of you. Be prepared for your meetings with your wedding professionals by taking pictures that you have found and making notes of the things that you find interesting along to your meetings.

? Register for your honeymoon. If having a 12-place setting of dishes isn’t for you, an ideal way to have your guests make your honeymoon experience more special is by giving them ideas for an ideal gift for you--something that they will know that you will want and most definitely use! Contact a travel agent (another one of those professionals that we mentioned) and they will guide you in making your honeymoon a memorable experience. Travel agents are the best source of information for travel and where the best deals are. The best thing about a travel agent is that they are free: the resorts, airlines, and cruise ships, pay their fees and you only pay for the travel. Once you hire a travel agent, you will find that they have access to special pricing that the internet doesn’t have.

? Weddings are once-in-a-lifetime events so here is the best tip of all. Go to www.ido-ido.org for a list of over 160 wedding professionals that will help you in creating that wedding of your dreams no matter what your budget is!