Wedding Budget Tips brought to you by: Bravo Bride

* Talk to your favorite restaurant to see how much it would cost to rent a private room or even the whole place. This is an option that works best during non-peak hours, as the restaurant might not want to lose their busy weekend crowd.

* Avoid planning your event during typically busy times like June or around Valentine’s Day. During the “off season”, many places will work with you on the price.

* Earn frequent flyer miles for your honeymoon by paying wedding costs with a credit card. Just make sure to pay the balance in full each month to avoid interest charges.

* Find one location for your ceremony and reception to avoid having to provide transportation between venues.

* Skip the champagne and let guests toast with what they are already drinking.

* Reduce the length of your reception, and don’t announce a last call for drinks.

* Book in advance since last minute bookings are usually more expensive due to the extra work involved to coordinate everything.

* Hire a student quartet to play during your ceremony or cocktail hour. Check with local colleges and universities.

* For inexpensive wedding favors, bake cookies or make your own sachets filled with Jordan almonds.

* Using an online budget tracker to keep your wedding finances in order and help control overspending.

* It costs merchants an average of 2% (or more) to process a credit card transaction so pay cash for all or part of the more expensive components of the wedding and ask for a cash discount.