The cost of an average wedding & ideas on how to have a lavish wedding without the lavish price tag!

While browsing through Pinterest, I came upon a very interesting diagram. The average cost of a wedding in the United States will shock you! When you look at everything on the same page like the diagram below, it really puts cost into perspective. Thank goodness DIY is so popular and weddings are only as expensive as you want them to be. How much do you plan on spending? Does your budget match the average costs?

Here's an idea: instead of having a sit down dinner for your guests, have a wine, cheese, and cracker reception. It's potentially cheaper than a dinner could be- depending on your budget- and the idea is that your guests aren't at the reception to fill themselves up,  but they're there to celebrate the union of two very special people and their families. Choose three to five different cheeses and pair them with different wines. Wine and beer would be the only choices for alcoholic beverages, but that would be enough. This is especially wonderful if you live near a specialty food store and could potentially get a good deal for cheeses in bulk! Have a light desert and that makes for a lovely late afternoon reception.