Maybe you want a fairy tale wedding, but you don't necessarily want to sacrifice all the college money for your future kids. Sure, that's what most of us want. Unfortunately, it's hard to have 'budget weddings' that are truly within budget. There are a lot of ways to avoid stepping on one of those financial minefields that explode the cost of your wedding. Here are just a few.

Don't Hire Unnecessary People:

You can have music at your wedding without having to surrender thousands of dollars to a performer or a band. Here's another option: Make a bunch of CDs with all your favorite music, then have a friend or family member play them for you. It works especially well if you have a CD player with a large disk changer. This little trick and others can save you at least $1000, if not more. This is one way to pull off cheap weddings.

Keep it Smaller:

You may be feeling the pressure to invite anyone and everyone who is remotely connected to your family and friends. Don't do it! Keep the wedding small and only invite your very best friends. And your family too, of course. Anyone else should be left out. Ask your friends and family not to bring guests, and stick to the invited people only. This way, you don't have to worry about the expense of feeding all of these people.

Think About Food:

Food costs a ton, and will be a major expense for your wedding. Avoid fancy little foods that nobody normally eats, especially the ones that few people can pronounce properly. Instead, consider something like a potluck wedding, or make simple hors d'oeuvres that you can enlist a few friends to help with. Budget weddings can be just as wonderful as expensive weddings, and you won't spend yourself into a pit. Who wants to enter their marriage in debt?