You want your wedding day to be the perfect day of your life. But with limited finances, you can only do so much. Planning a wedding budget seems to be every bit as hard and tiring as the day of the wedding itself. You have a lot of things to consider – guests, reservation fees and invitations and wedding favors among others.

Beware of additional expenses when planning your wedding. You can get carried away by a lot of things and your expenses can pile up faster than you can say “stop!” If you need to have that wedding in, oh, I don’t know, say a week from now, then just consider going to Las Vegas and get married there. (Really, no fanfare, great budget wedding packages and no guests to pay for lodging or airfare.) If you’re more on the traditional side though and deems fit a wedding even for paupers, then you have to plan it way in advance, considering the budget that you have.

Here are a couple of tips to help you get started on your planning:

1. Make your guest list. Some couples have the unfortunate notion that making a guest list would rank way down in the top things to do … until you do something that needs a number. Remember, most venues would initially ask how for your headcount so that they can also prepare for seats and decide on which room/place/space to use. You can’t cramp a hundred people into a 50-seater church capacity now, can you?

2. Schedule your weddings off-season. In some cultures, June is the month to enjoy wedded bliss. Why? The tradition actually dates back to Ancient Rome when the month of June was the time that they paid homage to Juno, the goddess of marriage. It is also said that if a couple got married in June and the wife conceived quickly, then she would give birth just before harvest time. Whatever the reason may be, it has become a tradition, and most weddings take place, if not exactly in June, between May to October of each year. Which means that if you’re also aspiring to become a June bride with no haggling powers (because of the budget), then you might as well re-schedule to a later date. Remember, you’re not the only one getting married – lots of brides and wedding planners are booking for the exact same thing as you are. So there’s a lot of competition when it comes to florists, limousines, and even the cake shop. Also, avoid festivities such as Thanksgiving until late December as you will then be competing with Christmas party organizers. Valentines Day is a no-no because of the high prices of flowers, especially since you have a limited budget. Best that you set it in the months of January to April and late October-early November, just to be safe. Should you really need to be married during peak season, it would be good if you can plan your wedding at least a year in advance just so you’d know that it would be flawless.

3. Have a theme. A themed wedding is a great way to cut costs. It can actually hide what’s lacking. Whether it be flowers strewn by the church pews or missing prime-cut steaks at the reception, your guests won’t miss a thing. Have a beach wedding – you won’t even need to buy shoes! A garden wedding would be nice too. Or serve a banquet at your backyard – no more restaurant costs, plus great memories and bonding time for the couple and the guests.

If there are a lot of things to do, don’t let pride get in your way. You can ask for help from family and friends – another great way to add to those beautiful memories.