We’re just a few months from prom and wedding season which means that now is the time that many women are planning their outfit for the big day.

It’s not all about the dress, though! A sparkling tiara is an elegant way to top off a stunning formal look.

Makes a great gift!

Price: $13.99

Cathy asked:

Can we maybe have a wedding special. You know, where to get cheap dresses, suits, catering etc…

I’d like to throw it open to you, dear readers.

Did you get married on a tight budget?

Have you been to a fantastic bargain-priced wedding?

If so, please share your favourite cheap wedding ideas!

(PS: Want more wedding info? Read about My big fat budget wedding, Why expensive weddings are crazy and Tips for saving money on your wedding.)

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So, you’re engaged and planning the wedding. Which would you prefer: to start married life with a huge pile of debt, or to begin with a clean financial slate?

The first year of married life is already a time of great stress, as you both work out how to have a happy marriage, so why add financial pressure to the mix?

Here’s some ways to rethink your wedding plans and bring them back in line with your…

A perfect gift is something the recipient will use and enjoy. That means it’s different for every person, and rarely as generic as most of the gifts in catalogues and ‘what to buy’ guides.

Since Christmas is the most intense gift-buying period of the year, I’d like to share some of the things I’ve learnt about picking great gifts.

Weddings these days are expensive affairs. The average bill is now $28,700 in Australia, £17,740 in Britain and $22,360 in the USA. That seems completely crazy to me.

As a cheapskate bride who’s now happily married, I want to let you in on a secret: your wedding’s only the first day of your marriage. It’s what comes afterwards that’s really important… and if that’s a big pile of debt, you’re getting off on the wrong foot.

For some…

Mr BQ and I got married in November last year… and it was certainly a bargain wedding!

Admittedly, we didn’t have a traditional wedding with all the trimmings — but we didn’t want one. We had a very low-key, family-only event, which was actually a lot of fun.

It took a lot of stubbornness on our part to have the wedding we wanted. There’s a huge amount of pressure to spend up big on a wedding. If…