The average wedding costs around $20,000. To avoid the high costs of a ‘traditional’ wedding, many brides are turning to budget weddings. But finding discounts and staying on budget is far from easy. Even if you get your dream wedding for well under the average price, you still have quite the challenge ahead of you. Here is what you need to know before you decide whether a budget wedding is right for you.

Greatest Challenges to Budgeting

The most obvious challenge to planning a wedding on a budget is, well, the money. It can be stressful to keep prices under control. But there are other unexpected challenges.

For example, it takes exponential creativity to come up with ideas to remain under budget. From music selections to venue choices, creativity is important if you want to save on costs.

Time is another challenge. Large wedding budgets allow brides to hire wedding planners. Wedding planners take a huge time burden off brides. Instead, all they have to do is say yes or no on the tiniest of details. Budget brides don’t have that luxury. They have to spend months finding budget-friendly venues, caterers and more. In other words, you have to plan far longer if you’re on a budget.

Flexibility is also important. Have your heart set on that Vera Wang gown? If the venue falls through and you have to find another quickly, you might not be able to buy the gown you want. It’s critical you stay flexible when unexpected issues arise.

You Can Get Discounts

Staying on a budget doesn’t have to be awful. You can find killer discounts on your basic wedding needs. For example, Groupon offers insane discounts on spa days, massages, and even hair stylists. LivingSocial offers similar discounts on venues and party supplies. Check there first before you pay full price.

If you or your husband is active military or are veterans you can also receive discounts on venues and even food for your reception.

Another thing you can do is sign up for newsletters of the businesses you love the most. If you like an item they offer, sign up and wait for them to send you coupons and discounts. You’d be surprised by how many deals you can score just by sharing your email address with your favorite suppliers.

Wedding expos and social media can be equally as important in your quest for a discount. Again, following your favorite brands on Facebook and Instagram can keep you in the loop if sales are announced.

Choose the Right Theme

You might not think it, but the wedding theme you choose can dictate the cost of your wedding. Ultra-glam weddings are obviously going to cost more than cheap-chic weddings.

Think long and hard about your theme and how much it will cost once your wedding day has come and gone. And will it really make a difference if you have burlap instead of a gold dusted cake? Probably not.

Don’t hesitate to choose a theme that allows you to go the DIY route. It will be so much easier to stay on budget.

Planning a wedding on a budget doesn’t have to be miserable. You can have the wedding of your dreams without throwing away thousands of dollars. That’s perhaps the biggest secret of them all!