These days, many couples are looking for ways to have a budget wedding.  The creative types have come up with all kinds of alternative universe scenarios, while the sensible types consider practical solutions such as eloping to Romantic  St. Augustine, Florida.  Seriously though, there have been some crazy ideas tossed around and here are a few that we have found.

1. Ditch the wedding photographer – Why pay a wedding photographer when all of your friends have a 2+ megapixel cell camera with them already.  Have a competition offering up prizes for the “best of” shots covering several categories.  Make the prizes things you were already going to have at the wedding reception anyway.  For example, offer a bottle of champagne to the winners.  You already were going to have 30 bottles at the reception anyway so why not just let a few lucky guests carry one around with them?  It also saves on the cost of waiters.  They won’t get far without someone demanding a refill.

2. BYOB – Use the excuse that your friends have such refined beverage tastes that you don’t want to insult them by serving anything they don’t like.  For example; Bud Light instead of Miller Light.

3. Potluck – Celebrate the diversity of your friends and family by asking them to bring their favorite family recipe to the reception including a place card explaining the history and significance of the dish.  Of your course, you don’t give a hoot about the history or significance as long as it serves at least 30-40 or your guests.

4. Corporate Sponsorship – Convince your boss and the boss of your betrothed that the latest thing in social media advertising is to sponsor a social event – like your wedding reception!

5. Sell DVD’s – Take advance orders at the reception for the DVD of the video your friend is taking of the reception with his/her iPhone.  Title it something like “Guests Gone Wild” and then encourage everyone to be ridiculous at the reception – as if they will need any encouragement anyway.

6. Marry via Twitter or Skype – Instead of going to the expense of having an actual wedding, have a virtual wedding.  Make sure to upload everything immediately afterwards to YouTube and it just might go viral.  If you get enough hits you can even put in an advertising link and pay for your honeymoon!

Or, you could simply forgo all of that and plan to elope to St. Augustine, Florida.  In fact, if you do elope not only will you save a considerable amount of money over a traditional wedding, but you’ll have enough left over to do something that most people can only dream about; have fun at your own wedding!  Imagine being able to get married, have a honeymoon, go shopping and do all of the fun things you would want to do on a vacation for about the same price as a wedding dress. Don’t waste time figuring out how to scrimp, save and pay for the perfect wedding day.  Instead make an entire week of it with less hassle and expense and just elope to St. Augustine.