Planning a wedding yourself not only saves money but, gives that personal touch that provides lasting family memories. Personal touches like creating your own wedding favors and planning your own reception can be particularly satisfying.

We’re all for used dresses. But keep in mind, it’s best to look locally as used dresses have been altered, and are no longer true to their label size. If you check out local classifieds, you can meet the seller, try on the dress, inspect it for damages or stains and then negotiate a deal.

The other options are to look for new dresses in classifieds or to buy a new dress and sell it afterwards to recoup about 50% of your cost. Often there are people who wind up with two dresses after a change in location, or just being indecisive and have to sell one.