There's no doubt about it, making the wedding of your dreams a reality is an expensive affair. This is particularly true for Asian Weddings where lavish rituals, numerous ceremonies, obsession with exceeding people's expectations and of course the inevitable one upmanship have a large part to play in hiking up the cost!

Every bride and groom wants their wedding to be the best day of their life. Unfortunately many couples don't have an unlimited budget to make this happen and they soon discover that the cost of their dream wedding is far more than they expected.

If you fall into the above category and feel like you are doomed to never receive the wedding you dreamed of, think again! Use our great tips and advice to cut back on certain costs, so your budget can accommodate those things that will make your wedding truly memorable. Affordable weddings don't mean giving up style or sentimentality, it's about getting value for money, using your imagination and relying on the help and skills of your friends and family

Gone are the days when it was assumed that the bride's parents would foot the bill for the whole wedding. Though this tradition is still prevalent, it is sensibly being phased out. If both families (that includes the parents AND you and your fiancé) can pool their resources, your wedding budget is likely to be that much larger.

Though this may go against tradition, it makes good sense. The wedding is a celebration for both families so there's no logical reason why they shouldn't both share the cost. Sharing the financial burden of the wedding will ensure that it cuts a less significant chunk out of each family's bank balance. Explain this to your fiancé and if possible, request him to approach his parents his parents about contributing to the cost of the wedding.

Part of the staggering cost associated with Asian weddings is the desire to be unique, surpass the expectations of relatives, friends and community members and make a lasting impression on your guests. This kind of approach can make your wedding a show of extravagance rather than a celebration of your love and happiness!

By all means indulge yourselves, all brides and grooms have dreams and ideas, which will make their wedding truly memorable and unique - but do it for you, not for anyone else! Creating the wedding of your dreams rather than a wedding that will surpass your whole community's expectations will cut down your wish list by half and save considerable amounts of money!

Keeping the guest list as concise as possible will reduce the cost of every aspect of your wedding; Nearly all wedding expenses are directly proportional to the number of guests you invite. This is your wedding, so you should ideally invite only those whom you would like to share your happy day with you. That way you can splurge out on the people who really matter to you.

Though this makes common sense, it may be difficult to effectuate. Small weddings are unfortunately still an unpopular option with many Asian families who like to invite whole communities to their weddings. If there's no way around this then compromise with your family members by having a huge wedding but only inviting a select number of people to your reception, which you can then make really special.

Asian weddings typically comprise numerous events before and after the wedding ceremony. Try and cut down on these so that you can devote your budget to one or two key events that will really unique and special. Missing out on a Sangeet or Sanji (Raas Garba) will give you much more money to spend on a really memorable wedding and reception.

For those pre - wedding events that are obligatory, as per your cultural traditions (e.g. Mehndi Rasam or Mandap Mahurat.) try and celebrate them on as small scale as possible, in the home, using your friends and families skills and resources, instead of those of wedding service providers. If well organised and planned with imagination and attention to detail, these can be memorable and unique events.

The words budget wedding and dream wedding should not be mutually exclusive! It's all about sorting our your priorities. If you are on a budget, determine what you cannot live without, whether it's your favourite flowers, a stunning lengha or photography by a professional whose work you admire. If you decide to splurge, it should be on the things that will matter the most to you. Accept that some expenses will have to be compromised and take a back seat.

To keep the cost of your wedding under control, work out exactly how much you can afford, come up with a budget and stick to it. Your budget should include the number of functions you are going to have, the number of people you are going to invite for each function, and a list of the services and products you will require for each event.

Once you've decided on a budget stick to it religiously. A simple way to keep to your budget is to cut your spending on other items. Consider not going on holiday the year before your wedding, cutting down on your beer consumption or your weekly shoe shopping sprees and put the money you have saved aside for your wedding.