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Here, brides reveal what they loved-and what they regretted-about how they spent their wedding budgets.

What we did RIGHT!

Lighten Up

"I wanted to copy a centerpiece I'd seen pictured in a magazine, which showed red glass votives that were going for $4 each; that seemed like too much. I searched high and low for less costly versions that looked like those in the photo. I finally ran across fantastic disposable votives at an online church-supply store. The best part? A case of 200 cost about $65, and they burned for hours! I was delighted with this wonderful—and inexpensive—alternative."

Elizabeth Philpott, 31, Tryon, NC Wedding Date: April 23, 2004

Guest Comfort

"I made a decision to spend $150 for taxi vans to shuttle our guests between the ceremony and the reception, so that I didn't have to worry about people getting lost. The vans also helped ease the parking situation around my in-laws' home, where we held the reception. It was definitely money well spent."

Keri Peckham, 28, San Diego, CA Wedding Date: July 8, 2006

This Old House

"We decided to have our reception in an amazing old house built in the 1920s. We paid under $6,500 to secure the location, food, alcohol, two bartenders, tax and gratuity. Most of the potential places we looked at cost $6,000 to $10,000 or even more than that. One of our biggest savings was on alcohol: Since we were allowed to bring it in, we bought wine and beer at Sam's Club for only about $600!"

Sara Nix, 30, Atlanta, GA Wedding Date: July 29, 2006

Fun Flip-Flops

"I had an unexpected—but altogether worthwhile—expense on my wedding day. It rained, and even though I had a tent, the ground got muddy. I sent my cousins to buy 200 pairs of flip-flops for $5 each. We had guests change into them. The result was hundreds of people with dry, happy feet."

Ann Balsamo, 34, St. Louis, MOWedding Date: May 9, 2003

Espresso, Anyone?

"When I saw espresso cups and saucers in a shop, I knew they would be the perfect favor, but they were $7 each. So I searched the Internet, and found the same ones for just $2.99 each! I bought the wrapping paper online too. I saved $600 on the favors."

Christie High, 24, Staten Island, NY Wedding Date: November 11, 2006

Picture Perfect

"We splurged on a good photography package for $5,000. We also chose not to have a video made, because I didn't want the video guy shining that annoying light in people's faces. I'm happy with the decision."

Stephanie S. Vivolo, 31, Staten Island, NYWedding Date: April 30, 2006

Floral Moral

"My best buy was my flowers. I ordered them from a wholesale florist; then I got vases for $1.99 each. Instead of spending $50 to $100 per arrangement, which could have cost anywhere from $600 to $1,200, I spent $200."

Jessica Anderson, 24, New York, NY Wedding Date: October 14, 2005

Heavenly Music

"We were very particular about choosing a band, and we spent $8,500 on it. The saxophonist and the pianist played for the cocktail hour, and at the reception, band members alternated their breaks so we always had music. It was well worth the cost."

Deborah Hewitt Findlay, 37, Massapequa, NYWedding Date: October 22, 2005

Best Buds

"I chose flowers indigenous to our reception spot in the Adirondacks—white spray roses, small white daisies and yellow and white gerbera, leather leaf and variegated ivy. For all the flowers—including bouquets, centerpieces and church flowers—the cost was about $1,900. If I had chosen calla lilies and large roses, we would have paid more than double that amount."

Jennifer Spindola, 33, White Plains, NY Wedding Date: July 22, 2006

Oops—we made a bad call!

Rush Hour

"I regret booking my wedding on a Friday instead of a Saturday. A Saturday night reservation at my venue cost $3,000, and a Friday night booking cost $1,500. Well, people got stuck in Friday rush-hour traffic, and we had to delay the ceremony for 20 minutes. After hurrying through the photos, we were a half hour late to the reception, and then we had to rush through the dances, toasts and cake-cutting. Looking back, I realize that peace of mind and our guests' comfort would have been worth the extra money."

Jessica Anderson, 24, New York, NY Wedding Date: October 14, 2005

Pot Shots

"My photography package wasn't a good value. We only paid $900, but the photographer cut my dress out of a lot of photos and didn't get a shot of us when we were presented to the guests. It wasn't a bargain—it was a big mistake!"

Sara Nix, 30, Atlanta, GA Wedding Date: July 29, 2006

Take the Cake, Please

"My baker told me that in order to feed my 300 guests, I needed two sheet cakes, in addition to my three-tier wedding cake. I was shocked to find that all this came to nearly $600, with the sheet cakes alone accounting for half the cost. I ended up with three-quarters of the actual wedding cake left over because they cut the sheet cakes first!"

Brittney Maxfield, 23, Salt Lake City, UTWedding Date: January 6, 2006

Music Man—Not

"We did not think we could afford a live band, so we decided to go with a DJ whom we agreed to pay $400. Despite giving him a play list, he didn't play half the songs we wanted. In fact, he seemed very fond of music I don't like, such as 1970s rock, country music and 1980s love ballads. It wasn't worth it."

Abbi Holtom Whitaker, 30, Reno, NV Wedding Date: September 16, 2006

Send Me No Roses

"I had a destination wedding in the Bahamas and was determined that each of my 10 tables be decorated with a dozen and a half roses. I was warned they would have to be shipped in—and wouldn't be cheap. I ordered them anyway. They cost $1,600, but at the end of the weekend no one wanted to take them home on the plane. Afterward, I realized that I could have used local hibiscus flowers, which were actually included in the wedding package."

Maggie Crouse, 28, Portsmouth, NH Wedding Date: March 19, 2005

Who Needs 'Em?

"We decided to have bar napkins stamped with our names and wedding date because our friends would probably spend a lot of time at the bar. We paid $1 a napkin, and bought 200 of them. But the bartender forgot to put them out, so we're still using them! I wish I had put that money toward an additional food item for the cocktail hour."

Keri Peckham, 28, San Diego, CA Wedding Date: July 8, 2006

Photo Diva

"My photographer annoyed everyone, from the maitre d' to the musicians, because his ego was huge. It took three tries for him to get my album right because he refused to hear what I wanted. I would rather have used someone less expensive (he cost $16,000!) and put the money toward a lobster course."

Deborah Hewitt Findlay, 37, Massapequa, NY Wedding Date: October 22, 2005

Food Shortage

"We budgeted $4,000 for an hors d'oeuvres reception. Our planner told us how many people each platter of food would feed. We calculated how many we'd need for 100 guests and even purchased three extras. But we still ran out of food! I wish we had gotten at least 10 more platters, which would only have cost about another $500."

Trish Stack, 26, Boise, ID, Wedding Date: May 22, 2004