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With weddings becoming more and more expensive — according to CostofWedding.com, U.S. couples spend an average of $25,656 on their big day, and that figure doesn't include the cost of a honeymoon — brides are constantly looking for ways to achieve their dream day for less.

Although weddings can be super pricey, there are always ways, big and small, to save a few dollars. We asked money-savvy brides to spill their best tips!

How to Save on Your Ceremony and Reception

1. Marry during the off-season.
Venues and hotels usually lower their rates during the off-season (which is from November through April), so planning your wedding during this time could help you cut major costs, like it did for Melissa Phillips from New Milford, NJ, who's getting married on January 18th.

Plus, this gives you the opportunity to play up the colder weather and feature unique wedding details that wouldn't be possible during warmer months, like a hot chocolate bar complete with marshmallows and whipped cream!

2. Take advantage of the holidays.
If you marry during the holiday season, you could benefit from beautiful churches and venues that are pre-decorated with flowers, lights and holiday sparkle, keeping out-of-pocket décor costs down to a minimum.

"I always dreamt of getting married during Christmas, with the church ablaze with red poinsettas and my bridesmaids in red and green velvet dresses," says New York City bride Samuella Becker-Maltese.

Why is there glitter everywhere? Why is everything SO EXPENSIVE?

1. When you realize your fiancé knows nothing about what weddings cost:

Them: “I KNOW my sister’s wedding didn’t cost more than $5K!”

You: “Your sister’s venue alone cost $10K.”

2. When you realize wedding ~inspiration~ is a cruel joke:

Q. Before she marries, my daughter asked me to host a luncheon for hometown friends and church members not invited to the wedding (five hours away). She would also like to have her fIancé and bridesmaids at the luncheon. How can I pull this off?

It's not uncommon to shed a tear or two during the bride's dance with her husband or father. However, at Greta Perske's wedding on October 10th, guests were overcome with emotion when she dedicated a song to a man she had only met once before.

The leukemia survivor surprised all of her loved ones by honoring her bone marrow transplant donor, Danny Daniels. The pair danced to "Angels Among Us" by Alabama for their special moment; a perfect song because not only did he save her life but also the lives of countless others as a former member of the Air Force National Guard.

How do you celebrate 60 years of wedded bliss? This musically-inclined couple created a sweet video playing a piano duet to Up's "Married Life," interspersed with their photos together through the years. Their story is a happier tale than Carl and Ellie's in the Disney/Pixar flick, but the love they have for each other is just as evident. 

We've seen a lot of creepy/cool engagement photos over the years, but this one might just take the cake. Inspired by the zombie-themed engagement shoots that went viral, bride-to-be Vanesa Lawson and her fiancé Josh Morden decided to draw inspiration from classic slasher flick Friday the 13th for their photos.

There's nothing more heartbreaking than losing a parent, but a terminally ill father said goodbye to his four children in the most loving way possible: walking them down the aisle.

When Ken McHugh was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2010, he was told he had a maximum of two years left. Now 47, he's defied all odds and lived to see his oldest child graduate high school and go off to college, and his two eldest attend prom.

There's nothing more adorable than a flower girl and ring bearer walking down the aisle together, hand in hand. But things don't always go as planned. No matter how many times you practice before the big day with your child attendants, there's no escaping that fact that kids are unpredictable; what will they actually do when all eyes are on them?

The crazy antics of these flower girls and ring bearers — from chucking the ring pillow across the room to taking a nap right in the middle of the ceremony — are guaranteed to make you laugh.

Sarah Ray and her husband Paul experienced the unthinkable on their wedding day — a driver ran a red light and slammed into their relatives' car on their way to the reception. What makes their story even more remarkable is that they're both paramedics, and they rushed to assist moments after saying "I do" at Clarksville Grace Church of the Nazarene in Clarksville, Tennessee.