Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston spent tens of thousands on fireworks at their wedding. And Madonna shelled out almost $300,000 for Champagne.
Then there's the rest of us.
Like Jessica Shearman, who served White Castle burgers and cheese and crackers at her wedding in June 2003. "We didn't have any money, and no one else was paying for the wedding, so we went cheap," says the 33-year-old of her Gramercy Park nuptials.
More and more couples are bucking the blow-your-savings-trend, ditching the white chocolate truffle cakes and ice sculptures. They're getting creative with less pricey ways to celebrate their unions.
"You don't have to keep up with the Joneses," says Rosanna McCollough, editor-in-chief of WeddingChannel.com. "There are brides and grooms who make it a grand event and others who recognize the importance of the day, but think it's too much of an extravagance to spend a ton of money for just a few hours."
"The trend these days is not to do these big fancy commercial weddings," says Erika Lenkert, entertainment expert and author of "The Last Minute Party Girl," an on-the-cheap planning guide. "People are increasingly leaning toward less orchestrated and more organic weddings that they can integrate their own style into. I find the less money you have, the more clever you are."
And the more practical, too. According to McCollough, there are several key things couples can do to cut costs. The first is to be meticulous with the food and beverage list, which can account for up to 40%-50% of the wedding budget.
Saturday Night Price Fever
"Think about whether you really have to have a Saturday night dinner, because it costs more, foodwise," she says. "Maybe you can opt to do brunch or lunch."
Shameeka Silver, 28, who works for Verizon, scaled back food and beverage costs for her $9,500 wedding by buying $650 worth of liquor in New Jersey, where there's a lower sales tax. As for food, the Brooklyn native bought her own, including salmon, turkey and macaroni and cheese, and got her uncle, a chef, to do the cooking.
Party expert Lenkert encourages couples to follow in Silver's footsteps.
"Most people are thrilled to be included in the specialness of your day," she says. That was true for Sarah Klein and David Kwan, whose $12,000 ceremony cost less than half the national average (a whopping $27,000) spent by most couples. (<-every wedding I've been to so far has cost WAY more than that)
Klein and Kwan's friends did everything from making the bouquet to deejaying (the couple bought a 1930s Victrola for $40 off Craigslist) to officiating at the ceremony.
"People were really eager to do things for us," says Klein, 36, an art teacher. "You have to give up a bit of control when you do that. Just letting people know got the ball rolling. And it wasn't all about saving money. We didn't want to have strangers doing these things for us."
Another area to save is flowers, which represent about 8%-10% of the total budget. It's important to be flexible, says McCollough.
"There's no rule that says you have to have fresh flowers. Use hurricane lamps as your centerpieces or transport the ceremony flowers to the reception."
Or just make your own. Silver saved big time on decorating expenses by scouring 99-cent stores and wholesale shops for candles and artificial blooms, which she used to make her own centerpieces.
Ailza Karathomas, who married husband Nicholaos on Oct. 3 in Hempstead, L.I., thinks couples shouldn't worry about decorations at all.
She simply recycled. "Most brides shouldn't even bother with the decorations if they're going to be at a church, because they tend to book back to back, especially on Sundays," says the 29-year-old food-service manager. "The church I got married in was like that. They just kept the same decorations."
A sample of savings
Hitting sample sales is the key to cutting dress costs. Vera Wang's annual bargain blowout is one of the most popular in the city. But lesser-known events, including the ones listed on NYSale.com, can be a budget girl's gold mine. Even J. Crew offers economical - but still elegant - options, like a $550 satin empire-waisted strapless gown and a $180 tricotine silk dress.
And if a cheap gown is good enough for celebs, it's good enough for us. Singer/songwriter Michelle Branch personalized her $300 dress by tea-staining it and sewing on a vintage rose. The 21-year-old also opted for a destination wedding on an island near Mexico, another option that's surprisingly budget-minded.
"Destination weddings can be cost effective because the average wedding has 164 guests. But a destination wedding has around 54," says Millie Bratten, editor in chief of Bride's magazine. "Plus you can have your honeymoon there. All you have to do is send everyone home."
Some resorts, like Sandals, even offer packages that include the wedding ceremony for free.
Money, after all, shouldn't be the main focus of your big day.
"The biggest thing is hospitality," Bratten says. "It doesn't have to be expensive. Just make it special."
That's something David Kwan understands.
"The best money you can spend is your own sweat. We worked hard and the payoff was a high-quality wedding that was priceless. If I had to do it over again, I wouldn't change a thing."
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So how many of you girls out there would be cool with serving White Castles at your wedding? 
Damn I could go for some right now. I'm hungry~ 
, a BIG reason behind the attacks on 9/11 was due to the U.S.'s support of Israel. In the Bin Laden video released last week, he even said he got the idea for 9/11 after watching buildings in Lebanon destroyed by U.S. supported Israel.
(Although the typical slutty schoolgirl/cop/nurse/etc. might be more appealing to the guys)
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