The biggest way to reduce your own expenses relating to the wedding party is to limit the number of attendants. While you want to have your friends who have been near and dear to you as your attendants, remember that you are including them by inviting them to your ceremony.

Every groomsman needs a boutonnière, every bridesmaid needs a bouquet, and they all need thank-you gifts. But keep in mind that you aren't the only one spending money on your wedding day.

Attending You Can Be Expensive

The financial cost of being an attendant can be steep. Your maid of honor and bridesmaids have to pay for their dresses and any necessary alterations, jewelry and accessories, dress shoes, hair and makeup charges, special undergarments, travel expenses, bachelorette-party expenses, and shower and wedding presents.

The groomsmen have it easier. They pay for the rental of their tuxes, dress shoes, maybe some dark socks, bachelor-party expenses, and a wedding gift. As you might imagine, your attendants feel honored to be a part of your wedding ceremony, but they're also keeping an eye on their own budgets.

If you want to have a destination wedding that will involve steep travel expenses, you should inform prospective attendants of the ceremony location before inviting them to be in the wedding party. That way your friends will know up front of potential costs before they get excited and agree, only to have to decline later when they realize they can't afford it.

Informing your attendants of the wedding date as far ahead as possible is vital so they can begin their own planning and budgeting. After close family members, they should be the first ones told of your wedding plans and the first to receive save-the-date cards.

You Can Control Some Expenses

One of the ways you can help your maid of honor and bridesmaids save is by choosing gowns that they can wear again. For a winter wedding, think about having beautiful cashmere twin sets and satin skirts. Spring? One spring wedding featured attendants dressed in white linen blouses tied at the waist and long floral skirts. For summer — spaghetti-strap dresses with pretty matching wraps.

You can also help keep costs down by letting your attendants wear their own dress-appropriate shoes. Some brides want their attendants to wear dyed-to-match shoes, which can be expensive as well as not always a color they will wear again. How often will you wear a pair of peachtoned satin shoes or a pair of strappy silver sandals with three-inch heels if you're a casual kind of girl?

One bride wanted all of her attendants to join her at her favorite salon on her wedding day, and the price tag was stiff for most of them — particularly the mom of the flower girl, who never envisioned that she'd have to pay $30 to have her little girl's hair combed into a simple style with a bow.

The groom can help his groomsmen save by not requiring that they rent their dress shoes from the tuxedo rental store, something the store personnel will try to emphasize they must do for a good look. The groomsmen will also appreciate wearing their own season-appropriate suits to a less formal wedding, saving on the cost of the tuxedo rental.

Inviting the wedding party to meals and special celebration dinners and making certain either that they do not pay or that the charges are very reasonable, will also be appreciated by the budget-conscious. Who wants to spend a lot on airfare and wedding attire, take time off from work, and then find that they must pull out their wallet for every meal — especially at expensive restaurants!