BY CHANDRA ORR

CREATORS.COM

According to Brides magazine, the average American wedding costs close to $27,000. That's a hefty price tag when you're just starting out as a couple. You'll likely spend less on the down payment for your first home. Even a small, simple ceremony can cost a few-thousand dollars when you add up the dress, the reception hall and the food.

Going into debt for a wedding just doesn't make sense, so unless you're getting loads of help from Mom and Dad, it's time to start saving.

"After the wedding many life changes are right around the corner--a new house, a mortgage, home improvements, moving, travel and often a new baby. Couples do not want to be saddled with debt for an event that is in the past," says wedding consultant Emee Pumarega, who owns EJP Events.

"The first year of marriage can be an adjustment all by itself, so the last thing you need is to stir in financial problems," says Betsy Pruitt, a social and corporate events planner who opted for a cash-only wedding. "My husband and I planned our wedding for $8,000, which is well under half the national average.

Pruitt said she and fiance saved their tax refunds to pay for the wedding and took on some consultant work.

"If we couldn't pay for something in cash, it didn't make it into the wedding ceremony," she added.

Luckily, budget-minded brides and grooms can find plenty of small ways to save--and make--extra money in the months leading up to the nuptials.

In the end, saving a little here and a little there can really add up.

Below are some tips on how you can have a lovely wedding without going into bankruptcy.

;">Entertain at home: Instead of expensive restaurants, new releases at the theater and drinks at the club, opt to stay in for game nights with friends, BYOB wine tastings and Netflix movie marathons. Then shift those savings into the wedding fund.