Planning a wedding can be an expensive time for most couples so if you're worrying about your financial situation, you're definitely not alone. Going all out for your dream day doesn't mean you can't be frugal at the same time. Here we share 10 great ways of saving a few precious pennies when it comes to your wedding venue...

1. Buy your own wine. Most venues will offer their own wine options with dinner but many will be open to you bringing your own along too. This means you can cut out the middle man and buy directly from wine suppliers yourself. Just be warned that while you will definitely save a few quid on each bottle of wine, your venue might still charge corkage. Check this out with your venue first.

2. Cut down on the menu options. Some venues have options of up to five courses per guest, most of which is not eaten. Cut your menu down to three courses - a starter, main course and dessert and it will help you save a few pennies. If you want to avoid dessert altogether, serve your cake as your third course instead. You can't go wrong with cake!

3. Don't provide evening food for every single guest. Ordering evening food for your wedding guests always goes down a treat, but rather than ordering for your total guest list, cut it down a percentage and you can be sure you'll still have plenty to go around. Chances are the 150 people you had at your sit down meal won't all be diving in for the sandwiches at 11pm. Order for 100 of your guests instead and you can be sure there will be more than enough to go around.

4. Make your own favours or ditch them altogether. Favours are only small, that's a given, but even if the cost just €2 or €3 a pop, it's a few hundred quid you can knock off your photographer or florist instead. Cutting down on the small things can make a big difference in the end.

5. Book your wedding day for midweek. Most brides and grooms want to plan their big day for a Friday or Saturday, making the whole weekend a party and ensuring their guests don't have to book a day off work. But by booking earlier in the week, you could have a better chance of booking that expensive wedding venue you've been dreaming about but can't quite afford. Your guests will be just as pleased to take a day or two off earlier in the week and it means you have a weekend of celebrations to follow!

6. Make some dents in that guest list. This isn't always the easiest thing to do, especially if you've already taken people off the initial invite list. But if you've a dream venue in mind and your guest list is what's stopping you booking it, another glance at guest numbers might be worth a check. Not only will you save on food and drink but it will cut the cost of your invites too. Worth a thought!

7. Get married in the same venue as your reception. That's if your heart isn't already set on a church or a special location for the ceremony. Ceremony fees can be high by themselves and one way to cut the cost is by having a ceremony in your reception venue. You'll save on extra venue costs, transport and if can even use the same flowers and decorations for the ceremony and the reception.

8. Negotiate with your venue. Don't be afraid to chat with your venue to see if you can haggle any of the costs. They're used to brides and their budgets and will be able to help you cut costs where you can. Perhaps they can include some table linen and seating covers in the package or might let corkage or cake cutting costs take a back seat.

9. Reconsider the sit down meal. If your style of wedding is more laid back and casual than prim and proper, why not consider a buffet meal or BBQ instead of a four course plated dinner? Informal dining is trendy and if it suits the style of your wedding, it will cut the costs down hugely without compromising on your celebrations.

10. Don't get carried away with the extras. Chipper vans, ice-cream trucks, photo booths and sweetshop carts are all amazing, quirky little extras that wedding guests love. But if you're really trying to cut back on the budget, avoid getting tempted by the entertainment extras. Your guests are there to celebrate your big day and once there's food, fun and dancing, they'll have the best time anyway!