The peak season for weddings is about to begin with celebrations -- and spending.

The median cost of a wedding right now is around $15,000 and Kirk Mason is breaking down the budget to see the best ways you can save a buck without compromising your dream day.

Jaci and Adam Fletcher did everything they could to save money on their wedding and they say the key to their savings was negotiating.

Jaci said, "Everything from my wedding dress to the flowers to the decorations."

Telated: http://www.sheindressau.com/wedding-dresses-adelaide

They also bargained with the caterer to allow them to provide their own alcohol.

Adam said, "We probably saved somewhere between three and five thousand on the alcohol just buying ourselves."

Consumer Reports investigated the high cost of weddings and has come up with 31 ways to save money.

Margot Gilman, with Consumer Reports, "We found ways to save on everything from the venue and the dress, to the photographer, the food, the flowers - and still have a beautiful, stylish day."

Great ways to save are:

Schedule the wedding for any time except Saturday night.

Schedule the wedding for January or February, which are often the cheapest months.

Don't let vendors charge more just because it's a wedding.

Gilman said, "In our calls, we found photographers and limo services often charged more for weddings."

But when asked, some businesses suggested lower-priced alternatives.

Some other money saving ideas are:

Limit the entree choices.

Limit the hours of the open bar, consider serving only beer and wine.

Send the photographer home an hour early. A lot of guests will have left by then.

And a final tip from the Fletchers. When it comes to flowers let your florist pick what is in season. They'll be the least expensive.

Jaci said, "To this day people say it was the best wedding they've ever been to. And that feels really good."

When it comes to planning a wedding, you may hate the thought of reading the fine print, but consumer reports says to check every contract carefully. It found some caterers included a built-in tip as high as 26 percent.

One charged a $7 per person fee to cut a cake brought in from the outside.

Source: http://www.sheindressau.com