Couple wages war against pricy weddings

Anyone who has ever seriously devoted themselves to wedding planning knows that it is only too easy to exceed even the best-laid budgets.

This is why a story about a couple coming in under budget - while still creating the day of their dreams - is always welcome.

Sara Cotner and Matt Bradford of Houston, Texas set out to spend no more than $2,000 on their nuptials, including both a ceremony and reception for 80 people - and they did it, documenting their story on their blog, 2000dollarwedding.com.

In addition to some serious bargain-hunting, a do-it-yourself aesthetic and a commitment to substance over pricy style, the couple cut costs by using an environmentally friendly jeweler called greenKarat to create their rings out of old gold.

"They were made from the recycled gold of our friends and family, so they have a ton of sentimental and symbolic value," Sara explained. "It's as if we took all of their influence and are now shaping it into something new."

Not only did the pair find a new take on "something old, something new," but they did it while spending less than $150 on both rings.