With the average cost of a wedding at an all-time high, brides- and grooms-to-be are likely looking for easy ways to trim the budget without sacrificing any of the important stuff -- like fun, food and guests' comfort.

We recently asked thrifty HuffPost readers for the smartest money-saving tips they learned while planning their own weddings. See what they had to say below:

10. "Look at a or weddings for discounts, and also consider weddings in December, as most venues are decorated for the holidays, which is less decorating for you!" - Tracy Englund

18. "Use herbs instead of flowers. Makes a beautiful bride's bouquet!" - Jill Trachtman Waxler

19. " I rented my wedding dress! Best savings ever!" - Shannon Muat-Jachetta

24. " Do things as nontraditionally as possible. As soon as you start dealing with vendors who specialize in weddings, you're going to have your pockets ripped out. We had a brunch wedding in October. We were married in a movie theater and had our reception in a music hall within a bar. Having a nontraditional wedding in nontraditional venues saved us a lot of money and our wedding was fun for everyone." - Amy Dillon Cody