If you’re a soon-to-be bride, you’ve probably noticed that it’s wedding expo season.

But before you grab your BFF, MOM and HTB (husband-to-be) and head out to one of these wedding extravaganzas, heed these money (and sanity) saving tips from celebrity wedding planner David Tutera who makes an appearance in Atlanta on Saturday at the Bridal Extravaganza of Atlanta.

Tutera, host of We TV’s “My Fair Wedding” and his upcoming “Dream Bigger Tour,” travels the country talking to brides. Their number one question: How to have the wedding of their dreams without breaking the bank?

“It is the question consistently asked,” says Tutera by phone. While industry figures for the cost of weddings have increased overall, the average price of individual weddings is down from $32,000 to $22,000, he says.

And though many see the grandiose weddings Tutera plans on his television show, what they don’t see are the ones he plans for people on a budget.  

Atlanta brides (and Southern brides in general) tend to be much more traditional and have a longer lead time in the planning of their weddings – at least 12 months or more, Tutera says. More time to plan may mean more time to save. Here’s how to make time work for you:

Simplify. “Simplifying the details doesn’t mean you’re doing a less than over-the-top wedding,” Tutera says. It means getting the details just right and not overspending on things that are not as important to you.

Less (money) can be more. “I just did a wedding a couple of months ago that was $2.5 million,” Tutera says. “It was an amazing wedding. Have I done weddings that are a teeny percentage of that that were better? Absolutely.” It is not about the money, he says, it is about the energy of the event.

Trim the guests. “If you have 150 guests really look at the list and see if you can scale it down to 100,” he says. His rule of thumb? “When you look at the photos in 10 years, will you know who these people are?”

Drop some drinks: Choose a specialty drink and serve wine and prosecco instead of champagne, he says. But never have a cash bar. “I never have cash on me so I would be pissed,” Tutera says.

Cut down on cake: Do you need a $2,000 cake? Really? Maybe you and your HTB met over ice cream – have an ice cream bar and a small cake instead, Tutera says. Which brings us to…

Set your own trends: The biggest trend going forward is being you and not copying someone else, says Tutera. “[Couples] get lost in all the craziness. They are so blurry-eyed by too much information, [the wedding] loses the personality of who they are. If you can remind yourself that there are two of you and you need to tell the story of who you are as a couple, you set the trends.”

Get the right dress: Tutera launched a line of bridal gowns to address one of the biggest problems in the industry -- “Girls don’t have a good place for solutions. They go to the places that have the worst product,” he says. “Brides now more than ever are doing this without their moms. They don’t know fashion; they don’t know their body types.”

Take advantage of bridal shows. The shows are a great place to understand industry pricing and learn what you don’t want, Tutera says. They can be overwhelming, but if you weed through and find a vendor you fall in love with, it is well worth the time.

Here are a few upcoming shows in the metro area now offering discounted admission:

12 – 5 p.m., Sat., Feb. 2: Bridal Extravaganza of Atlanta. Tutera will host a special VIP event from 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. for $50. Discounted tickets to the regular event (not the VIP portion) are available from JessicaShops.

12 – 4 p.m., Sun, Feb 24: The Ultimate Wedding & Event Planning Expo at the Fabulous Fox, currently 50 percent off .

1 – 4 p.m., Sun. March 3: StudioWed Bridal Tea with cake tasting, table design and more for brides, mom and bridesmaids. Get 50 percent off the ticket price with the code “ajcbride.” The discount code is valid through Feb. 24.

12 – 5 p.m. Sun., March 10: Get half-priced tickets to the Georgia Bridal Show  which features a range of vendors showing their products and services.

Brides, how are you planning to save on your wedding? How do you use bridal shows to help?

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