I've had the pleasure of attending some amazing weddings in past year. So much of what made them memorable is the time and thought that the couples put into planning their ceremonies. Instead of being a boring hour waiting for the reception to start, these were truly meaningful and heartfelt rituals of love. If you're getting married this spring, now is the time to be thinking about your wedding ceremony and wedding vows.

Save the cash or get married? That's the choice that many engaged couples are facing in this down-turned economy, struggling to justify the cost for just one day. Some people say that you should instead use the money for a down payment on a house you can live in for years. Yet I wouldn't have given up the joy and memories of my wedding day for anything, especially since my father unpredictably died just over a month later. There were so many moments of such blissful joy and huge poignancy that I can't imagine squeezing into a 5 minute courthouse wedding with an impersonal judge.

But apparently more Americans are making a different choice than I did. The average cost of a wedding in the US has gone down a high of over $28,000 in 2007 to just about $19,000 today, in part because more couples are opting to elope rather than have a huge bash. But I'm hoping that it's also because couples are finding more ways to be creative about saving money on their weddings, rather than just canceling. What about you? Would you take the money instead if it were offered to you? Is your wedding budget worth it?

Related: Should You Elope?

On my wedding day, I was determined to stay positive and happy no matter what happened. If my relatives made embarrassing speeches (they did), my friends got too drunk (yep), or even if the cake fell over (thank goodness no), I was going to just laugh and smile and have a good time. But there's one thing I wouldn't have been able to overlook. That would be my groom texting, twitter, facebooking, or otherwise using technology at the altar. I think my bridesmaids might have had to hold me back, or maybe just catch me as I fainted! Fortunately for him, when Dana Hanna whipped out his cellphone to update his facebook status before kissing his brand-new bride, she didn't react like I would have. Instead she smiled at him and at her laughing guests, even though the LA Times reports that it was a complete surprise to her.
What do you think? Would you have been smiling or ready to kill?

Here's a wedding industry secret: Bridal magazines need to please their advertisers, and so they like to encourage you to spend money on your wedding on all sorts of accessories and related events. But you don't actually need all of those items. If you're on a tight budget, make sure you know what the biggest money wasters are. I think it's more fun to spend than to save, but when planning a wedding, you have to be smart about it. Here's what's really worth the cost on a wedding, and how to be smart even while you're splurging.