Those kinds of numbers can shatter a bride’s dream. Still, there are some ways for a bride, her friends and family to do things themselves and cut down on the cost.

Brides have a lot of things to worry about when planning their weddings, from where to buy their bridesmaids dresses, to what food the guests should eat.

Fortunately saving money does not have to be one of those things. There are a lot of things that a bride can do for herself to save money and still have a nice wedding.

Here are some tips offered by various bridal experts for doing just that:

Be creative

Make your own jewelry. If a bride does not already know how to make jewelry, there are several places in Prince George’s County that offer classes in jewelry making.

‘‘We’ve held several classes for brides and their bridesmaids,” Vivian Pallard of the Beaders Workshop in Bowie said. ‘‘It’s a lot of fun for them.” Pallard said that a bride taking classes with her bridesmaid is a way for the group to bond and create something truly unique. Michael’s craft store also offers a variety of jewelry making classes as well as several ‘‘do it yourself” jewelry making kits.

Make your own invitations. Purchasing a plain invitation from a card company and decorating it gives the card the same kind of personal touch as selecting cards and having a company print them up. Another option is buying software specifically designed for making cards such as ‘‘The Print Shop” and ‘‘Picasa.”

Utilize the Internet

Try ordering from a store’s Web site. Tara Chambliss of Largo said that when her niece was getting married, their family was having a difficult time finding matching bridesmaid dresses.

‘‘The cashier tried calling the same store in different locations, but none of them had the style of dress we wanted in the sizes we needed.”

Chambliss said that the cashier suggested she and her niece look at the store’s Web site, which had a more extensive inventory. Chambliss said she and her niece were able to order the proper style and size dresses they needed.

Try first, order offline later. To encourage shoppers to purchase items from their Web site, department stores will offer the same items found in their stores at a discount. This works out for those who like to see and feel an item before purchasing it.

Online auctions. Web sites such as eBay and Half.com allow shoppers to bid on items for a lot less than what the shopper would pay for them at a store.

‘‘Ebay’s a great place to find something truly unique for a good price,” former eBay vendor Laura Thomas of College Park said.

Thomas said that customers should always be sure to read a vendor’s return policy and read the feedback received from previous customers.

‘‘Be wary of a deal that looks too good to be true,” Thomas said. ‘‘I’ve known vendors to lure customers in with super low prices, but then they’ll charge them a lot for shipping and handling and insurance.”

Browse non-traditional wedding sites. Chearice Vaughn of Fort Washington said that she purchased her bridesmaid gowns offline from the alternative and gothic clothing store Torrid.com.

‘‘I’d done a lot of shopping around for bridesmaid dresses at places like David’s Bridal, Hecht’s, Sears, and Deb. None of those places could beat Torrid’s prices,” Vaughn said.

Vaughn said that as an added bonus, the dresses she purchased from Torrid.com were unique.

‘‘I think my bridesmaids are going to be pleased,” Vaughn said.

Rent instead of buy

A lot of the things a bride may need for her wedding will never be used again, such as wedding apparel. David’s Bridal offers a wide selection of tuxedo and suits that for the groom, best man and groomsmen as well as dresses and gowns for the bride, maid of honor, bridesmaids and flower girl.

Ask around. Remember the old saying, ‘‘Something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue?” A bride may want to consider asking her friends, family, coworkers and other people in her social circle if they have items she can use for her wedding.

Wedding photos, video

Hire a student photographer and⁄video camera person. A college student who is studying or majoring in photography or video production will charge a lot less than a full time photographer to capture your special moments.

The head of the fine art’s department at a University will likely recommend a student to the bride. The bride may decide to screen the students by talking to their professors, seeing samples of the student’s work and getting to know the student’s personality and maturity level.

Sheena Cochran of Landover said that she and her significant other found a student photographer on Craigslist (a community Web site where people offer various services) to take photos of them.

‘‘The pictures came out really well and he didn’t charge us anything because he was a student and needed to practice,” Cochran said.

Pass out disposable cameras to guests. The bride and the groom may not need to order as many prints from the photographer after looking at the photos taken by their wedding’s guests.

To ensure that guests don’t forget and go home with the cameras it might be a good idea to have someone responsible for collecting them when the wedding is over.

Catering the wedding

Find out exactly what is covered by the caterer’s fee. It may be cheaper to bring your own silverware, cups, plates, punch bowl, etc.

A buffet is generally cheaper than having a specific meal cooked for each guest. Also guests get to choose what they want which results in less wasted food.

Ask your caterer if it is an option to order smaller portions for children under 12. A child-sized portion may be less expensive than an adult sized one.

Try and choose fruits and vegetables that are in season, or else the caterer will have to order them.

One final suggestion is to have a cash bar.

While there are many things that a bride can do to save money on her wedding, it is best to do what she feels the most comfortable with. A bride should also talk to other people that are married or are getting married for advice and support.

E-mail Wendy McConnell at wmcconnell@gazette.net.