My fiancé and I were planning the wedding of our dreams, and quickly learned that dreams don't come free. We both grew up in rural areas, so we chose a quaint farm, amazing barn house included, in the gorgeous Hudson Valley. The location was the dream respite from our New York City lives. The venue took up most of our budget, so figuring out the rest would require some serious effort for us to still have the charming farm wedding we both imagined.

So, I asked my thriftiest bridesmaid for advice and she suggested that I get Ebates, a web-browser extension that saves you money on online shopping. Here's how it works: While I searched for stationary, décor, and dresses, Ebates would automatically inform me of any deals and coupons, plus every time I made a purchase, I would get cash back. At the end of each month, I would have a nice little stash sent to my Paypal account (though, they will also send checks). It ended up being a complete lifesaver! I know I could not have pulled off the wedding of my dreams without Ebates. Thanks to awesome deals and cash back rewards, I ended up saving over $1000. Here's how you can save big, too.

Invitations

Saved: $124 Cash Back: $33

We thought about going with a cheaper option like evites, but I've always felt that getting a delivered invitation really made the event something special for guests. With Ebates, I found a one-stop-shop deal on paper invites from Wedding Paper Divas, which helped us design, print, and stamp all of our invitations, all for a cost that was more than $100 under our budget.

Décor

Saved: $205 Cash Back: $42

Thankfully, my fiancé and I shared a vision for our farmhouse wedding decor, so it was just a matter of getting a good price. Since Ebates works with a huge variety of stores like Overstock, Container Store, Pier 1 Imports, and Michaels, we were able to get exactly what we'd envisioned for a fraction of the price, including string lights, mason jars for rustic flower vases, and glass votive holders for a candlelit dinner.

Attire

Saved: $600 Cash Back: $76

I wanted our bridal party to have a uniform look, but had worried about asking them to shell out too much money—the least I could do was find our wedding party reasonable prices on dresses and suits. I was able to save an incredible amount by finding elegant bridesmaids dresses at Macy's and groomsmen suits, bowties, and suspenders at Men's Warehouse. Not to mention makeup for my bridesmaids at Sephora. In addition to cash back, Ebates automatically applied coupons to each order, saving us even more money.

Honeymoon

Saved: $502 Cash Back: $58

Since we were getting so much back in cash back rewards, we could use the extra money to plan for a honeymoon in Tulum right after the wedding. Round trip flights from Expedia, our hotel booked on Hotels.com, and even amazing excursions, like a boat tour to see Mayan ruins, were all purchased using cash back rewards from Ebates.

So, let's just break it down: Over $1000 saved and $209 c ash back, and we got the wedding and honeymoon of our dreams without having to make any major sacrifices. They say that financial planning is one of the first tests in a marriage—thanks to Ebates, we were able to pass this one with flying colors.

It's free to join, and Ebates will give you a $10 welcome bonus here for a limited-time!