By Shawn Wilson

June is fast approaching, and with it will come weddings; lots and lots of weddings. Maybe even your own! Given today’’s economy, more than a few couples have had to come up with ways to stretch their wedding budget dollars. If you”re in a panic because your wallet doesn”t even come close to covering your wants, here are some tips to help you pinch those wedding day pennies. Just because it’’s an important day in your life, doesn”t mean you have to be in debt for years just to pay for it.

The Dress - Every bride wants to look her best on her wedding day, and rightfully so. But spending thousands on a dress that is worn for just a few hours may not be the right thing for you. Consider buying a previously worn dress. Check online at sites like Ebay and Craigslist and scour the classified section in your local paper. Be on the lookout for warehouse sales and store closings (which are all too frequent these days). If you live in a small town, you may have to broaden your search, but it”ll be worth it in the end.

The Tux - Yes, guys want to look good too! But do they have to wear a tuxedo? Probably not. Chances are that a well cut suit would look just as good, if not better. And there”ll be no ”penguin” jokes either! Accessorize with a beautiful shirt and tie and voila!

The Stationery - If you have a friend who’’s good at graphic design considering drafting (no pun intended) them to create an invitation for you as a wedding present! Or take a stab at it yourself. If that’’s not doable, try ordering them online. To save money AND save trees (who could ask for more?) do away with the reply card and envelope. Include an email address and/or telephone number for guests to reply to your invitation.

The Food - If your reception includes 200 people at $100 per plate, that’’s a hefty chunk of change just for food and service. Heck, it’’s enough for a down payment on a house in some cities! To lower your costs, think about having an afternoon reception with finger foods, and serve beer and wine only, no hard liquor. If your budget will stretch to it, try a buffet style reception instead of a sit down meal; you”ll save money on staff. One of the nicest wedding receptions I attended last year had about 50 guests and the bridal couple rented a restaurant for the afternoon. Out of town guests loved it because it started at noon and ended at 4 pm, so there was no need to arrange accommodation.

Remember, it is (hopefully) a once in a lifetime event. However, that doesn”t mean you need years worth of debt to pay for it.

About The Author

This article was written by Shawn Wilson, a member of the customer support team at Datepad, where we always offer free internet dating. Datepad has a massive directory of informative free dating articles along with a great list of dating site reviews on our dating blog.