In today’s less than stellar economy, many brides and grooms are looking to have less extravagant weddings to save a few bucks. Fortunately, you can still have a memorable and special ceremony without breaking the bank. Here are 10 tips on how to have a cheap wedding:

1. The Dress: Virtually every woman has dreamed of her wedding dress since she was a child, and many may be nervous about skimping in this area. But there are a few ways to save money and still wear your dream dress down the aisle. Look in the clearance section of some bridal stores for last season’s designs that are still in style, or hit thrift stores for chic yet inexpensive once-worn wedding dresses. If you have a family member or friend who is handy with a needle and thread, consider finding your dream design and asking them to recreate it. Or, if you’re not the sentimental type or hate the thought of a never-worn-again dress cluttering up your closet, consider renting a dress.

2. The Date: The term “June bride” is popular for a reason. For centuries, June has been the most popular month to get married, followed by July and August. Weddings in late spring and early fall are also popular due to the greater chance of good weather and more opportunities for an outdoor wedding. However, if you’re looking to save money, consider an off-season or even off-weekend wedding. The lack of ceremonies on these dates means that many vendors offer discounts and couples can save money on flowers, food and decorations.

3. The Wedding Party: While many brides worry about hurting the feelings of close friends and family by leaving them out of the wedding party, they also hurt their checkbooks by having a huge bridal party. It is considered appropriate to give each bridesmaid a gift as a token of her appreciation for helping her with her big day and her prices can add up quickly. Keep the bridal party small to help maintain a low-cost budget.

4. The Guests: It can be tempting to invite everyone from your hairstylist to your third grade teacher, but it’s better for your budget to keep the guest list to family and close friends. Each additional person adds to the cost through food, party favors, or the size of the venue.

5. The Food – Hosting a full-blown formal wedding dinner sounds wonderful, but it can add hundreds, if not thousands, to your bill. Instead, serve fancy sandwiches or create a buffet-style meal with relatively inexpensive items like pasta and salad. Another option is to have a potluck and ask guests to bring a copy of their recipe so you can create a special cookbook after the ceremony to help commemorate the experience.

6. The Cake: Traditional bakeries can cost an arm and a leg for a wedding cake. Consider asking a family friend who likes to cook to make the cake or even ask at your local grocery store for probably cheaper prices than you’d find at a specialty bakery. Another trendy option is to serve cupcakes instead.

7. Music: Hiring a band or DJ can add up quickly. Fortunately, in today’s iPod-enabled world, it’s easy for you to create a playlist, set it up with your venue’s audio system, or rent some speakers and hit play.

8. The Flowers: Instead of hiring a flower company to create your flower arrangements and bouquets, create inexpensive wedding flowers by simply buying and making them yourself. In addition to saving a ton of money, you can make it a separate and memorable event by inviting the bridal party to help you out.

9. The Invitations: With so many easy-to-design programs and high-quality printers at your fingertips, ordering invitations is no longer necessary. Consider creating and printing your own at a fraction of the cost. You can also save money, and help the environment, by asking guests to RSVP by email or phone instead of responding with a pre-paid envelope as was popular in the past.

10. The decoration: sometimes simplicity is better than extravagance. Keep decorating to a minimum and focus on stylish and inexpensive touches like candles or homemade centerpieces. The guests may not even notice, after all, all eyes should be on you on your big day.