Here Comes the Cheap Wedding

With Vera Wang gowns and tropical honeymoons well out of budget reach, recession brides can turn to hand-sewn invitations, homemade cakes, and a general community "barn-raising" approach for a dream wedding on the cheap, writes Melissa Dalton for Salon. "Anyone with a good idea, and a willingness to get their hands dirty, was welcome to contribute," writes Dalton about her own wedding becoming an "old-fashioned communal celebration."

Wedding trinkets just wind up in junk drawers. Beer is more practical than champagne. A stretch Hummer limo? At those rental prices, no thanks, says Dalton. "Since we're avid cyclists, we chose a $200 bicycle parade instead, complete with bicycle rickshaws for anyone like me who didn't want to ride in their fancy duds."
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