Love don’t cost a thing

Virtual bliss
Send Evites for a live webcam broadcast of you and your true love saying “I do” from your living room. Set up a free personal site to broadcast from (i.e., johnandtrudyinloveforever.blogspot.com). Once the replies are in, size up the demographic of your anticipated Web viewers, then solicit vendors to buy ads on your site. If we’ve learned anything from Star Jones, it’s that your wedding can be a cash cow. When the big moment arrives, remember to look into the camera—not your sweetheart’s eyes.

Martha, Martha, Martha
The keys to this DIY wedding are in your own backyard; you just have to plan very far ahead. Carve wedding rings from soft rocks, whittle strips of bark for (literally) engraved invitations and plant flowers to use on the big day.

You’re a survivor
Have guests take a break from stuffy hotel ballrooms and attend a “camping trip” wedding instead—a reality-TV-style competition to see who can survive the night. Competitions include foraging nuts and berries for the dinner “banquet” and constructing a wedding tent from duct tape.

Wedding crasher
Why go through the trouble of booking a venue and finding a band when a thousand places have already done the work for you? Grab your friends and head to a bar with good live music and cheap drinks. With its fish-filled pond and white-tented back patio, Happy Village (1059 N Wolcott Ave, 773-486-1512) looks as if it’s set up for a wedding reception already. No need to regulate consumption: The guests can pick up their own tabs.