Bowling Alley Wedding

Twenty-eight-year-old Rachel Sifuentes is getting married and like for many of us, money is tight. But in Rachel’s case, creativity is not in short supply. When the going gets tight, the frugal get going to the bowling alley to get married:

Rachel Sifuentes and her husband held their January wedding at Lucky Strike Lanes, a bowling alley in Orange, California.

The alley’s "nightclub lounge" feel with contemporary furnishings and rock music was perfect, Sifuentes said. And the best part was the professional even planner that was included at no extra charge in the couple’s large party package.

Total cost for the reception: $4,340

Stephanie Chen of CNN has more about how some newlyweds beat the bad economy with a healthy dose of creativity:

Sifuentes’ bowling alley wedding in January may not have been traditional, but the creative ceremony saved her thousands of dollars at a time when wallet tightening has become necessary for many American families. Her offbeat wedding is representative of a growing trend, wedding experts say, as brides are discovering cheap can be chic, and also inspire innovative party ideas.

"Necessity breeds ingenuity," said Ariel Meadow Stallings, a writer who runs the online bridal site Offbeat Bride.

She explains what has ushered in the recent trend of frugal yet creative brides: "It’s the combination of the economy with the fact that through the ’90s, there was a big explosion of the wedding industrial complex."

Link | More at Offbeat Bride