Welcome to the fifth installment of Wedding on a Budget. Last week I shared some tips and tricks for keeping your reception costs to a minimum. This week we’re talking about how to save money on your wedding dress or the tux for your big day.

I’m going to start out by conceding a big point: not everyone dreams of getting married in a white gown. Straight couples often opt for nontraditional attire at their weddings, and so do many same sex couples. I’m all for that. Escaping the traditional script of a white gown and a tux is certainly one way of doing your wedding on a budget. But many of us still dream of wearing something special when we declare our commitment to our partner in front of family and friends.

Lisa and Tim Spooner of Wedding Planning on a Budget offer several tips for getting a super cheap wedding dress. Although their advice is aimed at straight couples, the tips are still applicable for lesbian couples.

Many brides spend a small fortune on their wedding dresses . . . After the wedding, it will be stuffed into their closet until they finally sell it at a garage sale, donate it to Goodwill, or make room in their closet in some other way . . . We recommend that you save money by buying a used dress or renting a dress. Wedding dresses are only used for one day so they can be reused and no one will know the difference because reused dresses are almost brand new and look like they just came off the shelf.

Great places to buy dresses that have been used just once are in the classifieds, at Goodwill, the Salvation Army, eBay, or online stores.

There are places online that sell and rent bridal gowns. Two sites you can check out are Budget Bridal Gowns and Sell Your Wedding Dress.

Blogger Waymon Hudson and his husband Anthony Niedwiecki, a law professor running for City Council in Oakland Park, FL, took a unique approach to getting dressed when they got married last Spring in San Francisco.

“Our Wedding in California this past year was another great moment. We had already had a trip planned to San Francisco for our anniversary when the Supreme Court decision legalizing marriage came down. As soon as the news broke, Anthony came in the room and said “let’s get married while we are there!” I said yes without hesitation. We ended up buying a small cake online, buying suits when we got to San Fran, and got married in city hall, in front of Mayor Gavin Newsom’s office. It was an amazing day. It was like the entire city was cheering for us when we got married. It was a beautiful moment I will never forget.”

Remember Erin and Gayle from last week? They spent $60 on their outfits for their commitment ceremony.

I looked for dresses for a long time because I wanted something casual. We finally found one in the old ladies’ section of J.C. Penny that was great after you removed the shoulder pads. I considered making my own dress, but I am not that skilled yet with the sewing machine. Gayle ended up wearing something she already owned instead of buying something new.

I found my wedding dress in the most unlikely of places ‘“ Amazon.com. Since my partner and I are planning to exchange vows on the beach, I wanted something casual and beachy. I did a simple Google search for sundresses and came across a vendor called Pacific Plex that sells all of their clothing through Amazon. They have a great Rock-a-billy aesthetic and their clothes are made for curvy girls like me. I spent $40 on the cutest tuxedo inspired dress. Now all I need is a pair of flip-flops and I’m ready to roll.

I wish you the best of luck shopping for your wedding attire. If you have any money saving suggestions that you’d like to share, I would love to hear from you in the comments section.