Michele Guzowski had already paid the deposit for her wedding reception when the picture changed.

Her fiance, David Oakes, lost his job in customer service, meaning the June 12 nuptials they had planned would have to be postponed.

“We sat down and looked at the numbers and realized we couldn’t do it,” said Guzowski. “We had no idea when he would get another job.”

It was like life was rejecting their plans, sending them back stamped “insufficient funds.”

Oakes has since gone back to work, but wedding preparations for the rescheduled date have taken a decidedly different tack.

“We’re definitely doing everything on a budget,” Guzowski said. “I have been all over Craigslist, chasing down people who are just starting out and offering discounts.”

By shopping around, the bride has found a rock-bottom wedding planner, 40 percent savings on a photographer and unique favors consisting of honey from a local beekeeper.

And the Town of Tonawanda woman isn’t the only one cutting back. Frugal brides abound in the new economy.

“They’re sticking to a budget and paying more attention to where their money is going,” said Dawn Schregel of Distinctive Occasions event planning and design. “They’re really researching vendors and finding ones that are more willing to make a deal.”

Considering that the average American wedding runs $29,000, according to industry statistics from the Wedding Report, the cultural trend toward bridal bargain hunting may have come at the perfect time.

Here are a few MoneySmart tips for brides on a budget:

Don’t call it a wedding. Identifying yourself as a bride is like begging to be overcharged. When talking to vendors, stick to calling your wedding an “event” or “party.” That way, you won’t be steered toward overpriced “bridal packages” or other overly inflated costs.

Call a white dress a “bridal gown” and watch the price go through the roof. Broaden your search to include prom, Quinceanera and bridesmaid gowns that can be ordered in white, ivory or cream. Most dress Web sites will even allow you to search by color.

Right now, post prom, you can snag a gorgeous A-line gown for less than $60. Even the cheapest dress at David’s Bridal usually runs $99.

Sure, food and drink for 200 of your closest friends can cost a fortune, but just getting all your friends into one room can break the bridal bank. Traditional invitations — with their envelope within an envelope within an envelope excess — are not only murder on your pocketbook, they’re bad for the planet. Use that eco-friendly angle as your excuse to scale back.

Seal and Send-style invitations have everything contained in one long strip of card stock that is folded up, sealed with an embossed sticker and mailed. No envelopes involved. The RSVP is a perforated postcard at the bottom of the invitation, so the guest just tears it off, fills it out and drops it in the mail. That way you’re not stuck opening, paying for and shipping additional envelopes, reception cards and RSVPs.

You’ll save on return postage, too, since it costs just 28 cents instead of the standard 44 cents to mail a postcard. Just make sure you can get your hands on wedding-appropriate postcard-priced stamps if that’s something you care about. While the collection for standard first-class postage offers several designs depicting hearts, wedding rings and wedding cakes, postcard stamps might limit you to a picture of a polar bear or tropical fruit.

Visit the U. S. Postal Service’s Web site,

www.USPS.com

. For many brides, the cake is a central piece of the fairy tale wedding, whether it’s an elegant, towering confection or a sculpted, fondant-covered affair. But at prices of up to $7 per serving, the wedding cake can blow any bride’s budget in a heartbeat.

Sure, you can cut back on the size and intricacy of your cake to get a lower price. Foregoing fondant or substituting sugar flowers with real ones, for example, will save a few bucks. But there are other ways to have your dream cake and eat it to.

Rent The Cake of Your Dreams in East Aurora has a collection of ornate wedding cakes available for rental. You get a genuine-looking, opulent cake to display ($30), guests get a delicious dessert, sliced from sheet cakes stored in the kitchen ($1.75 per slice, 20 cents extra per filling) and no one is any wiser. Each cake even has a little slot to fill with real cake for the ceremonial cutting and photo ops.

And don’t worry about missing out on that top layer of wedding cake you’re supposed to freeze and eat a year later. The company throws in a prewrapped, freezable “anniversary cake” free of charge.

Call 655-1407 or visit

www.RentTheCakeOfYourDreams.com

for more information. Of course any truly Money- Smart consumer will tell you to elope. If that’s more your speed, Weddings to Go! Key West may be right up your alley.

The company conducts dreamy, tropical weddings on the beaches of the Florida Keys. But get this: the most expensive package tops out at $575!

That price covers the ceremony officiant, marriage license filing, bouquet, boutonniere, professional photography, a bottle of champagne, transportation as well as two memento champagne flutes and a souvenir picnic basket. You can invite as many guests as you want. To top it off, you can return as often as you want to renew your wedding vows for free as long as you both shall live.

Call (877) 933-8646 or visit

www.WeddingsToGoKeyWest.com

.