Weddings can get expensive, particularly if you want a gorgeous venue. Well, what do you think about an outdoor wedding in a place with plenty of flowers, rolling hills and lots of trees? Dirt cheap, too, usually. And, while there will be quite a few hundred people in the venue who you didn’t invite to your nuptials, they’re pretty quiet, so, you’ll hardly know they’re there. Unless, of course, you suddenly find yourself living in the zombie apocalypse. Then, all bets are off.

Cemeteries are an increasingly popular location for weddings. Some couples say that it’s because, in urban areas, cemeteries are among the few green spaces left. Others cite the lower cost, as compared to places specifically pitched as wedding venues. Still others like the historical connections of many cemeteries.

The National Funeral Directors did a survey, and ten percent of the 600 cemeteries around the country they asked about allow people to rent the grounds for weddings. Many more modern cemeteries have no gravestones, so, the venue looks pretty much like any other scenic area. In older cemeteries, statuary, arches and other architectural details make for a romantic backdrop.

While there are a lot of reasons ranging from social taboos to religious reasons to simple superstition that people would choose someplace other than the boneyard to say their “I do”s, if this is a choice you’d be comfortable with, go for it.

Photo: Natalie Maynor