Related Video: What are "The Panic Years?"

You’ve walked down the aisle dozens of times—just not as a bride.

In fact, your best friend just picked out a $450 crystal-encrusted sleeping bag that she calls a bridesmaid dress—which you are to wear ("after you lose those pesky last 10 pounds," per her instruction.)

Never mind that you can't afford the thing in the first place.

And it has finally whittled down to you and the five-year-old flower girl vying for victory in the bouquet toss.

Oh, yes, wedding season is upon us again, and for all the SPSs (self-pitying spinsters) out there who are dreading the season of engraved toasters and hollow toasts alike, I am here to help!

But these scenarios are no reason to Panic—and let the fear that "it will never happen for you" start to warp your way of thinking and ultimately undermine your sense of self. Sure, the friends who were infinitely more likable before they got engaged are now relentless reminders of your singleness, but you’re going to need a mightier resolve to withstand the forces of The Panic Years (Want to know more? Watch author Doree Lewak explain in Tango's exclusive video).

Probably more than any other cultural condition, wedding season is known to help compound the Panic Years—filling even the sanest single girl with at least some self-doubt.

So, before you become permanently blinded by not-so-pleasant pastels and a seething jealous rage, here are my top five tips—your secret weapons to surviving wedding season.

Secret Weapon #1: How not to be bitter at your friends’ weddings.
Yes, somehow even the ugliest sister from your sorority has managed to land herself a man and get married while you can’t even scare up a date for her wedding. This unjust, but true scenario has all the makings of the Panic Years – unless you do something about it. So what if a less-desirable friend ties the knot before you? This is no reason for your bitterness to boil over, is it? Is it?!! Remember, you’re going to have to learn to accept—not fight—the reality of your “friends” getting married. And eventually, you will not just fake—but feel—true joy at your friends’ weddings, despite any humiliation you must suffer through while wearing peach organza.