l) Shorten your list
One of the easiest ways to trim your wedding budget is to cut the amount of people coming. Unless you’re making guests pay their food cost along with their portion of the material overhead (e.g. table & chair cost), making them pay won’t matter a whole lot. We don’t suggest making guests pay anything, let alone a couple hundred dollars, to come to a wedding. So do yourselves and your guests a huge favor, shorten your list!
2) Prepare for rejection
It is not uncommon to see 10 – 20 percent of people invited to a wedding not attend. Location and time of the year play a crucial role in how many people will attend.
3) Make a uniform children policy
To avoid hurt feelings, make a uniform child policy. Make your wedding an all adult wedding, open to children, or immediate family only.
4) Organize your cash
Note what you absolutely need at your wedding and from there you can figure out how much you can spend on less important things. (e.g. if you want gourmet food and a designer dress, you may need to go with the cheaper floral arrangement).
5) Keep an emergency contact sheet
Have a list of all of your vendors’ numbers handy in case of an emergency leading up to your wedding.